In the United States, college professors are not required to have any educational methods training before they begin instructing students. As long as the person has a qualifying degree, they are able to get a job as an assistant professor, associate professor, or professor without any formal training on educating students the correct way.
Teaching students takes more than just extensive knowledge in the subject being taught. It takes formal training. Colleges and universities should require their professors to take a basic educational methods class or some sort of teaching program before they begin their career as a professor. This will help students get more out of their classes as well as get better grades.
On the popular website Rate My Professor, students can rate their previous professors on overall rating, difficulty, and whether they would take the professor again. They can then choose some descriptive tags that will let other students know more about the professor, as well as a written review.
Many of these reviews highlight the teaching methods, or lack of, from their professors. The professors with the lowest ratings often have descriptions such as lecture heavy, no rubrics, disorganized teaching, lazy grader, terrible teaching style, and so on.
These problems could be improved and even resolved by making it mandatory for professors to take an educational methods course.
Every student has a different learning style. Many students struggle in their classes and some even fail because of the way the class is taught. Lectures, exams, and essays cannot be avoided with many majors and programs, but the way in which professors lecture, assist, grade, and give feedback could be improved to help students get through their classes, even when the material type does not align with their preferred learning method.
It becomes difficult to succeed as a student when the person you are trying to learn from has no desire for you to do anything other than take in and memorize their information. Many professors are experts or, at the very least, extremely knowledgeable in their field. Because of this, they tend to forget that their students come in knowing nothing or very little about the subject matter.
Professors need to learn how to give the information they have to their students in a meaningful and long-lasting way. The objective is to train students to become as knowledgeable as the professors, not resent them for lack of assistance and effort.
Tim Loatman, Director of Academic Services at Collegis Education says, “Universities can embrace this diversity while still having their own stamp on instruction. Training and development can help marry the diversity of instruction with a consistent institutional thread that students will appreciate and expect.”
Professors attend conferences, workshops, training, and conduct research on their subject extensively enough to be able to achieve the degree that allows them to become professors. If they are going to teach the next generation of members of their subject area, they should be able to attend conferences, workshops, and training to effectively teach their students.
Some professors lack the knowledge it takes to be able to build their courses around objectives, plan successful and engaging lessons, and assist their students to be able to walk the path of success. With these skills, students will have a more structured class centered around getting them to learn and apply the course material rather than just memorize enough to pass the class.
Kathe Pelletier, a director of teaching and learning at Educause, says, “It isn’t necessarily a natural skill to know how to arrange your time with students so that it’s spent most effectively and how to reach all types of students, no matter where they are starting from.”
Students are paying for a quality education that includes knowledgeable professors that care enough about their students to teach them effectively.
