Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by scLovely on October 12, 2011 at 12:40pm

I got lost as I was reading what u just wrote! It is so hard for me for some reason :(

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Permalink Reply by scLovely on October 12, 2011 at 10:44am

Thanks guys. I know I can always count on you for suggestions :)

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Permalink Reply by Artor on October 12, 2011 at 10:55am

I'd recommend you look to see if there are other instructors teaching the same class, and transfer. Talk to your adviser and complain about the guy's inability to teach clearly & his creeping theism. I've had teachers like that, and the only way I got through their class was to regard them as talking furniture. Anything they said had about as much relevance as voices coming from my couch. I did the work, learned the subject, & ignored the worse-than-useless teacher.

That's sad that you got through HS and they never taught introductory bio or chem.

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Permalink Reply by scLovely on October 12, 2011 at 12:41pm

It is sad. Chem is required now, but not ten yrs ago when I graduated. The only 1 science credit I had to have was Applied Physical Science.

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Permalink Reply by Louie Edelstein on October 12, 2011 at 10:58am

khan academy, it has everything from introductory bio to advanced. and it will probably help with most of your subjects

http://www.khanacademy.org/

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Permalink Reply by Rick on October 12, 2011 at 11:44am

You have another option to withdraw from the course and select an instructor better suited to your needs. In the future, you might want to research your professors. Your academic advisor might have some insight from other students as to which instructors are to be avoided. Ratemyprofessor.com is another good resource to check. Intro classes often have Graduate Teaching Assistants who could potentially be good resources as well. The first place to start should be your textbook. Hopefully your professor picked a good one. Sometimes you’ll get more from reading your text than you will from the professor. If any questions arise from readings that aren’t cleared up in class, also realize that your school should have resources available to you, such as tutoring. Your school’s library should have a huge collection to supplement anything lacking in your own text or left out in the lectures. Welcome to college where brilliant people don’t always make brilliant teachers.

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Permalink Reply by scLovely on October 12, 2011 at 12:48pm

I didn't realize that professors pick the text. Either way, I love the text. I get it and it makes sense to me. But he don't go by the text at all. He confuses me on what I thought I learned from the text. Then I ask him about it and he says "It should be in your notes." All I would have in my notes is that he likes Samual Adams Oktoberfest, his son will not clean his room, he can't ride bikes well, and a 30 minute spill on ping pong... Oh and something about nutsacks being the size of little green peas. I swear he is so hard to follow. I have wanted to transfer out of the class. My only option is to withdraw and possible lose financial aid, or fail it and re-take it on a different campus next year. I am going with the latter because I can't afford to lose fin. aid and with my work schedule I can't drive 20 miles further this semester. I will have to schedule around that next semester. I was just hoping that maybe I could do something to help me catch up for now.

 O and it is funny that you mention it, yesterday in class they were talking about ratemyprofessor.com. One girl had told us about it and how she has given him a bad review. I am glad u reminded me. I will check it our right now! Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Kairan Nierde on October 13, 2011 at 4:01pm

If all else fails, when scheduling next year's course pay close attention to the course description (and your requirements).  Some colleges recognize that students come in with widely different backgrounds in the sciences and will design a "major's" and "non-major's" version of the same course.  You may also be able to meet your biology requirement with a different introductory course than BIO 101.  Sometimes an introductory course that emphasizes hotbutton issues and daily life topics makes the science more accessible.  Of course, if you're planning on becoming a doctor this approach ain't gonna cut it!  :-)   

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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on October 12, 2011 at 3:42pm

Take a look at this link. There are many free textbooks there - see the science/chemistry section as an example. All titles are free to download in pdf format. You may have to click on the occassional Ad link but there is never any money needed, just an email addtress. They are all written by experts and leaders in their respective fields. If you get the first few chemistry books you should ace your exams !!

PS.. the suggestion to complain about bad teachers should be followed up on, especially if ypu are paying to be taught by them.

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Permalink Reply by Max Powers on October 12, 2011 at 6:26pm

I think enjoyment of the subject is the best help anyone can get. Most people dont understand how Chem. is applied to our daily life and therefore dont see the awesomeness of life! This is where the professor is supposed to play a role. : (  

 

Carl Sagan's Cosmos series is an awesome way to sort of ease chemistry and its application into ones hobbies. He is really good at making this stuff fun! That would be my tip, make it fun! The extraction of a chemical compound like DMT out of Ayahuesca.. makes for a good lab!

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Permalink Reply by scLovely on November 2, 2011 at 10:54pm

For the record, October 24th was the last day to withdraw from classes to receive a grade of "W". There are 6 people left in my class after this withdrawal date. I am just hoping I can raise my grade to a C by the end of this semester.

Out of curiousity, does a substantial amount of withdrawals look bad on an instructor or is it just the amount of students that fail the course?

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Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on November 2, 2011 at 11:22pm

Yes it does look bad on their record. And I understand that you're past the drop date for getting an I (Incomplete) or W (withdrawn), but this may be extenuating circumstances. If you know some of the other students that withdrew or are failing, I would get them together and go speak to the department head to explain the problem. Make sure you have your facts straight, bring some examples of what you're talking about, and approach the matter calmly and in a matter-of-fact fashion. If you can get others to join you it will drive home the fact that it isn't just you being a disgruntled student, there is a real problem there. Also, make sure you do this IN PERSON - not via email, not over the phone. It is much harder to trivialize, discount, or dismiss people in person and to their faces than it is electronically. Human-to-human interaction always has a greater impact, and drives home the seriousness of the situation.

 

Finally, don't be too discouraged. I know it seems like a big damn deal now, but in the larger scheme of things, it will be OK. Worst case scenario, you don't pass. I know it sucks, but it truly isn't the end of the world. You'll retake the class, with a different prof, and things will get better. Also, keep in mind that once you graduate no one looks at your GPA or transcript (unless you're applying to grad school ;) ). Think about it - have you ever asked your doctor what his GPA was? Or a lawyer? A nurse? Probably not - so just make it through this, press on and persevere, and you'll be just fine.

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