Current Events > Damn, I took his course in 2012

(+) Yeah! (+)

I still Remember His lecture about the bullvalene molecule

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/nyu-organic-chemistry-petition.html

I also got an A on his course. This gen of students are weak sauce.

Id buy him a beer.

He should have taught you not to link to a fucking paywall.

Universities cater to student complaints far too readily.

DrizztLink posted...

He should have taught you not to link to a fucking paywall.

Link too long for the unlocked version. I dont know why people dont have paywall blockers installed.

Wait, they made an article on him for being a tough teacher????

darkprince45 posted...

Wait, they made an article on him for being a tough teacher????

Students made a petition and he got fired.

megamanfreakXD posted...

Link too long for the unlocked version. I dont know why people dont have paywall blockers installed.

In case your late to the party, Google is taking measures to prevent adblockers from working. Because this is a Chromium feature, it extends to browsers like Edge. So that's why people hate those websites, because they put measures in place to prevent adblocker from working.

Ivany2008 posted...

In case your late to the party, Google is taking measures to prevent adblockers from working. Because this is a Chromium feature, it extends to browsers like Edge. So that's why people hate those websites, because they put measures in place to prevent adblocker from working.

i use a tapermonkey script.

megamanfreakXD posted...

i use a tapermonkey script.

Doesn't matter. Google in general, recently, is trying to prevent any form of blocking ads as its their main source of revenue. What's worse, as I indicated earlier, is that its a Chromium decision, so it doesn't just affect Chrome, but anything that runs Chromium style software in the background, ie Microsoft Edge.

So expect it to start affecting Tampermonkey as well in the near future.

Here's an archived version of the article if you can't read it.

https://archive.ph/t5f8E

Reading the article, if I were in school during Covid, yeah, I'd probably be one of those kids that would get detached and fail out of school.

I think its safe to say if students are getting 30% on his tests, and this is a trend, the problem is the 84 year old professor just isnt capable of properly serving the needs of these students

i also think that them ending his contract so quickly, it isnt just because of a petition

saying that kids these days just dont want to learn is some serious people dont want to work anymore boomer energy

TheGoldenEel posted...

I think its safe to say if students are getting 30% on his tests, and this is a trend, the problem is the 84 year old professor just isnt capable of properly serving the needs of these students

i also think that them ending his contract so quickly, it isnt just because of a petition

saying that kids these days just dont want to learn is some serious people dont want to work anymore boomer energy

Lol. Have you met your average premed student?

Learning is literally not the goal for many students, the grade is.

If I took organic chemistry, they'd have to invent a new grade low enough to register my score. LMAO

TheGoldenEel posted...

I think its safe to say if students are getting 30% on his tests, and this is a trend, the problem is the 84 year old professor just isnt capable of properly serving the needs of these students

This is the correct take. If the majority of the students are failing exams, then the teacher didn't do their job properly.

VIXVLV posted...

Lol. Have you met your average premed student?

Learning is literally not the goal for many students, the grade is.

Ochem isnt strictly a pre med class

VIXVLV posted...

Lol. Have you met your average premed student?

Learning is literally not the goal for many students, the grade is.

This is true unfortunately. Because I was once like that. But biochem was my major and I enjoyed all the chem courses I took. It made the whole process for med school less painful

I mean, anyone who doesn't think so should ask themselves: "would this have happened if the professor wasn't teaching them anything, but gave everyone A's?"

Very doubful there would be a single student complaint.

my compilers professor was notorious for exams where the average grade was a 5/20 or 20%. Because the tests were curved that meant a 20% on the exam would be around a B/B-. Getting a 50% is like getting an A.

Wasn't really sure why he structured his exams that way but he was notorious for it. Despite that he is an incredible professor and brings the absolute best out of his students

WalkingLobsters posted...

my compilers professor was notorious for exams where the average grade was a 5/20 or 20%. Because the tests were curved that meant a 20% on the exam would be around a B/B-. Getting a 50% is like getting an A.

Wasn't really sure why he structured his exams that way but he was notorious for it. Despite that he is an incredible professor and brings the absolute best out of his students

The rationale behind tough exams and grading on a curve is to allow students the ability to differentiate themselves. You want the mean to be in the center (50%) to reduce saturation on either side.

So weird that this is a national story.

Also interesting that the students never even asked for his firing.

reminds me of that time a long-time spanish teacher i had was pressured into retirement by the school's administration, which was in turn caving in to pressure from a bunch of parents angry about her high academic standards and expectations of students

When he pushed students grades down, noting the egregious misconduct, he said they protested that they were not given grades that would allow them to get into medical school.

maintain healthy lifestyles at all costs folks, these are your future doctors

btw please stop linking to paywalled articles

VIXVLV posted...

The rationale behind tough exams and grading on a curve is to allow students the ability to differentiate themselves. You want the mean to be in the center (50%) to reduce saturation on either side.

but then less intelligent students can't do well

VIXVLV posted...

The rationale behind tough exams and grading on a curve is to allow students the ability to differentiate themselves. You want the mean to be in the center (50%) to reduce saturation on either side.

right, but the mean wasn't 50%. The highest grade in the class was a 50% and the mean was around 20%. The test was literally impossible to get even a 60% on, let alone a 100%. Well-written exams would still be able to capture this distribution but in a more realistic manner. For example in other challenging STEM classes, some students would be able to get a 100%, and by some I mean 5-10 kids out of class sizes of 500+. And the average is around 50-60%.

In addition, in that compilers class, exams didn't really count for much of the grade. Successfully completing his projects was good enough to grant a B+, but it was no easy feat, many kids fail his projects as well. Regardless, I think he made them impossibly hard as a little bit of fun but without doing too much harm on the students' grades. He loved playing up his reputation in a dry sort of way

There seems more to this then what's led to believe. How does one go from "coolest Professor" to fired?

His colleges must have had it out for him or a student he failed had some connections in the university.

Edit- didn't realize there was more to the article. I can see Universities side, but firing may have been on the extreme side.

Gonna go home and try to dig out one of the exams I took from his course, for nostalgia.

TheGoldenEel posted...

I think its safe to say if students are getting 30% on his tests, and this is a trend, the problem is the 84 year old professor just isnt capable of properly serving the needs of these students

I had this same issue when I was in school. The professor that taught E&M, Control Systems, and Circuit Analysis had consistently abysmal grades in his classes, across generations. My class did terrible, the classes after me are doing terrible, hell my physics professor had him when he was younger and his tests were god damn impossible then too lol.

megamanfreakXD posted...

This gen of students are weak sauce.

They sure are >_>

I took Particle Physics in college and the average grade on the final was a 30% which was a C lol

Ryvell posted...

This is the correct take. If the majority of the students are failing exams, then the teacher didn't do their job properly.

I could get behind this take if that has been the case for his whole career. However, if students used to do better, but the "trend" is only the last decade or so, then I could see it being the current generation of students not being up to snuff and not the teacher's fault.

I'm guessing the truth is in the middle somewhere.

DrizztLink posted...

He should have taught you not to link to a fucking paywall.

Oof

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/9/AAL1VHAADvnd.jpg

Good times.

TheGoldenEel posted...

I think its safe to say if students are getting 30% on his tests, and this is a trend, the problem is the 84 year old professor just isnt capable of properly serving the needs of these students

saying that kids these days just dont want to learn is some serious people dont want to work anymore boomer energy

Pointing out that hes 84 and calling people boomer actually passes for an argument for some people. Amazing.

AloneIBreak posted...

Pointing out that hes 84 and calling people boomer actually passes for an argument for some people. Amazing.

and cherry-picking a couple words from a post passes as an argument for others, wild

I've given exams where the average was low, 50's-60's average, and you know what is always the case? There's always a handful of students who get A's, and those are the students who attend class, do the classwork, and importantly do the readings.

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people complaining that the course was too hard never cracked open the textbook a single time.

VIXVLV posted...

I've given exams where the average was low, 50's-60's average, and you know what is always the case? There's always a handful of students who get A's, and those are the students who attend class, do the classwork, and importantly do the readings.

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people complaining that the course was too hard never cracked open the textbook a single time.

Eh I have been in both positions. I tried to do all the readings in undergrad and still didn't get good grades.

I think you are very close to outright shilling for virtue ethics.

There are occasionally one or two students who are honestly trying but are having trouble. Usually these students come to office hours, and because nobody else does, I usually spend time with them identifying what's wrong with their strategies and help them along. But by far and away, the number of students like this are an extreme minority in comparison to the students who are failing but are not trying. And will actively complain that the course is too hard.

Some of these students think reading a textbook is some sort of myth.

VIXVLV posted...

There are occasionally one or two students who are honestly trying but are having trouble. Usually these students come to office hours, and because nobody else does, I usually spend time with them identifying what's wrong with their strategies and help them along. But by far and away, the number of students like this are an extreme minority in comparison to the students who are failing but are not trying. And will actively complain that the course is too hard.

Some of these students think reading a textbook is some sort of myth.

Many students simply can not learn just by reading which is why things like making lectures available online when kids are repeatedly missing class due to a pandemic is important

TheGoldenEel posted...

Many students simply can not learn just by reading

Lol.

This is false. But nobody said they should just be reading the textbook either. Show up for class. Almost every class is designed such that the class offers structured guidance to the textbook companion. You will never have enough time in a semester of class to cover all the information in lecture, so the lectures are designed to provide guidance and understanding for when students are doing their readings.

TheGoldenEel posted...

and cherry-picking a couple words from a post passes as an argument for others, wild

You bolded his age for emphasis, not me lol.

VIXVLV posted...

Lol.

This is false. But nobody said they should just be reading the textbook either. Show up for class. Almost every class is designed such that the class offers structured guidance to the textbook companion. You will never have enough time in a semester of class to cover all the information in lecture, so the lectures are designed to provide guidance and understanding for when students are doing their readings.

Hey how about the rest of my post

TheGoldenEel posted...

Hey how about the rest of my post

I mean, it sounds like they made many covid accomodations, including recording lectures. The complaint was about the whiteboard problems, which seemed to be a tech issue.

But you know what I did when I was a student and couldn't attend a lecture? I asked other students for their notes. I read that section's reading carefully. Etc, etc.

The TA said, as one would expect: ~"i noticed the students complaining weren't taking advantage of the resources we provided of them". Which is kinda how it always goes if you've ever taught a university class.

But, i just want to reiterate something from the previous post: learning styles are a myth. People aren't "auditory learners", "visual learners", "tactile learners", etc. This just isn't a thing. Students who say "i can't learn from reading a textbook" mean "this is too boring for me to want to do".

Colleges would have less people if jobs weren't so importnt

I also spent like 16 minutes thinking of what to say. Response ability is low.

TheGoldenEel posted...

saying that kids these days just dont want to learn is some serious people dont want to work anymore boomer energy

I posted an archived link of the article. Did you read through the article? If kids don't show up to class, don't watch the lectures, don't ask for help beyond "make it easier!" and are clearly disengaged from the class, whoever's teaching the course is going to think they're not putting in any effort.

Boomer couldn't keep up, long past retirement age.

what does the article say

no one just reads headlines before passing judgement. no one would be that short sighted. no one....no one at all....