What makes a “good” university lecturer?
One fine morning I woke up and managed to push myself to get dressed and start for my university to attend my classes. After struggling to find a bus in the scorching heat and going through the challenges of Dhaka traffic, I finally reached my class only to listen to my professor reading out the slides. As time passed, I started questioning if I was the only one who had problems with this particular method of teaching.
I am usually least bothered by the course instructor I am assigned to and have never sweat too much about sections, however, it has cost me. I quickly came to the realisation that not predicting the section and course instructor beforehand might cost me the entire course fee, as I would inevitably have to drop the course or retake it due to a bad grade. So, I had to ensure I always ended up with a "good" lecturer.
But what entails a lecturer to be considered "good"? Is it someone's ability to continue taking classes even if they just read slides continuously? Is it the tedious method of making things understandable, which may or may not add to the student's knowledge? Is it the number of foreign degrees the person has already attained?
While it is a given that lecturers must come from good academic results and diligence, it is also equally important for them to be approachable, innovative, and generally good communicators in both languages. During the four years I have spent trying to attain my undergraduate degree, I met a few lecturers who possessed all of these characteristics who went above and beyond to make the lectures more interesting and engaging, causing students' to make use of their critical thinking skills.
Our parents spend an enormous amount of their hard-earned money after our bachelor's degree, but are we getting the proper education and resources to compete in the future? Are we being led in the right direction to think outside the box and create something unique? Is an 'A' all we need to stand out in the crowd?
Students in their early years of university look forward to their favourite lecturers for career advice, guidance, and assistance. However, someone who has a strict teaching style and encourages memorising will only warrant paraphrased information from slides and book chapters that will never add up to the student's knowledge or skillset.
There are highly qualified individuals who have written outstanding papers and have conducted ground-breaking research, but lack the qualities of a good teacher. On the other hand, there are those who have little professional experience with research or writing but possess a knack for teaching.
While writing this article, I pondered heavily if I was even eligible to raise the issue of university teachers' teaching methods. But I, along with many students like me, am the one being impacted by the teachers' poor teaching methods. When hiring university lecturers, the concerned authority should consider not only their academic performance but also their teaching style and ability to connect with students.
Zarin Zaman is a marketing graduate. Reach out to her at - [email protected]
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