WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT
TEACHING AND LEARNING


Professor Millicent Roth and Dean Ramona Brown
7

The students, and their concerns about the teaching and learning process, should be of paramount importance to a professor. A professor must be in tune with the needs and desires of his or her students to address them effectively. The following points represent areas of college life about which students have repeatedly expressed concern:

- Professors need to provide a course syllabus and information on the course grading policies at the beginning of the semester and adhere to these guidelines.

- Instruction in courses should make clear how subject material from previous courses relates to concepts in the present course. Modeling, using real-life examples, should be used more frequently.

- Students from different sections of the same course, particularly in prerequisite courses, should be able to study together and not feel as though they are a taking a completely different course. This requires that faculty collaborate with the other sections' instructors to formulate common lesson plans and/or goals for the course.

- Departmental exams should be offered. For example, if a student misses an exam in his or her section, they should be able to take the same exam during another period. This, too, requires collaboration with other instructors in the department.

- Exams should be given to measure students' progress and weaknesses, not just as a measure to determine a grade and final mastery level.
- Final exams should follow the College's exam schedule and should not be given on the last day of regular classes or during the reading period.

- Grades must be submitted to the Registrar's Office on time to allow for accurate registration and filing of financial aid paperwork. Do not wait until after your vacation to submit your students' grades.

- Faculty need to be more accessible to students inside and outside the class. If you set office hours, keep them. A short time period during each class for students to ask questions may enhance your delivery of the material as well as the students' understanding.

- Faculty should be more sensitive to the population served by the College, i.e., working students, students with families, and disabled students. The faculty need to be better informed about the rights of the learning disabled and handicapped regarding supplying additional time for exams, homework, and other assignments. Instructors should also be aware that students' health problems may interfere with their academic performance. Faculty need to be flexible enough to assist students encountering these problems to ensure that they have the opportunity to take exams and complete course projects.

- Faculty need to challenge themselves to measure their own performance based on how many students pass, rather than fail, a course. A high rate of failure may indicate more than the difficulty of the material alone.

- Faculty need to be more familiar with the support services available to students on campus and should inform the students of their availability, encouraging students to seek assistance outside the classroom.

- Faculty should be aware of College academic guidelines, policies, and procedures, as well as those of their own Department or Division. All departmental faculty should be familiar with the major requirements and prerequisites of their discipline. Faculty should be better able to advise undergraduate students on what classes to take and should be more familiar with advisement procedures and techniques in general, so as not to disseminate incorrect information.

- Students should be able to view the instructor as their role-model/mentor/teacher, not their enemy.

- Students want to have high expectations placed on them and need advice, guidance, and support for high achievement.
- Students want to be challenged in their courses and need to have more and different opportunities to show and measure their success.


- Discussions between students and faculty regarding grades, exams and other assignments should be welcomed without fear of failing the course.
Ramona Brown, Dean
Office of Student Programs
Steinman Hall, Room T2M
(212) 650-8040

Professor Millicent Roth, Director
City College Academy for Professional Preparation
Department of Special Programs
NAC Building, Room R5/114
(212) 650-6768


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