▶ Your Answer :
A good educator does not necessary
have to be a famous or brilliant person, but it is more important that how they
are evaluated by the students who are actually receiving the education. Although
everyone has a different learning styles, if the professor consistently receives
positive feedback from students then it indicates that the professor possesses
the common features at least what most students prefer. This leads me to choose
the professor who is among students because famous professors among students
are usually recognized as skilled at teaching and devote extra time on students’
successful learning experiences.
To begin with, the professor who is
popular among students knows how to “teach” the material. One of the biggest struggles
the students experience is that although professor is a prestigious and smart, cannot
convey the information properly to the students. The approach and use of
language may not be appropriate for students who need to learn new materials.
Most students satisfy with the lecture when it helps students to understand the
concept rather than walking away without anything learnt. For instance, when I was
a committee member of the Teaching Award committee for 3 years, more than 90%
of students commented on the awarded professor that the professor can teach the
material very easily. They also shared that the professor’s learning approach
and method are also very suitable for university students, helped them to
understand the concept thoroughly. They also said that they never felt falling behind
in the classes. It was very interesting that students always value the quality
of the lecture over than the how famous the professor is publicly. They also
shared that they would definitely recommend this professor for their friends in
the future. Hence, considering the
professor who is popular among students may help to know the professor who can
teach the material well to students at students’ level.
Moreover, I would choose popular
professor among students because students usually recommend the professors who
provide extra support and help outside of the class which is a critical factor for
me. Usually lecture is never long enough to ask questions or receive some extra
helps on the assignments. However, it is crucial to have time to receive
feedbacks, have discussion with professor and ask questions about unclear
concepts for students’ learning. The caring professors usually welcome students
with questions and spend extra time with them. As students know this is a very
effective learning method, they always express positive feedback about
professors. For example, this was reflected on the survey conducted by the
MaClean’s magazine which publishes annual report about the university based on
students’ opinions. Many students agreed that they suggest their friends the
professors who have regular office hours and express willing to support students.
They also added that they usually vote the professors for the teaching
excellence awards who spend extra time outside of classes. This clearly shows
that it becomes natural the professor becomes popular when they commit their
time for students. Hence, famous professor among students can tell me which professor
does care about students rather than just being present as a professor only
during their lecture.
To summarize, it is never easy to choose
professors before actually auditing or experiencing the professor, so students’
opinions or comments about their previous experiences are extremely helpful. Their
feedback is reliable as they would have evaluated the professor at my level
of eyes because they are in the same shoes with me. I always prefer the
professor who can teach the materials rather than presenting them and give hands
when extra help needed. I believe these factors will all be collected in the
students’ feedback so their opinions will be the first marker for me to make a
decision. Again, learning from a skilled educator with devoting attitude would
be a better asset than learning from someone is just famous in public. |