Questions for our European friends.

[beutelwolf]

Originally Posted by Dr Pepper

Its decades since I worked in academia-but I suspect things haven't changed much-it is a rare individual who is naturally a good lecturer-and few if any lecturers get any training in the area...

That actually has changed, in the UK anyway. Newly appointed university lecturers have to undergo a teaching-training programme during their probation period. That started in the early 2000s.

There is also a lot more QA for the teaching. The QA is largely the usual bureaucratic nonsense, but it forces some teaching planning that otherwise would be done on the hoof, cutting out some of the worst teaching excesses. Personally, I don't really like that, it makes a uni more school-like.

When I was a student (and the dinosaurs still ruled the earth) I had a lot of freedom which modules to take, so you showed up initially to more modules you could possibly cope with, and ditched after a couple of weeks the ones that were less interesting or poorly taught. That, of course, is a problem with compulsory modules - on one occasion our student body decided to boycott collectively a poorly taught mathematics lecture, demanding from faculty to have the guy replaced with someone who could actually teach... What I liked about that system in general was that quite a lot of that ill-prepared (and sometimes well-taught) stuff was cutting edge, whilst the QA-dominated teaching is safe.

Regarding that maths professor we boycotted - that was not a case of poor preparation, he was merely an extremely poor communicator.

[Sandi Anderson]

I was on a course through my employer at a college on the outskirts of Aberdeen(10 years ago), seven or eight people being taught, guy comes in and waffled pish about his weekend then says break time, we return after the break to more pish being waffed, one person complains to the teacher(ha) when do we begin the course work, guy gets a bit flustered and we(the class) demand to see his boss, turns out the guy had false certs for teaching, our course was rescheduled too a later date and taught by the boss.

[winebeavis]

Originally Posted by 9876543210

palo6,
We have the same problems over here. And I'm sure the answer is the same there as it is here. Just because you have a degree (or several) means nothing as far as your ability to teach. The best teacher I ever had? Kind of hard to say as I've had some good ones, but one stands out. She was a young math instructor at a community college that was really able to get difficult concepts across. Probably wouldn't have made it through my math courses without her.

And the worst? A full professor for a class on Meso-American Archeology. I was really looking forward to that class. But I heard rumors the prof wasn't very good. Got into the class and it was really bad. The prof. (who wrote the book for the class) just read from the book (or had a TA do it). What a waste.

Originally Posted by palo5

Agreed, but who is a qualified instructor? Someone who has an education degree or someone who knows their subject but has no educator qualifications?

Completely agree with you both Palo and Countdown. Both extremes existed back during my 7 years of higher ed.

Had the profs who where there to do research and writing. Teaching was a necessary evil the department made them do.

Had the guys who were really good in their field and couldn't care about publishing. Some of my favorites were the adjuncts who weren't expected to publish and were brought in solely because they are experts in their area.

Most did have leaning one way or the other, but usually not too extreme from center.

Regarding "who is a qualified literature instructor?" That's up to the board of trustees of that community college. They set that criteria for qualifying. Not saying there's anything wrong with learning outside of a classroom either. I've learned more about motorcycle maintenance from watching youtube videos than anywhere else. Almost everything I do on a daily basis was learned from others in the profession and not in a classroom.

Just as a complete side note. As a person who's had a say in who gets hired and fired for about the past 15 years. My biggest factor is whether or not the person can do the job we need done. Next is how well will the candidate fit in with the culture. If a candidate lies on their application or resume, they automatically get excluded. I have actually twice received resumes from graduates of Princeton's Law School. Made up employment history. Arg.

[Roubignol]

How well Belgium Flemish people understand German language?

Is it a total foreign language, do you understand... 50% or more than that?

How close are Flemish and Dutch languages?

[Melchior]

Originally Posted by mizlaplan

What do you think of us British folk?

I have nothing but love for the british.

[SanteeFats]

Is Russia included in this thread???

[Roubignol]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

Is Russia included in this thread???

Someone created a Russian topic. The question is : Is this topic a UE topic, a central Europa topic, a European topic based on geography?

Personnally I strongly regret that UE politicians follow too much the anti Russia Anglo-Saxon's administration (mainly the US administration) propaganda.

During the French election, a candidate like François Fillon wanted to recreate strong friendship with Russia.

IMO Russians are Eurasian. They are European and Asian. (On last winter I've crossed three beautiful Russian women in a ski resorts, one of them had a Caucasian look and the two other ones had like Asian look.)
European people share a ton of cultural heritage with Russia, like we share a lot of cultural heritage with the US, South America, Australia, NZ, Mediteranean countries, etc....

That's such a shame that we can't collaborate together, because politicians and technocrats divide our populations for their own interests.

Originally Posted by Joszka

Tittle of the thread should be "Questions for our continental European friends" : as far I know Great-Britain is (still) in Europe

And always will be!

[Melchior]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

Is Russia included in this thread???

I have always liked Russia and Russian people.

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

And always will be!

No we`ll be connected to Europe. You know that area this place went bankrupt for during WW2.
Who we then had to spend the next several decades paying the USA back for.
Despite them bankrolling Germany and Japan`s revival gratis.
Charming
We`ll always be connected to Europe.
I`ll always like Europe.
So will everyone I know.
Most of them Europeans and who I hold warm regard for.
Just this country will no longer be sucked dry by the anti democratic EU (Conglomerate commission).
Hell , maybe we can finally stop forking (I said ) out for tariffs and the humongous on everything VAT too.
Which helps prop up a myriad of failing overseas companies that commission is linked to.
How great to no longer plow billions into the pension funds of thousands involved in that commission also. People we don't know and will never meet. Yet who become fabulously wealthy through our money.
To say nothing of those vapid MEPs able to call themselves millionaires after a single term.

Yes free I tell`eee, we`ll be free and an independent country once more.
Just like every country in Europe used to be.
Should be.
We`ll be the sort of country able to act on initiative.
We`ll be here.
EU over there , doing it`s own thang.
It`ll happen.
Probably sometime around my 96th birthday though the way things are going

Originally Posted by Melchior

I have always liked Russia and Russian people.

Who said you didn't

By the way , the thanks button is located to the lower right of each post.
Albeit under this extremely confusing tile = .

You`re welcome

[palo5]

Originally Posted by MaxJoker

To say nothing of those vapid MEPs able to call themselves millionaires after a single term

If you didn't have a name like MaxJoker...

Actually, MEPs are not allowed to earn more than national MPs of the state they come from, so if MEPs are millionaires after a single term, so are your own MPs. Even more so actually, because your MPs normally have 5-year terms, against 4-year terms for MEPs