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Business lecturers

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  • 20-02-2008 2:26pm
    #1
    Goodluck2me
    Registered Users Posts: 5,404 ✭✭✭


    What is it with giving the most difficult subjects to lecturer`s who can`t speak efficiently fluent English?
    Its so frustrating that for Aspects of Financial theory and other subjects that we have oriental lecturers.
    I have no doubts whatsoever of their credentials, and qualifications and they are indeed very able to teach, but their accents make them so hard to understand, it pretty much reneges their ability to teach!


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    #2
    Umaro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,561 ✭✭✭Umaro


    Yeah it's pretty ridiculous. I've had several Commerce lecturers that have had such poor English that most people ended up skipping their classes.

    Also, in final year you'll get grouped up with exchange students who have incredibly poor English for class projects that will account for 30-40% of your final grade. So you have that to look forward to now as well.


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    #3
    t_ucd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭t_ucd


    This came up in pretty much all of the consultative forums last semester - I think they're going to change it for next year but said they didn't have the time to do anything about it this time. I agree it's ridiculous though, surely they should have realised that some lecturers' English just isn't up to scratch before giving them the job.


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    #4
    Pythia
    Registered Users Posts: 7,469 ✭✭✭Pythia


    I never had lecturers with bad English but I had some woeful tutors. They could write English but they just couldn't pronounce it. It's awful.


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    #5
    redcar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭redcar


    Yeah it's pretty ridiculous. I've had several Commerce lecturers that have had such poor English that most people ended up skipping their classes.

    Same thing happened me last semester. Didn't go for about 7 weeks because I couldn't understand her, so was a waste turning up.


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    #6
    Intel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭Intel


    What is it with giving the most difficult subjects to lecturer`s who can`t speak efficiently fluent English?
    Its so frustrating that for Aspects of Financial theory and other subjects that we have oriental lecturers.
    I have no doubts whatsoever of their credentials, and qualifications and they are indeed very able to teach, but their accents make them so hard to understand, it pretty much reneges their ability to teach!

    Would you be able to do better job?

    If yes, why not get a book from the library and teach yourself?

    If no, why not stop complaining?


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    #7
    t_ucd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭t_ucd


    Intel wrote: »
    Would you be able to do better job?

    If yes, why not get a book from the library and teach yourself?

    If no, why not stop complaining?

    I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a lecturer to be able to communicate properly with his/her students. I don't necessarily think it's the lecturer's fault, but surely someone from the school should have realised that maybe the lecturer is a bit hard to understand, especially when they're lecturing in a subject like Finance.

    Even if students could teach themselves a final year Finance course, the point is that maybe if the school paid more attention to their recruitment, students wouldn't have this problem.


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    #8
    Theresalwaysone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,039 ✭✭✭Theresalwaysone


    Intel wrote: »
    Would you be able to do better job?

    If yes, why not get a book from the library and teach yourself?

    If no, why not stop complaining?

    This is retarded. He attends this college for educational purposes and expects to be educated. This is obviously a widespread problem. A lecturers job is to help students understand the course content. If he/she can't speak the language we are using fluently surely this seriously hampers their ability to do the job they were hired for.

    Don't be an idiot Intel.


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    #9
    BKtje
    Registered Users Posts: 8,053 ✭✭✭BKtje


    While i agree with you that you should be able to expect your lecturer to communicate with you in a clear and precise manor, what i dont agree with is
    What is it with giving the most difficult subjects to lecturer`s who can`t speak efficiently fluent English?
    ..most difficult? Says who? ;)

    I got someone for a maths subject and i cant tell half the time what letter she just wrote!


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    #10
    breadmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 3,608 ✭✭✭breadmonkey


    Theresalwaysone wrote: »
    This is retarded. He attends this college for educational purposes and expects to be educated. This is obviously a widespread problem. A lecturers job is to help students understand the course content. If he/she can't speak the language we are using fluently surely this seriously hampers their ability to do the job they were hired for.

    Don't be an idiot Intel.

    +1


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    #11
    Stepherunie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,158 ✭✭✭Stepherunie


    If a lecturer respects there position they would actually care about whether or not a student could hear or understand them.

    I know in first year our class had a problem with hearing one of our lecturers and approached her about it and she was really nice. She got a mic and would stop every so often to make sure we all got what she said and would give us fortnightly questionnaires to make sure everything was okay.

    Intel you say that person should just go off and learn it themselves, well that's not good enough, I mean that lecturer is getting paid a substantial salary to teach, not to stand there and have no one able to understand them.

    Some people learn better from lectures than study too so that's disadvantaging them and don't even get me started on those who may actually have learning disabilities.


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    #12
    Gandalf23
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭Gandalf23


    Theresalwaysone wrote: »
    This is retarded. He attends this college for educational purposes and expects to be educated. This is obviously a widespread problem. A lecturers job is to help students understand the course content. If he/she can't speak the language we are using fluently surely this seriously hampers their ability to do the job they were hired for.

    Don't be an idiot Intel.

    +2


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    #13
    Intel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭Intel


    My point is

    1. Being a native speaker of English does not automatically mean that you will be a terrific lecturer.
    They of course need to have a certain level of English and obviously they passed that level. So I don't think it's fair to knock them down because their English is bad as some of my lecturers are not the best and their native language is English.

    2. The lecturer can only do so much, they can't learn for you. You are the student and you are in control of your learning. So ask the lecturer to go into more detail for you or to expand.


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    #14
    mloc
    Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭mloc


    Intel wrote: »
    1. Being a native speaker of English does not automatically mean that you will be a terrific lecturer.
    They of course need to have a certain level of English and obviously they passed that level. So I don't think it's fair to knock them down because their English is bad as some of my lecturers are not the best and their native language is English.

    What an absolutely stupid argument; its ok to be a poor lecturer if you have bad English because some of your lecturers have good English but aren't good lecturers?

    By the same logic why don't we just accept the lowest common denominator in every lecturer, if one is **** then sure they should all just be ****.


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    #15
    Breezer
    Registered Users Posts: 3,228 ✭✭✭Breezer


    Intel wrote: »
    2. The lecturer can only do so much, they can't learn for you. You are the student and you are in control of your learning. So ask the lecturer to go into more detail for you or to expand.

    I'm not sure getting the lecturer to expand on the topic will achieve much if no one can understand what they're saying to begin with.


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    #16
    EamonnKeane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 950 ✭✭✭EamonnKeane


    Intel wrote: »
    Would you be able to do better job?

    If yes, why not get a book from the library and teach yourself?

    If no, why not stop complaining?
    Don't sue a doctor for malpractice while you're at it; I mean, it's not as if you could do a better kidney transplant.


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    #17
    Goodluck2me
    Registered Users Posts: 5,404 ✭✭✭Goodluck2me


    Intel wrote: »
    Would you be able to do better job?
    No.
    If yes, why not get a book from the library and teach yourself?
    I paid enough money to go here, I expect an education to go with it. If I bought a cinema ticket I`d expect to be allowed to see the film...
    If no, why not stop complaining?
    I lol`d. If i didnt complain about it, how would it be fixed?


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    #18
    Ace2007
    Registered Users Posts: 19,705 ✭✭✭✭Ace2007


    Its like sitting beside a donegal man for hours at a poker table - impossible to understand. Might be talking sense but impossible to understand.


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    #19
    Intel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭Intel


    meh...don't have the energy to argue with you all

    But basically, People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.


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    #20
    breadmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 3,608 ✭✭✭breadmonkey


    Intel wrote: »
    meh...don't have the energy to argue with you all

    But basically, People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

    In fairness Intel, I don't think that proverb really holds here for reasons already outlined.


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    #21
    anonymous_joe
    Registered Users Posts: 9,255 ✭✭✭anonymous_joe


    Anyone whose been in commerce will have experienced at times the delights of a lecturer not fully versed in the subtleties of the English language. Or, to put it another way, people who don't know enough English to hold a meaningful conversation.

    It's a fairly aggravating position to find oneself in as a student, given that we've got little recourse in terms of complaining, and any solutions will inevitably be introduced at a date to late to benefit us...


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    #22
    redcar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭redcar


    Its very hard when it happens because your stuck between a rock and hard place really. On one side you cant understand what they are saying and on the other you cant go up and say "listen I cant understand you, could you do something about it?!".

    It is very frustrating, but just have to make best of a bad situation.


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    #23
    Donald-Duck
    Registered Users Posts: 1,119 ✭✭✭Donald-Duck


    Intel is surely just looking for a reaction, and is not actually that retarded.


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    #24
    Theresalwaysone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,039 ✭✭✭Theresalwaysone


    Intel wrote: »
    My point is

    1. Being a native speaker of English does not automatically mean that you will be a terrific lecturer.
    They of course need to have a certain level of English and obviously they passed that level. So I don't think it's fair to knock them down because their English is bad as some of my lecturers are not the best and their native language is English.

    2. The lecturer can only do so much, they can't learn for you. You are the student and you are in control of your learning. So ask the lecturer to go into more detail for you or to expand.

    1. No one said anything about anyone being a terrific lecturer but it definitely holds true that if they can speak english and we can understand them they will be an infinitely better lecturer than a person with superb presence and ability to hold attention but cant speak a bloody word of english. Havin a "certain level" of english may cut it, but irt SHOULDN'T.

    2. True they can only do so much, they should do what they were hired for. Teach us the course content. If they can't speak the language we are using well then they are not teaching us the course and not doing "so much".

    But meh, people who live in retarded houses shouldnt throw retarded arguments.


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