1. Make the Class Too Hard
I'm not complaining about a course that is challenging. It's not about a subject being difficult to master. That's the point of higher education- to stretch your mind and give it a chance to grow. What I'm talking about is when a professor intentionally makes things hard. We've all had that class where the average score on an exam is somewhere around 52%. I had an American Heritage class my freshman year that was known for this. At our first midterm, you could score in the thirties and still pass. The highest scores might have made it into the sixties.
Professors who do this love to show how hard their class is. I don't know, maybe they like to flex their authority. Like somehow, by tearing every student down, that makes the professor super smart. My eighth grade science teacher was awesome. He was super funny, and everybody loved his class. But he took pride in the fact that the slightest error on an assignment would knock your grade down a whole letter. For the rest of my education, all the way through college, whenever I had an awesome teacher, it would mess with my head, and I'd be terrified to make mistakes. The man had screwed me up psychologically.
What's the point? The fact is, if most of the class is getting failing grades, the problem isn't with the students- it's with the teacher. The whole reason people are taking your class is so they can master the subject you're teaching them. So teach it to them, and stop jerking them around.
2. Have the TA Teach the Class All the Time
What's the point of teaching a class if you don't actually teach it? Some professors have their TAs do all of the actual teaching, and the professors focus on their own research. What kind of joke is that? Why is Dr. Schlotzky's name on the syllabus if Tyler and Katie are the ones who do all the lecturing and grading? I don't get it.
3. Make Attendance Part of the Grade
I know that often, a student will realize that he has this new freedom to skip class whenever he wants. He is no longer required by law to be in class. So he might not show up. But one thing I realized in my time in college was that while I didn't have to go to class, I really needed to. I came to understand that when I went to class, I learned more. And when I learned more, I got better grades. So I went.
College students are adults. They should be allowed to decide whether it's worth their while to go to class. If they do poorly in the class because they didn't attend lectures enough, then that's their own fault. Let them reap what they sew. Don't make attendance a part of their final grade. Don't have this nonsense where if you miss more than three lectures, then you automatically fail.
I'm fine with having quizzes and other graded assignments that require you to be present in order to get the points. It's ok to have these graded things take place on any random day, which would encourage the student to go every time. But when I decide whether I want to go to class, it should be up to me to decide if it's worth the sacrifice.
Like I said before, the point of taking the class is to master the subject. Your final grade should be an assessment of how well you have done so. Not whether you actually attended class every single Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If I can miss two thirds of your lectures and still ace my final exam, I deserve that A.
4. Dock Points Based On Your Opinion
Someone once told me they got a bad grade on a paper because their teacher didn't agree with their interpretation of Hamlet. That's right, Hamlet. An incredibly complex piece with countless interpretations. One time I saw a show where several different performers did the "To Be Or Not To Be" monologue, each with a different tone and emotion. What I'm saying is that Hamlet can't be interpreted just one way.
It's fine if you disagree with the thesis of the paper. But if the point of the assignment is to display critical thinking skills and an ability to formulate and effectively defend an argument, then grade the student on that. A debate team takes an assigned position on an issue, and has to defend that side with all they have, regardless of their actual opinion. You don't award the win to the team that you agreed with. You give it to the team that did the best job arguing their side.
Obviously, many assignments require the student to explain specific facts and show that they understand the principles taught. There is only one correct answer, and they are supposed to give it. But for others, the student is expected to show what they found in their research, and even if the professor disagrees, if the student clearly did a good job researching and formulating their argument, you've got to give them due credit.
5. Testing Students on Nitpicky Things
I don't know how else to say it. Getting an education means attaining a masterful understanding of a field of study. If, as a professor, your objective is to help your students do that, then great. You're doing your job. If, however, you want to trick your students and see exams as a way to win a battle of wits against them, then you're a manipulative jerk.
I've had classes where I've been tested on specific pages of a text. The worst have been religion classes. The Doctrine and Covenants are organized into numbered sections. When taking a course on the Doctrine and Covenants, you're trying to grasp the message of the scripture. So it helps nobody if a quiz question asks you to match certain quotes to their specific section number. If I can get a good understanding of the Word of Wisdom, what does it matter if I know whether it's found in Section 12, 89, or 130?
Professors who do this don't care about teaching as much as they care about proving they're more clever than their students. It's incredibly immature and unprofessional, and it has no place in a place of higher learning.
