Necronic
Staff member
So I'm back in school and I am dealing with the worst professor I have ever had the displeasure of having to work with. The class is engineering economics, basically an engineering version of finance. I've studied this on my own, and I really liked it. And he is KILLING it for me.
I'll run down the issues:
1) He uses powerpoint and uses it poorly. I have nothing against powerpoint. I do have something against an engineering professor that never works his problems, and when he writes equations they look something like this: i=i/m. Or, one of my favorites: F equals = P(1+i)^n. He has repeatedly written completely incorrect equations in there as well and confuses his terminology constantly. The few times he does have a worked example he will either skip the slide, or he will not follow a consistent method to solve them from slide to slide (each one is done differently with different conventions)
2) We spent FOUR weeks on the first chapter. You know that first chapter that can be skipped in pretty much any textbook? Yeah we spent FOUR weeks on it.
3) He doesn't follow his own syllabus. He said there would be three tests. It is clear that is not even remotely correct (there will probably be 6).
4) He editorializes constantly. Engineering is about a methodical handling of complex problems, removing bias. He embraces this by starting his class and saying "looks like another bailout is coming, what's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome." or "You should never take out an adjustable rate mortgage", or "you should only invest in the stock market for the long term."
While I agree with all three statements to one degree or another, they are all VERY complex arguments, and making flippant comments on them is highly innapropriate for a discipline that is fundamentally founded in thorough and unbiased analyses.
It doesn't help that he has no understanding of basic economics though. He used recent changes in oil prices as an example of inflation, and then went on to say that inflation was caused by changes in supply, which would be sort of right if he was talking about the money supply, but he wasn't. How someone gets something THAT wrong teaching this class is beyond me.
5) He does multiple choice tests. This one is funny because in a previous class I considered this highly innapropriate for an engineering class. For this class....its the least of the problems, really its insignificant.
6) He likes trick questions, and he makes mistakes writing his tests. Of the 2 tests I have had so far there have been multiple mistakes on both of them, ommitted terms etc. Having this, alongside lateral thinking trick questions is a terrible combination. But what really makes it hard is:
7) He is incredibly rude. In both tests people have repeatedly gone up to the front and asked questions, because there are mistakes. He will cut them off before they can even finish their question and say that all the information is on the test. He doesn't even acknowledge them with eye contact. Then of course, 15 minutes later, he will point out the correction.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though.
-He used his own TAs personal mortgage information to make a point, basically saying her financing was dumb. Even if she agreed to this it is clearly a case of implicit coercion.
-He called a student stupid in class.
-He talks, rather loudly, during the tests.
-He would look over peoples tests as they turned them in and say things like "Wow for all that work you still didn't get it right" with a smirk.
See, I can deal with arrogance in a professor. It doesn't necessarily bother me, I mean its a personality flaw, but some of them deserve it. What I can NOT abide is someone who is arrogant and incompetent AND in a position of authority.
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I'm going to file an anonymous complaint with the dean at the end of the semester. But its tricky for me to do *anything* to get on this guys bad side because I am planning on applying to the graduate program, and he is the graduate advisor.
But.....I mean if this guy has any say in the graduate program I just lost a LOT of respect for it, and to be honest I want to get him fired.
Any suggestions?
I'll run down the issues:
1) He uses powerpoint and uses it poorly. I have nothing against powerpoint. I do have something against an engineering professor that never works his problems, and when he writes equations they look something like this: i=i/m. Or, one of my favorites: F equals = P(1+i)^n. He has repeatedly written completely incorrect equations in there as well and confuses his terminology constantly. The few times he does have a worked example he will either skip the slide, or he will not follow a consistent method to solve them from slide to slide (each one is done differently with different conventions)
2) We spent FOUR weeks on the first chapter. You know that first chapter that can be skipped in pretty much any textbook? Yeah we spent FOUR weeks on it.
3) He doesn't follow his own syllabus. He said there would be three tests. It is clear that is not even remotely correct (there will probably be 6).
4) He editorializes constantly. Engineering is about a methodical handling of complex problems, removing bias. He embraces this by starting his class and saying "looks like another bailout is coming, what's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome." or "You should never take out an adjustable rate mortgage", or "you should only invest in the stock market for the long term."
While I agree with all three statements to one degree or another, they are all VERY complex arguments, and making flippant comments on them is highly innapropriate for a discipline that is fundamentally founded in thorough and unbiased analyses.
It doesn't help that he has no understanding of basic economics though. He used recent changes in oil prices as an example of inflation, and then went on to say that inflation was caused by changes in supply, which would be sort of right if he was talking about the money supply, but he wasn't. How someone gets something THAT wrong teaching this class is beyond me.
5) He does multiple choice tests. This one is funny because in a previous class I considered this highly innapropriate for an engineering class. For this class....its the least of the problems, really its insignificant.
6) He likes trick questions, and he makes mistakes writing his tests. Of the 2 tests I have had so far there have been multiple mistakes on both of them, ommitted terms etc. Having this, alongside lateral thinking trick questions is a terrible combination. But what really makes it hard is:
7) He is incredibly rude. In both tests people have repeatedly gone up to the front and asked questions, because there are mistakes. He will cut them off before they can even finish their question and say that all the information is on the test. He doesn't even acknowledge them with eye contact. Then of course, 15 minutes later, he will point out the correction.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though.
-He used his own TAs personal mortgage information to make a point, basically saying her financing was dumb. Even if she agreed to this it is clearly a case of implicit coercion.
-He called a student stupid in class.
-He talks, rather loudly, during the tests.
-He would look over peoples tests as they turned them in and say things like "Wow for all that work you still didn't get it right" with a smirk.
See, I can deal with arrogance in a professor. It doesn't necessarily bother me, I mean its a personality flaw, but some of them deserve it. What I can NOT abide is someone who is arrogant and incompetent AND in a position of authority.
------------------------------------
I'm going to file an anonymous complaint with the dean at the end of the semester. But its tricky for me to do *anything* to get on this guys bad side because I am planning on applying to the graduate program, and he is the graduate advisor.
But.....I mean if this guy has any say in the graduate program I just lost a LOT of respect for it, and to be honest I want to get him fired.
Any suggestions?
