# Really? Professors aren't taught how to teach? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491 "2012-10-22T04:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/101 "2012-10-25T02:39:02Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > It’s not so much an either/or thing, just supplemental teaching instruction before they teach. They can still do both if they want, the same way they currently sit on committees and such in addition to their research. > > If there were more transparency in the process, that’d be great. It’d be nice if universities tied salaries to [ratemyprofessor.com](http://ratemyprofessor.com) ratings. The addition of teaching ratings is often argued to the be the beginning of grade inflation. My wife gets slammed by some students in reviews for asking too much, having a reader that has too many pages, and expecting the students to have a quiz on Monday - which gets in the way of their weekend. They complain about being asked to write a single 10 page paper for the course, instead of just giving multiple choice exams. Those students should impact her salary? Please. Ratemyprofessor gives hottie points for attractive faculty - I don’t think that is a good model to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/102 "2012-10-25T02:42:24Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > No kidding - I’m supposed to teach t the individual in a lecture of 300? Absolutely! And when the tenure committee meets, they will consider your teaching reviews for all of 17 seconds at least! But come now, you don’t work in the summers - it must me SO easy! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/103 "2012-10-25T02:52:24Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > The addition of teaching ratings is often argued to the be the beginning of grade inflation. My wife gets slammed by some students in reviews for asking too much, having a reader that has too many pages, and expecting the students to have a quiz on Monday - which gets in the way of their weekend. They complain about being asked to write a single 10 page paper for the course, instead of just giving multiple choice exams. Those students should impact her salary? Please. Ratemyprofessor gives hottie points for attractive faculty - I don’t think that is a good model to follow. Hey now, attractive faculty are certainly easier to pay attention to 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/104 "2012-10-25T03:03:13Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Hey now, attractive faculty are certainly easier to pay attention to 😉 My wife has joked (semi seriously) that she should take her large lectures and hire a couple of very attractive Hollywood types to deliver them, and she could just do office hours for the Q&A. The Hollywood types would be able to do a better job of reading the script, and students would pay more attention. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/105 "2012-10-25T03:08:45Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > My wife has joked (semi seriously) that she should take her large lectures and hire a couple of very attractive Hollywood types to deliver them, and she could just do office hours for the Q&A. The Hollywood types would be able to do a better job of reading the script, and students would pay more attention. That’s actually an interesting concept. What if Jack Nicholson or Brad Pitt simply memorized the lecture script but presented it in a moving and engaging way? _ **Note to self - start celebrity lecture series…** _ ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/106 "2012-10-25T03:16:55Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > That’s actually an interesting concept. > > What if Jack Nicholson or Brad Pitt simply memorized the lecture script but presented it in a moving and engaging way? > > _ **Note to self - start celebrity lecture series…** _ [It’s been done.](http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r30034/PSY4180/Pages/Naftulin.html) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/107 "2012-10-25T03:32:27Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > But come now, you don’t work in the summers - it must me SO easy! > > 😉 Don’t get paid, either\*. Do you go to work for free? :smack: \*Unless they bring in research funds that include summer salary for themselves. Faculty at research schools are generally hired on nine or ten month contracts. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491/108 "2012-10-25T14:38:17Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Don’t get paid, either\*. Do you go to work for free? :smack: > > \*Unless they bring in research funds that include summer salary for themselves. Faculty at research schools are generally hired on nine or ten month contracts. Yep - sitting next to my wife as she works on a grant application, some of which will go towards paying her summer salary - even though she would have to do some research during that time regardless. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-professors-arent-taught-how-to-teach/638491.md?page=5)