So I’m in this computer architecture course. We have had a total of 4 lectures so far with very little material that is conducive to making homework assignments about. There is a prerequisite course about digital circuits. I got an A in that class.
So I see the first homework on the web tonight (due next wednesday 9/5, not referred to in class yet) and I haven’t the slightest frigging clue what this thing is talking about. I’m a pretty smart guy, but this is like a different language. It consists of 4 problems in total, 2 design problems that are, according to him, about the lectures thus far. I, however see nothing in what we’ve done so far to prepare us in any way for these problems. The other 2 problems are called “review” problems from the prereq course. However, we never covered anything like this in that course! This stuff is way beyond anything that we got to. I got an A in that class, yet I have no clue what he’s talking about!
This prof has drasticly overestimated the stuff that we were supposed to learn in the prereq course. His expectations of us are WAY off base. Either he is going to have to completely rework his plan for this course with more realistic expectations of us or the grades are going to be incredibly low and the curve is going to be so severe that it will be in danger of collapsing in on itself.
This guy needs to get a clue and FAST!
I hate courses where the class average is like 20%
I’ve had profs like this. They seem to think that not everyone in the class should get an A. In their defense, they have no idea what was specifically covered in any pre-requisite course. In your defense, if you go hunt this stuff up in the library and knock it down cold that would be so cool…
I haven’t had a chance to ask anthing yet, but I’m anticipating something to go down in class today about this. Somebody is going to ask him something, probably several somebodies.
Ah, the first week of classes and already the students know more about how to teach this subject than the professors. Allow me to offer a legendary story I heard when visiting MIT, it may be instructive.
Every MIT student must take calculus, it is one of the most intense courses in this subject offered at any university, I saw the textbook and it is TOUGH. The lecture is one of the most crowded of any course at MIT. One year, on the first day of calculus class, the entire lecture hall is packed, the professor enters the room, goes to the podium, places his textbook on the podium, and asks “are there any questions?” The students sit in silence, nobody raises a hand. After a few seconds, the professor says, “well then, class dismissed” and walks out of the room. On the second time the class meets, the exact same thing occurs. On the third time the class meets, the professor asks if there are any questions, and from the back of the room, a small voice speaks, “I have a question about Problem 1 on page 1.” And the class begins.
What I’m getting at is, you have what seems to me to be a genuine concern about the class. Instead of fuming about it and hoping “somebody” brings it up (and assuming the professor is stupid), why not ask him about it?
In their defense, they have no idea what was specifically covered in any pre-requisite course. In your defense, if you go hunt this stuff up in the library and knock it down cold that would be so cool…