It's too hard. Gen-Z leftist cry about test scores (Page 1/1)
Wichita OCT 03, 10:01 PM
Leftist Gen-Z students, signed a petition to end the distinguish career of a professor.


"In the field of organic chemistry, Maitland Jones Jr. has a storied reputation. He taught the subject for decades, first at Princeton and then at New York University, and wrote an influential textbook. He received awards for his teaching, as well as recognition as one of N.Y.U.’s coolest professors.
But last spring, as the campus emerged from pandemic restrictions, 82 of his 350 students signed a petition against him.
Students said the high-stakes course — notorious for ending many a dream of medical school — was too hard, blaming Dr. Jones for their poor test scores."

He was fired by the university for being too hard on students test scores.

OMFG! What is this world coming to?

From the NYT, as to eliminate the leftist bias argument that the story isn't true unless it is on NYT, HUFpo or Washington Post.

https://archive.ph/y0Q1v
Valkrie9 OCT 04, 10:35 AM
' ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I & LABORATORY
PREREQUISITE: CHEM-UA 0126 OR (CHEM-UA128 OR CHEM-UA129 WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF C.

This course constitutes an introduction to the chemistry of organic compounds.
The material is presented in the functional group framework, incorporating reaction mechanisms.
Topics include structure and bonding of organic materials, nomenclature, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, spectroscopy,
and reactions of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, amines, and carbonyl compounds.
Multifunctional organic compounds are covered, including topics of relevance to biochemistry, such as carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, and nucleic acids.
Laboratories provide training in the basic techniques of the organic chemistry laboratory, including crystallization, distillation, extraction,
and other separation techniques, such as column chromatography.
Experiments involving the synthesis of organic compounds are introduced, as well as qualitative organic analysis. '

COURSE OFFERINGS CHEMISTRY (2022 - 2024)
The Department of Chemistry strictly enforces all prerequisites and de-enrolls students from courses for which they do not meet the prerequisites.
Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C (not C-) or better.
Courses are lectures unless otherwise indicated.

Well, sure it's tough, a true test of intelligence,
unlike the petulant students who signed the petition, the marxist sympathizers among the student body, signing away any hope for success in medicine.

The filter comb to determine the future physician's ability.
Science is not a consensus.
Perhaps,
all the signatories should come forward to display their fails to the world, and why they got the grades they did, what went wrong, or, why they were wrong.
To be fair, like.

[This message has been edited by Valkrie9 (edited 10-04-2022).]

RWDPLZ OCT 04, 02:30 PM
I had a professor that prided himself on how FEW students passed his class, and berated students who didn't 'get' the material. I made it into the final 9 of the original 30, before failing the final. I took the class again at Michigan Tech after the summer, and got a 4.0 (statics and dynamics).

Had another that was a worthless POS, it was his first year teaching after being a manager at General Motors. Refused to pick a text book, you had to attend all lectures, and then the exams didn't even resemble the class material, because he had an Indian grad student writing all the tests for him. Needless to say, most people failed the class. Short version, he was fired after 2 years and had to go teach at a no-name school on the other side of the country.

Which reminds me of ANOTHER professor, who had tenure. Which is basically a license to print money, and screw-off actually teaching the materials or putting effort into it. He had been doing it for 30 years and was just going through the bare minimum motions to keep the checks coming in.

I have little doubt Mr. Jones here bears more than a passing resemblance to the above-mentioned academics. Much like public schools, there are far more bad teachers than good.
Wichita OCT 04, 03:52 PM

quote
Originally posted by RWDPLZ:

I had a professor that prided himself on how FEW students passed his class, and berated students who didn't 'get' the material. I made it into the final 9 of the original 30, before failing the final. I took the class again at Michigan Tech after the summer, and got a 4.0 (statics and dynamics).

Had another that was a worthless POS, it was his first year teaching after being a manager at General Motors. Refused to pick a text book, you had to attend all lectures, and then the exams didn't even resemble the class material, because he had an Indian grad student writing all the tests for him. Needless to say, most people failed the class. Short version, he was fired after 2 years and had to go teach at a no-name school on the other side of the country.

Which reminds me of ANOTHER professor, who had tenure. Which is basically a license to print money, and screw-off actually teaching the materials or putting effort into it. He had been doing it for 30 years and was just going through the bare minimum motions to keep the checks coming in.

I have little doubt Mr. Jones here bears more than a passing resemblance to the above-mentioned academics. Much like public schools, there are far more bad teachers than good.



You are probably correct.

There is probably more to this story. But there is also a sense of entitlement from students who also don't want to do any hard work. These are kids going through the public education system via social promotion and not grades.
MidEngineManiac OCT 04, 08:26 PM
Reminds me of a school I went to a long time ago.

Failures didnt ***** , they either washed out or ended up as a smoking crater in the ground. Or the few in Lake Erie.

Participating trophies and bell-curve grading ?

Dont ask me, ask that Commander what it thinks of the idea.....Tell ya what. Try the back-course in a PA-23 with the left out. Then a ground-start (YOU on the plug-end of things) of a 31 on ice with both running....

Come back and tell me about the feelings and how hard the course is...If you didnt ****-up and get nicked by that propeller 4 inches away from you. (remember that ice)...Dammit DONT do that, now I gotta go find a hose to wash the airplane... (point taken ?)

Too hard ?

OK. Yeeehhhhhhh.....

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 10-04-2022).]

randye OCT 04, 10:29 PM

quote
Originally posted by Valkrie9:

' ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I & LABORATORY
PREREQUISITE: CHEM-UA 0126 OR (CHEM-UA128 OR CHEM-UA129 WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF C.

This course constitutes an introduction to the chemistry of organic compounds.
The material is presented in the functional group framework, incorporating reaction mechanisms.
Topics include structure and bonding of organic materials, nomenclature, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, spectroscopy,
and reactions of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, amines, and carbonyl compounds.
Multifunctional organic compounds are covered, including topics of relevance to biochemistry, such as carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, and nucleic acids.
Laboratories provide training in the basic techniques of the organic chemistry laboratory, including crystallization, distillation, extraction,
and other separation techniques, such as column chromatography.
Experiments involving the synthesis of organic compounds are introduced, as well as qualitative organic analysis. '






One of THE hardest things I ever had to do in my life (so far), was my Masters Degree in Composite Materials Science back in 1988.

The entire program at University of Florida was basically just 4 VERY intensive courses and then our thesis.
I studied through the continuing education extension program that UF set up at our corporate campus at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Palm Beach Florida.

The only two instructors were Dr. E. Dow Whitney and Dr. Jiri Tlusty... BOTH of them original pioneers and inventors in composite materials science so to say that they had "high standards" is a gross understatement.

What I was totally unprepared for was the HUGE amount of organic and inorganic chemistry knowledge required to get through the program. It wasn't a field that I had more than a very brief exposure to while earning my BSME.

I was working full time, (9 hours a day), as an aerospace development engineer at the time and had two young kids and had just built a new custom home so my plate wasn't just full, it was overflowing.

To this day I have no idea how I managed to do it, but I not only crammed an entire undergraduate knowledge of chemistry into my head but also managed to get that Masters and not lose my job, get divorced and forget who my kids were through all of it.....My wife tells me it was my "Zombie Period"

That cram course in organic chemistry, that I had to basically self-teach, was very valuable when I later earned another MS in biomedical engineering.

I consequently have ZERO patience or sympathy for whiny-ass, petulant, children unable to navigate an undergraduate 200 LEVEL COURSE.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 10-04-2022).]

Valkrie9 OCT 05, 08:58 AM
Wow ! Incredible achievements.
You really are a learned fellow.
Difficult and worthwhile effort derives dividends.
Analyzing the student's motive for the petition, the instigator, perhaps the son of a ccp party member unhappy with poor grades,
tossing responsibility away laterally, shifting blame, the m.o. the tell, the signature of political collectivization.
The list of the signed, investigated for party affiliations, failing to study the course material.
Valkrie9 OCT 05, 09:03 AM
Synthesis of ceramic composite material research.
Giza pyramid stones are synthetic.
May be of some interest in the field of high temp materials for aero applications.

...

A composite monocoque chassis Fiero with a small gas turbine driving a momentum rotor, electromagnetically coupled to the awd drivetrain.

' We have the technology. '
Ceramic cylinder liner coating for ice engines.
Additive processed turbo impellers.
Ceramic exhaust valves.
etc..
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 06, 08:55 AM

quote
Originally posted by randye:

One of THE hardest things I ever had to do in my life (so far), was my Masters Degree in Composite Materials Science back in 1988.

The entire program at University of Florida was basically just 4 VERY intensive courses and then our thesis.
I studied through the continuing education extension program that UF set up at our corporate campus at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Palm Beach Florida.

The only two instructors were Dr. E. Dow Whitney and Dr. Jiri Tlusty... BOTH of them original pioneers and inventors in composite materials science so to say that they had "high standards" is a gross understatement.

What I was totally unprepared for was the HUGE amount of organic and inorganic chemistry knowledge required to get through the program. It wasn't a field that I had more than a very brief exposure to while earning my BSME.

I was working full time, (9 hours a day), as an aerospace development engineer at the time and had two young kids and had just built a new custom home so my plate wasn't just full, it was overflowing.

To this day I have no idea how I managed to do it, but I not only crammed an entire undergraduate knowledge of chemistry into my head but also managed to get that Masters and not lose my job, get divorced and forget who my kids were through all of it.....My wife tells me it was my "Zombie Period"

That cram course in organic chemistry, that I had to basically self-teach, was very valuable when I later earned another MS in biomedical engineering.

I consequently have ZERO patience or sympathy for whiny-ass, petulant, children unable to navigate an undergraduate 200 LEVEL COURSE.




Yeah, I have to agree... I tried to look at this from both perspectives... and honestly, if anyone CAN pass his class, then it's not an impassable class.

I've been in a couple of classes over the years where I ended up with the unfair/horrible teacher that had strict standards. I don't think I've ever once specifically picked a teacher, I just more or less take whatever class works best with my schedule, so I sometimes end up with these teachers. I've never had a problem.. and I still managed to get straight As. You just have to know exactly what the teacher is asking, and take a lot of really good notes. It's probably easier now than it was 20 years ago because the syllabus and course outline and everything else are generally posted now on online. But whether I went to class directly, or it was a hybrid or remote class (like now), I would go home every day and look at the syllabus and the assignments that were due, and I would make sure I was caught up. I would do this every day, for every class.
Notorio OCT 07, 12:02 AM
Ah, I see what happened here: Prof. Jones Jr. was teaching on just a contract basis. Since that was not a tenured position, the Deans were free to press the eject button. This will be a win-win for them: be seen addressing Gen Z student 'concerns' (+), taking the opportunity to get rid of a not-politically correct staff member (+), and best of all, being able to replace him with a diversity candidate (+ but TBD.)