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I am reaching a peak frustration level

697 views 25 replies 15 participants last post by  Allie 
#1 ·
This (*$(*#&$(@#*& finance class is just... bullshit.

I'm really reaching a breaking point right now. There is an exam tomorrow worth 30% of my grade and I don't even feel like putting forth any effort. Maybe I'm sabotaging myself here... but I'm just so frustrated.

I just took the 4th quiz for this class online... each quiz has 2 attempts.

First quiz... somewhere between 10-20 questions... 2 attempts allowed but after the first submission... no score is given... and even though it closed a week ago... there is no grade listed and no way to go back and see what you put down for answers.

Second quiz... 26 questions... 2 attempts... after 1st attempt you could see your score AND which questions were right/wrong.

Third quiz... announced via email on Friday at 9 pm... due by Sunday at midnight (ok... that is just bullshit... but whatever... it's a 6 week summer course, you are expected to be doing a lot outside of class time... I just think it's a **** move to schedule it like that... no notice nor time to complete the quiz during "normal" school hours)... FIFTYFOUR... that's right 5-4... 54 questions... *tears hair out*... took me almost 2.5 hours to do the **** thing... thank god I had the time when I started the quiz... just like 2nd quiz... you could see your score and which questions were right/wrong after the first attempt.

Fourth quiz... announced yesterday, due tonight at midnight (the exam is tomorrow, and this quiz covers material in the exam). 37 questions... after 1st attempt you can see your score but NOT the questions you got right or wrong.

The lack of consistency and expectations is maddening to me. I'm going to be particularly pissed off if, after midnight tonight, the last quiz doesn't show which questions you got right or wrong. I mean... what is the fucking point of quizzing us if we have no time between the quiz and the exam to learn from our mistakes?

Oh.. and... what weight are these quizzes given anyways? It's part of the "class participation" grade... (20%)... which includes "class participation, homework, and online quizzes" I don't know how he's measuring class participation since he doesn't take attendance and doesn't know our names. We are halfway through the course and no homework has been given. Are quizzes graded on whether or not we do them? or the grade we get on them?

So much is unclear and that's just frustrating me a lot. He won't answer questions either... he acts all offended when you ask him any of these questions and gets all pissy... and since 20% of my grade is purely subjective (class participation since I have no way of knowing how he's calculating it)... I'm afraid to speak up and call him on all this.

I find it very hard to work for this class. I don't "need" it (mistake #1... I should have taken a dance class or something) and while the subject would be very interesting... he makes it so frustrating that I cannot even enjoy what I'm learning... which makes it even harder to study without being easily distracted. (hahahaha... I'm writing this post :p )

I am seriously thinking about dropping it. Though I am not sure what the consequences will be at this point or if I still can. I had to sign up for 6 credits this semester in order to get aid... which was dispersed... if I drop a course I'm not sure if I will have to pick up another one or what. First thing I'm doing tomorrow morning is going and asking what my options are.

Okay... back to studying I guess... someone send me some calming vibes.
 
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#2 ·
Sending calming vibes! My husband is taking 16 credits this summer. He has 4 classes (7 weeks each). He takes them 2 at a time, so the first 2 will be over in a couple of weeks. He is having the same kind of frustrations. In one class the instructor does everything at the last minute, and then moved up the due date for the final paper by 10 days. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is only a 7 week class. Since you are half way through, I would hang in there. Maybe send him an e-mail asking the questions you want to ask. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
Here's my theory, nobody in that class is figuring out his bullshit methods any better than you are. Work as hard as you can and let the chips fall where they may; I have to figure you're smarter and trying harder than 90% of the other students and it'll show in your grade.

Stick it out and hope there is a teacher evaluation form at the end where you can rip him a new one. In a constructive way, of course.
 
#6 ·
DROP IT!!

Nothing will get better.

Dropping it will send a more significant message than anything else. THIS is a teacher who's out of touch with what works for students -- he's dillying on ideas of his own.

 
#7 ·
I totally disagree with Bob on this one--I think you should hang in there. That guy doesn't GAS whether students drop his class or not.

It will all be over soon, just hang in there! He is obligated to put forth his grading terms in the syllabus, so I would carefully monitor what quiz grades you do have and save them in case your final grade is lower than expected.

I had a really hard time when I first started engineering...there was a class where I pretty much cried every day (assembly language programming...sigh). I am so glad I stuck with it, though, and it doesn't seem so bad in retrospect.
 
#8 ·
This person sounds like someone who has no clue. At the beginning of the term, I always give my students an outline of the course, when things, like tests, labs, etc are scheduled, homework. Occasionally, we deviate from it, but that is always announced in class.

The only time I would email students with a change in schedule is if there were some kind of extreme circumstance (server out for instance).

And to not let you see your grade in inexcusable, IMHO. On of the benefits for students of having an online gradebook is so that they can see their grades, and know how they stack up in the class at any given point.

Plus, without knowing your grade, it is hard to decide whether to drop or not. Good luck tomorrow in getting your options. Hopefully, something can be done so you don't lose your financial aid.
 
#9 ·
Dropping it will make no impression on this guy whatsoever. If he worried what students thought or what they need to succeed, he'd be working with you to make his system easier to deal with. You've suggested that just the opposite is happening. If you've been one of the students to question what's going on, there's a good chance he'll be nothing but happy to see you go.

My version of this class was Federal Tax. Worst grade I got in all of law school, and the prof was an ass grabber so you couldn't go to him for help except in a group, but I slogged through it, cried a lot over it, and it sounds kind of melodramatic, but if I'd dropped it, it would still bother me.

Take a few deep breaths, pass the class and move on.
 
#10 ·
Dropping it will make no impression on this guy whatsoever.
Dropping makes a definite impression on the university administration which decides who to hire and who to NOT hire for summer courses.

Universities depend on enrollment fees and when those go down, they look for relief options.


 
#12 · (Edited)
Dropping makes a definite impression on the university administration which decides who to hire and who to NOT hire for summer courses.

Universities depend on enrollment fees and when those go down, they look for relief options.
If there was a mass movement to drop classes taught by this jagoff (as we used to say in Pittsburgh), then you would be right. But if Lindsay alone drops the class, Lindsay is the only one who is hurt. If you want the administration to take notice, the best strategy would be for students in the class--ideally including some tuition-paying students who need the guy's class for a major requirement--to demand a meeting with the relevant dean (or program head or chair) and say that they will boycott the class until it is taught by someone competent. I know a number of situations at my university where students have banded together like this and it has worked. But strength is in numbers, and protests of one rarely succeed unless you're that guy in Tienanmen Square staring down the tank.
 
#11 ·
A good instructor will have all of the expectations explained the first day of class. A student should know what he/she needs to do in order to pass the class. There should be no "grey area". If the instructor decides to make changes, then you have every right to challenge it. And, do not hesitate to bring attention to the head of the department.
 
#15 ·
Embrace the frustration! :)

It's been along time since I've been involved in the academic world but if I were to quit everytime something in the corporate world was bulls--t, .............

What's the saying? If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
 
#16 ·
The prof is a tenured professor... so he ain't losing his job even if an entire class walked out on him. (believe me... I work here... I know)

He's not the normal teacher for the course (I asked my buddy who took this course and he said the woman who normally teaches it is on sabbatical this semester)

He doesn't respond well to questions inside or outside of class...

here is an example of a student email to the class list (including him)

"Since we will have questions on exam from previous quizzes including this one, does anybody know if after taking the second attempt on this quiz does it show you which once you got right or wrong? It shows me the score but not the once I got wrong or right on this quiz..... I would greatly appreciate it, since the professor doesn't seem to reply to my emails in legitimate time span.

Thanks "

His response?

"Quiz 4, q 16 and 17 are the same.

The answer is premium, about 3.20%.

I will correct your d2l score manually at the end of the semester."


ummm... yeah... totally doesn't answer the question

(d2l is the name of the course component program that is online)]

Yes I will probably stick it out (but I'm finding out my options today) only because there is like 3 weeks left and I've already put 3 weeks in... I'm just so pissed at myself for taking it in the first place... I could have been dancing instead... or taking drawing 101... why oh why oh why didn't I do that?
 
#18 ·
I hated Finance class. It's a short Summer term, did you not think it would be condensed? I never would have taken Finance then. I barely made through in the regular term. I took Managerial Accounting in the Summer. i couldn't keep up and dropped it. Good thing too because half of the class failed. If you can do the work stick with it and finish.
 
#19 ·
did you not think it would be condensed?

Of Course I knew it would be condensed. Did I complain anywhere about the amount of material covered or pace? No. I'm venting my frustration that the instructor is inconsistent, doesn't communicate effectively, and isn't responsive to questions.

I have no problem with hard work and difficult subject matter. Heck, I even LIKE this subject matter when you get down to the actual work. Lots of math... lots of figuring out little puzzle pieces like whether interest rate parity exists or not and you could make a profit over covered interest arbitrage ;)

My frustration and stress comes from the professor's way of handling the class.
 
#21 ·
I'm taking it with Accounting :D Which is going perfectly wonderful btw... even though it's a ton of busy work... the instructor is consistent, understandable, answers questions... and every expectation is clearly lined out in the schedule on the syllabus which is about as thorough as a syllabus can be.
 
#22 ·
Oh... and to top it off... I had one of my sleepless nights last night. Just great.
My fault because of the thread I started yesterday on not sleeping. :eek:

I find it very hard to work for this class. I don't "need" it (mistake #1... I should have taken a dance class or something)
If you took it just for credits, and it's not something you need for whatever field you get into, I would drop it. Not giving 2 craps what the prof. thought of me.

I had to sign up for 6 credits this semester in order to get aid... which was dispersed... if I drop a course I'm not sure if I will have to pick up another one or what.
I'm going to say ABSOLUTELY. You'll have to find something else to make up for those 6 credits.

:)
 
#23 ·
I understand your pain - I'm taking Anatomy & Physiology I right now, 4 week class. When I registered, it was a Monday-Thursday class. On the first day of class he told us to meet Monday-Friday. Oook. Then the syllabus given mentions nothing of how grades are weighted - just that 90%+ is an A, 80%+ is a B, etc. No idea of what these percentages are based off. Final will be based off of how far we get, may or may not be comprehensive, and tests were supposed to be every Monday. So far we've had tests on Tuesday and Wednesday, getting pushed further and further back. Professor is tenured, of course. But, this has nothing on my organic chemistry experience...sigh. My advice to you would be to try and stick it out if you can. One student dropping won't make an impression on a teacher. However, I would try to talk with the department head and see if that helps. I'm not sure how things work at your university, but if you do end up dropping the class, it shouldn't affect your financial aid after a certain point. Where I go, you must have a certain amount of credit hours to receive aid, but after point in the year, dropping a class and going below hours has no effect on the aid you have received already nor on the aid you can get in the future. Just ask your financial aid department.
 
#24 ·
ROFLMAO...

class questions his quizzes... and he gets so fed up he says

"ok fine... I'll do quizzes the old fashioned way... in class"

I just find this hilarious since half the class doesn't show up for regular classes so they all just talked their way into having to attend to get the credit for the quizzes.

It's so bad I have to laugh.
 
#26 ·
Try looking him up on ratemyprofessor.com. He probably acts this way in every class. A lot of the tenured profs at my engineering school had a goal of failing as many people as possible...or at least appearing to do that, then scaling massively at the end.
 
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