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Comment by codefisher | Hacker News Reader

I would like more accountability from professors somehow. Maybe not from student reviews, but at least someone unknown to the professor randomly attend a few classes to check the quality of them. Right now I have a professor that says things during class that are obviously incorrect, and can be verified as incorrect. Her attitude towards students is also disrespectful. But there is nothing we can do about it, no way to communicate to the university that they should be embarrassed and ashamed to have such a professor.

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Have you tried to do so? I've seen coherent, well-written letters from a large number of students influence the direction a course took (it was redesigned from the ground up for the next year), and both student and peer evaluations of teaching are definitely a factor in tenure decisions - and depending on the position, may be a major factor.

But I'd start with laying out concrete things, rather than "embarrassed and ashamed".

Have you actually tried to communicate with the university? Because I suspect you could find someone in the department willing to hear your complaints. Now, they very well might disagree with you. Or they might not immediately act. But surely you have contact with an academic advisor or know the name of a department head.

If you make this sort of contact, though, I'd recommend against saying anything like "[you] should be embarrassed and ashamed to have such a professor." Stick to facts.

Also, note that even very accomplished and intelligent people can make mistakes when they speak. I don't know what "obviously incorrect" facts you professor is stating, but I've had good professors bumble words and even ideas. And I know (as a former student) that students love discovering and pointing out those errors. Even if they have no real bearing on the quality of education being delivered.

Cameras in every classroom. You can then annonymosly report problems with time and date for review.

I had a Calculus prof who was worthless. She would literally read from the book and copy it verbatim on the blackboard. No questions. If you had a question you had to write it down on a piece of paper and leave it on her desk. If she could get around to it the question might be answered in a day or two. Students had no way to fire this prof or get her reviewed and replaced. We had to endure the torture and learn on our on.

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