Do you think professors are too soft on their students?

Question

I'm a professor and from year to year I see students, ON AVERAGE, gradually dropping off in attendence and in general work ethic.

Even at the "top" colleges, the hardest part seems to be getting in. Once in, it seems like many party, cheats, and copies their way to a grade. It bothers me a bit since so many students have state aid or scholarships paying for them to take these classes.

Should professors crack down and start flunking people or just see this as natural with more people going to college?

I should add that students have the power to ream professors on evaulations, so there is temptation to be easy on students to get a better eval, at least until you're tenured!

Answer 1

There are two schools of thought on this--

College students are adults who are paying (by whatever means) big bucks for their education so some feel entitled to miss class occasionally. In addition, there is an overall decline in work ethic in our society and we could argue all evening why that is. It starts at home and in elementary school. I direct you to Homework Help in this very forum. There are some bold students who want someone to do their work for them and quite a few who cannot construct a suitable sentence. I'm sure teachers are painfully aware of students who do not do their own work and I wonder how they handle it?

The other side is that professors are too soft on students, just as many grade school and high school teachers are. Many times it is just easier to go along rather than try to teach responsibility. Much depends on the course, I think. Many courses are about critical thinking or research skills so it is not necessarily important to memorize names and dates in history, for example. For example, it is more important to know why World War II started than the exact dates of famous battles. On the other hand, if you are teaching heart surgery, I want the best of the best. I don't want a doctor who did "D" work in college.

Teachers and professors are too soft on students, but the parents who coddled these same kids would be the first ones to complain if you flunk their kid even though he or she might deserve it.

Answer 2

Of course a professor should "flunk" students or give them low grades if they know the student is cheating or copying their way to a grade. You are right there are many professors who are easy on the students and let them float, but this generally becomes less the case as student get further along in their education, and even more so in graduate school. If they don't learn the skills early on they will likely not proceed to work on additional degrees, etc. I think the goal of education is to teach individuals specific skills, and in particular how to learn. If they are not required to do their own work or are not held accountable, then they will not learn the skills I find most important.

Answer 3

I am a huge proponent of a student's grade being comprised of not only test and homework scores, but participation as well. I know this type of thing will vary between professors, but most instructors never bother to take attendance or give extra credit to students who genuinely make an effort to LEARN IN CLASS (ie. asks questions, visit during office hours, going the extra mile type thing.)

I think it is a pitty to see students who barely attend class, do a half-assed job on homework and then pull an all-nighter and then get 2 A's on the midterm and final and end up with a B+ or A- for the final grade...and then FORGETS the majority of the content 6 months later!

I think the learning experience is ultimately up to the professor's preference...but remember, students will talk: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp

Answer 4

I think that professors should give students the grades they deserve, even if that means flunking out the top athlete.

If you don't go to class or do the work, you're not worth getting a good grade.

I just graduated from college, and I can honestly say that I worked my butt off. What did I get? I graduated early, c.um laude nonetheless! I earned those grades.

I've always been under the impression that if I were to drop out of college that I owe my parents, who paid for my education, all the money they invested in me.

Answer 5

You should not be accepting of students' slacking off. If people like them are "passed", get their degrees, and go into the real world, they will hurt both themselves and those around them. Sure, a person could get a job with a good-looking degree hanging on the wall. But in the workplace, slacking off has its consequences- poor production and loss of company profits, for example. This, in turn, hurts the economy and can ruin things for those who do work hard. Flunking the slackers will, if nothing else, weed them out. And perhaps it may just get them to step up to the plate.

Answer 6

Fail them. you're being too mushy. I had instructors in college who does no longer stand for any type of plagiarism and had no subject concerns with sending scholars to the dean, notwithstanding if it meant that they could be expelled from the college. How are they going to check if there are no longer any outcomes to their movements? The working international isn't forgiving of stunts like this, and faculty is meant to help prepare scholars for their expert lives. An corporation does no longer blink a watch approximately firing an worker for habit which incorporate this and you shouldn't the two. If the finished website has been plagiarized, then the pupil could desire to, at minimum, receive a failing grade for the course and ought to take it throughout returned next semester. additionally, whoever the pupil takes the class with interior the destiny could desire to be notified of the problem. That instructor shouldn't enable the pupil to apply any of the comparable artwork that replaced into submitted for this classification. all the artwork could desire to must be new and good pronounced. this might prepare the new child which you will no longer cheat the device using fact finally you will get caught and that's way less complicated to do the artwork genuine the 1st time than to do it throughout returned from scratch a 2d time.

Answer 7

Students have this idea that prof's are there to teach, but actually they are there to learn. Students need to take responsibility for themselves. However the prof is in a tight corner if he or she fails them and the student complains to the administration that causes problems. The prof is ethical in the decision process if he or she treats every student equally. It's a good question that you have asked, I believe that if a student demonstrates work of a failing nature then the student should fail.

Answer 8

Yes. when a student can argue there grade to a higher one the Proffesors are too soft

Answer 9

Yes! It is time for a personal responsibility. It is that simple. Without it, cultures die.