Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Appropriate behavior for university professors?

smooth · 03-01-2007, 07:06 AM

Martel,

Before you consider complaining about anything...consider this:

What you keep raising as an issue is that the professor called rather than emailed you (and the entire class) to schedule an appointment.

Now, how do you suppose him emailing everyone would have worked out?
Do you think that he is sitting there with a schedule and attempting to coordinate everyone's schedule? And that by some broad stroke of luck, everyone who replies would have no conflicts with one another?

Or do you think that perhaps he would actually need to talk with each one of you to determine what works best for you, him, and each other?

Assuming you have as little as 20 people in your class, and that's assuming an assload, can you even consider the logistical nightmare that would have ensued had your professor sent out a general request for available appointment times...just think how it would have turned out if just half of you (10 in this example) wrote back, "I'm available Tuesday at 1pm." Unless you all were literally sitting in front of your computers receiving and replying to a series of emails after that, there's no practical way anything would have been accomplished.

Emails are great for static conversations, not dynamic ones.
That's one of the reasons I refuse to answer substantive questions via email.

Now, perhaps he could have resolved those issues in class. But then he'd be taking valuable instruction time away from the entire class. Something that would have been entirely avoided had people discussed the details outside of class time. But if you are of the opinion that administrative affairs are better resolved during instruction time, by all means attack his method. It's your money, after all.

03-01-2007, 07:06 AM	#23 (permalink)
smooth Junkie Location: Right here	Martel, Before you consider complaining about anything...consider this: What you keep raising as an issue is that the professor called rather than emailed you (and the entire class) to schedule an appointment. Now, how do you suppose him emailing everyone would have worked out? Do you think that he is sitting there with a schedule and attempting to coordinate everyone's schedule? And that by some broad stroke of luck, everyone who replies would have no conflicts with one another? Or do you think that perhaps he would actually need to talk with each one of you to determine what works best for you, him, and each other? Assuming you have as little as 20 people in your class, and that's assuming an assload, can you even consider the logistical nightmare that would have ensued had your professor sent out a general request for available appointment times...just think how it would have turned out if just half of you (10 in this example) wrote back, "I'm available Tuesday at 1pm." Unless you all were literally sitting in front of your computers receiving and replying to a series of emails after that, there's no practical way anything would have been accomplished. Emails are great for static conversations, not dynamic ones. That's one of the reasons I refuse to answer substantive questions via email. Now, perhaps he could have resolved those issues in class. But then he'd be taking valuable instruction time away from the entire class. Something that would have been entirely avoided had people discussed the details outside of class time. But if you are of the opinion that administrative affairs are better resolved during instruction time, by all means attack his method. It's your money, after all. __________________ "The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." -- Walter Lippmann "You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." -- Abbie Hoffman