Expectations of Professors
Expectations of Professors
This is a modification of
an academic orientation for fall semester freshman lecture courses
for students at John Hopkins University by Professor
Steven Zucker.
It is distilled from what he has learned and written concerning the need
for academic orientation.
I think that it provides an excellent explanation of what professors (including myself) expect. I strongly recommend that every student read it as it describes professors expectations explicitly. A search using google shows that modifications of it are posted by many professors throughtout the United States.
The intent here is to reduce the time it takes for the student to appreciate
the differences between high school and college and to help him or her adjust to the demands of working up to level in
the college environment.
- You are no longer in high school.
The great majority of you, not having done so already,
will have to discard high school notions of teaching
and learning, and replace them by university-level notions.
This may be difficult, but it must happen sooner or later,
so sooner is better.
Our goal is far more than just getting you to reproduce
what was told to you in the classroom.
- Expect to have material covered at two to three times the pace
of high school.
Above that, we aim for greater command of the material, especially
the ability to apply what you have learned to new situations
(when relevant).
- Lecture time is at a premium, so must be used efficiently.
You cannot be "taught" everything in the classroom.
It is your responsibility to learn the material.
Most of this learning must take place outside the classroom.
You should willingly put in two hours outside the classroom
for each hour of class.
- The instructor's job is primarily to provide a framework, with
some of the particulars, to guide you in doing your learning
of the concepts and methods that comprise the material of
the course.
It is not to "program" you with isolated facts and problem
types, nor to monitor your progress.
- You are expected to read the textbook for comprehension.
It gives the detailed account of the material of the course.
It also contains many examples of problems worked out, and
these should be used to supplement those you see in the lecture.
The textbook is not a novel, so the reading must often be
slow-going and careful. However, there is the clear advantage
that you can read it at your own pace.
Use pencil and paper to work through the material,
and to fill in omitted steps.
- As for when you engage the textbook, you have the following dichotomy:
- [recommended for most students]
Read, for the first time, the appropriate section(s) of the book
before the material is presented in lecture.
That is, come prepared for class.
Then, the faster-paced college-style lecture will make more sense.
- If you haven't looked at the book beforehand, try to pick up what
you can from the lecture.
Though the lecture may seem hard to follow (cf. #2), absorb the
general idea and/or take thorough notes, hoping to sort it out
later, while studying from the book outside of class.
- It is the student's responsibility to communicate clearly in writing
up solutions of the questions and problems in homework and exams.
The rules of language still apply in mathematics, and apply even when
symbols are used in formulas, equations, etc.
Exams will consist largely of fresh problems that fall within the
material that is being tested.
[A version of the above appears in the August 1996 issue of the Notices of the
American Mathematical Society.
Steven Zucker says that he doubts there is a junior or senior in good
standing at Johns Hopkins who would find fault with the above seven items.
On the other hand, most entering students would probably find them startling.]
