Teachers from CC vs. University

[s2bLuluRN]

I currently attend a community college and will be transfering out next fall to a private university to complete my BSN. I have only attended this cc and find that nearly all of my teachers a.) don't care about how much their students are learning and b.) are clueless the majority of the time. Last fall I took a chemistry class, made mostly B's with a few A's, and the teacher give me a final grade of a C. I tried to make myself believe I didn't do so well on the final exams. The school called right before spring semester saying that my grade had been changed to a B. When I went to the school to figure out why they said some grades had been lost so the teacher gave us all C's INCLUDING the written exam! For summer I am taking english 2 and the teacher gave me 90/100 because I didn't answer a specific question on a discussion, but the question she referred to was not anywhere stated. I had to email her to ask where this information was supposed to have been and she said she misunderstood and fixed my grade. My english 1 teacher gave everyone in the class an A, even those who came to the class literally half the time and missed quizes and tests. My question is when I get to a university will the teachers be any better and actually try to teach and not just give me a grade, any grade? Will they be a little more organized? Or will this all be the same issues all over again? I am some people will say I should be happy to have teachers give out A's but when I start A&P and Micro I need to be able to learn in order to be successful in nursing school and for the nursing entrance exam I have to take.

[neurodude, MSN, NP]

It's hard to say because you didn't mention the names of your schools. Some CCs and their faculty are very well organized but universities are just terrible; the reverse is also true. You're probably better off asking former students of the programs and looking into the reputations of the college you're transferring to.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

It's hard to say because you didn't mention the names of your schools. Some CCs and their faculty are very well organized but universities are just terrible; the reverse is also true. You're probably better off asking former students of the programs and looking into the reputations of the college you're transferring to.

This.

I found in my college career that my instructors across the board had expectations from the cohort that they taught to be invested into their education and will grade accordingly to what was set forth; a lot of my instructors in CC taught at local universities as well, so if anything there really wasn't a difference in education, even when I transferred into a Bachelor degree program.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

These people are professors, not teachers. We are not in high school anymore.

Some (but not all) community college professors do grade leniently because they are under pressure to fulfill metrics related to retention.

I know someone who is a psychology professor at a local CC as well as a local state university. She tells me she must water the coursework down at the CC, or few students would be able to pass the course.

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

"I need to be able to learn in order to be successful". So how do you define "learn"? Professors are all going to be different. You must successfuly navigate whatever the teacher expects. You are "learning" to succeed no matter what. You can't make a med error then say you don't like the doctor so that is why. You are expected to provide excellent care no matter WHAT situation you are in. Do I remember everything from nursing school 10 years ago? Nope. However I developed a great work ethic and I learned how to overcome obstacles and COMPLETE the mission. Worry less about what others are doing and focus on doing what you need to do.

[s2bLuluRN]

Thank you for all of your advice/input. I did speak with a high school friend who graduated the nursing program from the same univserity, Cumberland University in TN, and she said all of her professors were pretty tough, but they did more than just tell them to read from the book, they not only lectured but lectured in ways students could relate and understand. Big difference than Vol State!

@TheCommuter, I believe you are correct about the professors "watering down" material. I do not feel challenged with any of the material and make A's and B's without studying, and I will be the first to admit I am not even close to being that type of student. Like you all have said, it's about what I put into it.

(side note) The professors refer to themselves as teachers, except my psychology ones, so I get stuck with saying it. My current professor sent an email out at the beginning introducing herself as our teacher for the summer term.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Some really huge changes have occurred in higher education over the last decade or so. The proportion of 'career educators' has decreased significantly. In many CCs, most classes are now being taught by Adjuncts. Although the specific arrangements vary, Adjuncts are paid by the course... sometimes it is a very paltry amount. Most of them have 'real jobs' elsewhere and the teaching gig is just to supplement their income. Adjuncts are not treated like "real" faculty. If they are lucky enough to have some assigned office space, it is usually shared with others. They have no job security & rarely receive any benefits. It is a lucky happenstance if an adjunct actually has had formal training in the discipline of education, because they don't receive any professional development from that CC.

The glory days - with highly qualified, dedicated academicians who are devoted to the welfare of their students.... are long gone. There are very few tenured slots left in universities; there is no tenure in CCs. So, the ranks of teachers with the earned title of "professor" (which indicates a fully tenured individual) is dwindling.

I'm not excusing poor instructors (they do not deserve to be called 'professor') - just trying to shed light on how we got to this sad place.