Texas professor fails his entire class for 'lacking competence'

[MarkT]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/texas-professor-fails-his-entire-class-for-lacking-competence/

[Starr]

That link didn't work when I tried it. 

[klmama]

Try this one:  http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/04/27/Texas-AM-professor-fails-entire-class-for-bad-behavior/8511430158211/

 

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm not impressed. If they cheat fail them or turn them in to the honor court. If the work is sub par grade it accordingly. Don't throw a tantrum and fail every student.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I can only imagine that this won't go well for him when those students who are innocent of all his claims protest their grade.  What exactly did they do wrong?  Fail to control their fellow students?  Pretty sure that isn't part of their responsibilites.  

[creekland]

I wonder if he took his issues up with the Dean first or if he just got fed up and quit.

 

Personally, I think he should have stuck with trying to kick out (or whatever is done there) those who he caught cheating, etc, and reported those who spoke to him as he relayed, but not punished the whole class.  I hope he wrote down specifics (for the cheating at least) so the college can now work on doing what is fair.

[BlsdMama]

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that not ONE student in his class deserved a passing grade. All were dishonest? All cheated? All lacked academic competence? Sounds like a teacher problem.

[kiana]

The university has assigned someone else to finish evaluating the class and says that his grades will not stand.

[FaithManor]

While I suppose it is possible that an entire class of students was cheating and incompetent, I think the greater and more likely possibility is that the professor is an unstable personality and either not cut out for teaching, or worse, needs to see a professional about personal problems.

[8filltheheart]

I agree that this professor sounds unstable, but I also wonder about the atmosphere that caused him to need security in his classes. ????

It is hard to know what to think without details, but this professor got his PhD in 2003, and has bounced around as an adjunct at a bunch of different campuses, perhaps following a spouse.  This was his first year at A&M Galveston, and it sounds like his previous positions were at colleges with much more serious students: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas medical school, teaching MBAs at U of Saint Thomas.  I can understand how it would be a huge culture shock to switch from teaching medical and professional students at UT to then teaching a undergrad business class at a third rate school with students who cheat left and right.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

While I believe this professor's behavior was extreme and the situation should have been handled differently, I can understand his frustration.  There has been a devolution in student classroom behavior over the past five years.  Not just with cheating, that has remained constant, but with over-familiarity and lack of respect for the student-teacher relationship.

 

The behavior is common enough that our comm. college has held inservices addressing the issue.

Of course, he shouldn't have quit in the middle of the semester and flunked the whole class, but this quote is interesting:

 

 

 

Asked if the decision to fail every one of the 30-plus enrollees was fair to every student, Horwitz said that "a few" students had not engaged in misbehavior, and he said that those students were also the best academic performers. Horwitz said he offered to the university that he would continue to teach just those students, but was told that wasn't possible, so he felt he had no choice but to fail everyone and leave the course.

 

 

 

This adjunct professor is surely paid a pittance to teach his one class, and it sounds like the University refused to take any action when he brought up academic misconduct charges.   It sounds like there were at least four or five cases of cheating in the one class of 30 students. I can see how that could be demoralizing to the professor, who would be forced to spend all kinds of time preparing the misconduct cases, time which is isn't being paid for, and not really part of his teaching mission.  And after all that, the students didn't seem to be punished by the University, but were still taking his class.  Apparently, one of the students called him a "F*ing moron" to his face, and the university decided that the appropriate punishment was a four line written apology, and the student continued in his class.

 

I hope the message here isn't that "This professor isn't suitable for teaching this class (though he may be)", but "Let's take academic misconduct seriously".

 Not just with cheating, that has remained constant, 

 

If I may ask, how do you, and your CC, handle cheating?

[FaithManor]

I absolutely agree that taking misconduct seriously is a must. I don't think that failing everyone unless he can prove allegations against every student is appropriate either.

[8filltheheart]

Of course, he shouldn't have quit in the middle of the semester and flunked the whole class, but this quote is interesting:

 

 

 

 

This adjunct professor is surely paid a pittance to teach his one class, and it sounds like the University refused to take any action when he brought up academic misconduct charges. It sounds like there were at least four or five cases of cheating in the one class of 30 students. I can see how that could be demoralizing to the professor, who would be forced to spend all kinds of time preparing the misconduct cases, time which is isn't being paid for, and not really part of his teaching mission. And after all that, the students didn't seem to be punished by the University, but were still taking his class.

 

I hope the message here isn't that "This professor isn't suitable for teaching this class (though he may be)", but "Let's take academic misconduct seriously".

I really appreciate your post. I didn't read the articles linked here. I had read one yesterday that did not mention that part about his approaching the university with that option. The article I read focused on his feeling threatened by some of his students but also made it sound like his reaction was rash. I am glad you quoted that part bc it makes it sound like his very serious concerns were not being dealt with appropriately by the administration.

 

Makes you wonder what the whole picture truth really is. Either way.....what a mess that students have so little respect for their own education.

[Pawz4me]

Makes you wonder what the whole picture truth really is.

 

Yes.  I don't think there are enough facts known to draw any conclusions.  The only thing I know for sure is that I feel sorry for the students who were trying their best and wanting to learn.

I had read one yesterday that did not mention that part about his approaching the university with that option. The article I read focused on his feeling threatened by some of his students but also made it sound like his reaction was rash. 

 

 

I find it consistently frustrating how shallow journalism has become.  There are salient details that you or I could find out with 20 seconds of googling (e.g. how long has he taught there, what was the class size, etc), that weren't in any of the stories.  With so few details in most of the stories, I could easily spin this story to meet any agenda, for example "The Prof is Psychotic", or "Lazy Kids These Days".

Apparently, here is the complete text of his letter:  http://texags.com/s/16976/fed-up-am-galveston-professor-fails-entire-class

 

Would love to hear the students' side of the story.

[Sdel]

Aggie Code of Honor

For many years Aggies have followed a Code of Honor, which is stated in this very simple verse:

An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do.

 

For anyone interested.....here is a link for office that handles academic sanctions.  They have some detailed info on how the process works. 

 

http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/

 

Stefanie

[8filltheheart]

Apparently, here is the complete text of his letter: http://texags.com/s/16976/fed-up-am-galveston-professor-fails-entire-class

 

Would love to hear the students' side of the story.

That is an abridged letter. Enough ellipses to hinder context.

[creekland]

My youngest briefly considered that school (TAMUG) when he was contemplating Marine Sciences.  At the moment, based upon what we are hearing from this prof and his attempt to fix things prior to quitting, I'm REALLY glad we didn't pursue that option more than the basic considering part.  Their graduation rate is dismal - just 18% in 4 years.  I'm thinking I can understand why at this point.  (Graduation rate is a big part of why we dropped them from consideration.)

[Lanny]

I suspect that he had a "nervous breakdown". He had been a teacher there for about 20 years. Sad...

He had been a teacher there for about 20 years. Sad...

 

Nope -- this was his first year: http://www.tamug.edu/mara/FacultyBios/IrwinHorwitz.html

[AmyontheFarm]

My daughter came home from her college a few weeks ago and told us about a student in her class, lets call him Mark.  Multiple students have reported Mark for cheating and bragging about it, once even in front of the dept head.  Nothing was "proven" so Mark got to keep coming to classes, but he never writes the tests now.   Mark kept talking while the teacher was lecturing and generally disturbing the class on a daily basis.  On the day my dd came home with this story I was shocked, Mark kept talking raising his voice over the teacher who was trying to lecture, finally another student told him to "shut the ___ up", then Mark threw his desk and lunged at the student.  The teacher stepped in to protect the student and blocked a punch.  Dd thinks the teacher has some sort of karate training.  He didn't strike back, or anything else, he simply blocked the punch with his hand and then pointed at the door and order the kid out.

 

The whole class breathed a sigh of relief thinking that finally this kid would be kicked out of the program.  He wasn't.  He has an IEP because of his anger disorder and is allowed to return to class.

 

Dd refuses to sit by this kid and actually sits on the floor close to the teacher with his blessing because she and the rest of the girls are afraid of this student and won't sit anywhere near him.  The student is 24 years old.

 

I have an issue that my dd's rights to stay safe aren't protected because this student's rights to a college education are protected.  I feel terrible for this teacher because he can't keep the kid out of his class and the student has more rights than the prof.  Somehow, I still believe that this Mark, is someone's special snowflake and Mom or Dad work for the college.  It's just sits wrong in my gut.

[G5052]

I don't agree with his approach, but I've had some very rough classes at both of the community colleges where I teach.  

 

One semester was a real doozy.  I had to call security three times to remove multiple students each time, and I had three instances of cheating.  Only one student got an "A" and about 2/3 of the class failed.  Every time I've had trouble since, I remember that horrible semester.  I seriously considered quitting several times.

 

Both colleges require that a report be filed with the details when cheating occurs, and the incident may go in the student's permanent record if the Dean sees fit.  I've never a had a problem with them backing me though, and every incident I've had did indeed go on the student's record.

[TechWife]

 He has an IEP because of his anger disorder and is allowed to return to class.

 

 

College students don't have IEP's. Colleges are only required to provide what they deem "reasonable" accommodations. Each college gets to decide what is "reasonable" for them. It's unbelievable that the university would tolerate this behavior, nor consider it "reasonable" to accommodate a student who threatens the well being of others. 

 

I recommend you take it up with the university administration. I doubt they are aware of the extent of the  problem - although you will not know because they can't disclose confidential information. Maybe if enough people go to them, they will sit up and pay attention. 

 

 

[regentrude]

College students don't have IEP's. Colleges are only required to provide what they deem "reasonable" accommodations. Each college gets to decide what is "reasonable" for them. It's unbelievable that the university would tolerate this behavior, nor consider it "reasonable" to accommodate a student who threatens the well being of others. 

 

This.

A student's disability can be accommodated in a variety of ways - by providing special format materials, permitting recording of classes, giving extra time on tests and quiet testing conditions at a testing center (which may be where the student in question is taking the tests) - but not by permission to disturb the class. Accommodations cannot interfere with regular teaching, and students and paying parents should raise a big stink with the administration that they are being cheated out of their education.

 

ETA: In this litigious age, this college should be very afraid that somebody gets hurt and sues the school. Violent behavior in the classroom should not be tolerated, and having students sit on the floor in fear is crossing a line. I would be on the doorstep of that department tomorrow. (And yes, this is one instance where I would totally go helicopter parent)

 

2nd ETA: The more I think of this, the more illogical it seems that they don't do anything. In the wake of several campus shootings, instructors all over the country have been taught to be on the lookout for, and report, students with disturbing behavior. This raises so many red flags that I cannot fathom how the college lets this student attend further.

[regentrude]

On the original story:

I'm pretty certain the prof was completely aware that his grades won't stand, but chose to fail them all in order to make a point and be heard.

After teaching for decades, he must know that you can't fail a student for behavior because the school's lawyer's won't let you (fear of being sued by student)- you can only fail them for underperforming. But simply quitting because he's fed up would not have made the issue public.

 

[Sdel]

I was there 1980 to 84. The place was rife with cheaters and thieves and generally nasty people.. My bike was stolen, clothes were stolen from the dorm laundry every week, marijuana was smoked by many(openly--no one wanted to turn in hardworking college kids). Two girls claimed to be assaulted on the Northside, and were silenced very quickly with veiled threats( there'd never been a rape on that campus, ever!), so they just transferred out. I went to the campus clinic for a bladder infection, and had to sit and listen to some old male farthead lecture me on how I got it from having sex. Strange how that happened without even dating then. My love of that hellhole is seriously lacking,lol.

 

 

I graduated in '10.  I'd be lying to say there was no cheating ever, but I will say, there was never once in any of my classes a blatant display of disrespect to a prof as what this guy is describing during a class time.  I could believe isolated incidences, but I can't really believe it was the majority of the class.

 

Stefanie

I graduated in '10.  I'd be lying to say there was no cheating ever, but I will say, there was never once in any of my classes a blatant display of disrespect to a prof as what this guy is describing during a class time.  I could believe isolated incidences, but I can't really believe it was the majority of the class.

 

 

Note this is TAMU-Galveston which I suspect has a very different culture than at College Station.

 

For example, as someone said above, the 4 year graduation rate is 18% at TAMUG, substantially lower than TAMU.  Interestingly, the second result I get for googling TAMU-G graduation rate is a link to their strategic plan, part of which is to raise their 6 year graduation rate to 45%.  One wonders if pressures from above to meet this goal may play a part, as well.

[kiana]

2nd ETA: The more I think of this, the more illogical it seems that they don't do anything. In the wake of several campus shootings, instructors all over the country have been taught to be on the lookout for, and report, students with disturbing behavior. This raises so many red flags that I cannot fathom how the college lets this student attend further.

 

I have heard from a person whom I trust that there are similar goings-on at the college where she instructs, including a faculty member being physically assaulted to the point of needing to be treated at the emergency room. While it is indeed rare, such places do exist.

 

If going to administration is unfruitful, the best advice *I* have is to transfer the heck out and review it on college confidental/yelp/anywhere else I can think of.

[Reefgazer]

It's a funny thing.  My classes have never shown me any type of disrespect.  At all.  I can honestly say that in 12 years of teaching, I've seen nothing close to that in my classes.  However....I subbed for a coworker a few years ago and I couldn't believe what went on in that class!  Name calling, disrespectful muttering under students' breath, talking and chattering.  I don't know if it was the difference between the night classes I generally teach and the day class I was substituting for (different clientele?) or if the teacher I subbed for did not cultivate respect in her students.  I tend to think the latter because she tends to have problems of this sort in her class.  But I can totally see that behavior happening because I witnessed it in a high school class and also when I subbed for the coworker.

I graduated in '10.  I'd be lying to say there was no cheating ever, but I will say, there was never once in any of my classes a blatant display of disrespect to a prof as what this guy is describing during a class time.  I could believe isolated incidences, but I can't really believe it was the majority of the class.

 

Stefanie

 

[FaithManor]

So many unknowns make it difficult to ascertain what the best course of action by this professor would have been though I am still struggling with the idea that failing those students who were not cheating and engaging in inappropriate behavior is the answer regardless of the sentiment he needed to get across to the administration.

 

But, I think it may very well highlight and issue that I think some colleges have, certainly our crappy CC six miles from here does, and that is thinking of the school as a business and the students as the customers so in order to keep paying customers buying the "product", the "customer is always right and the professor is always wrong" is the attitude of administration. Word gets out on the street that "classes are easy and you can't fail" and bam, a plethora of students who shouldn't have ever been accepted to the school are populating the classrooms. 

 

The whole thing highlights a cultural issue on campus, and well, the caliber of student the college is attracting. However, if there are students in his class who were trying, doing the work, making the effort, and not cheating, regardless of the point he was trying to make, his actions have left a very negative pall over their college semester, potentially wrecked havoc on their educational plans, and provided them with even more stress they didn't need. I will have a very hard time being convinced that this was an appropriate course of action. I do hope though that it is the straw that broke the camel's back and results in serious, swift, remediating action on the part of the administration.

[Teachin'Mine]

The professor took action to draw attention to the problems.  It worked.  The students who are there to learn deserve a good learning environment.  Hopefully this will be the beginning of change.  With the Dept Chair teaching that class, the problems should become evident to him or her and hopefully the administration will make appropriate changes.

The professor took action to draw attention to the problems.  It worked.  The students who are there to learn deserve a good learning environment.  Hopefully this will be the beginning of change.  With the Dept Chair teaching that class, the problems should become evident to him or her and hopefully the administration will make appropriate changes.

 

Looking at their department web page: http://www.tamug.edu/mara/faculty.html, there are nine faculty members in the department, and only one of the nine has been there more than two years.  Six of the nine appear to be adjuncts.  The department chair is also new to the department.

 

Interesting that the university's strategic goals include increasing enrollment and raising the graduation rate.  I wonder if that is causing something to give.

 

Still would have like to have heard the other sides of the story.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I have an issue that my dd's rights to stay safe aren't protected because this student's rights to a college education are protected.  I feel terrible for this teacher because he can't keep the kid out of his class and the student has more rights than the prof.  Somehow, I still believe that this Mark, is someone's special snowflake and Mom or Dad work for the college.  It's just sits wrong in my gut.

 

 

Your story makes me so sad for you and your dd :grouphug:   I just can't understand how this is ok?  It seems like a situation that should have been dealt with already.  :confused1:

[Reefgazer]

This issue of disruptive students who are allowed to commandeer the class and send it off the rails also happens in public school, and now it's moved up to colleges.  It was one of the top three reasons I withdrew my kids from public school (the other two being extensive test prep and lack of challenge).

.

My daughter came home from her college a few weeks ago and told us about a student in her class, lets call him Mark.  Multiple students have reported Mark for cheating and bragging about it, once even in front of the dept head.  Nothing was "proven" so Mark got to keep coming to classes, but he never writes the tests now.   Mark kept talking while the teacher was lecturing and generally disturbing the class on a daily basis.  On the day my dd came home with this story I was shocked, Mark kept talking raising his voice over the teacher who was trying to lecture, finally another student told him to "shut the ___ up", then Mark threw his desk and lunged at the student.  The teacher stepped in to protect the student and blocked a punch.  Dd thinks the teacher has some sort of karate training.  He didn't strike back, or anything else, he simply blocked the punch with his hand and then pointed at the door and order the kid out.

 

The whole class breathed a sigh of relief thinking that finally this kid would be kicked out of the program.  He wasn't.  He has an IEP because of his anger disorder and is allowed to return to class.

 

Dd refuses to sit by this kid and actually sits on the floor close to the teacher with his blessing because she and the rest of the girls are afraid of this student and won't sit anywhere near him.  The student is 24 years old.

 

I have an issue that my dd's rights to stay safe aren't protected because this student's rights to a college education are protected.  I feel terrible for this teacher because he can't keep the kid out of his class and the student has more rights than the prof.  Somehow, I still believe that this Mark, is someone's special snowflake and Mom or Dad work for the college.  It's just sits wrong in my gut.

 

I have an issue that my dd's rights to stay safe aren't protected because this student's rights to a college education are protected.  

 

In the US, there is no legal right to a college education.

[Reefgazer]

I suppose if it is simply a business transaction, Amy's DD should be able to get a refund if the education and environment that was advertised was not delivered (not that she didn't learn it, that it wasn't delivered as advertised). 

In the US, there is no legal right to a college education.

 

[In The Great White North]

 

Looking at their department web page: http://www.tamug.edu/mara/faculty.html, there are nine faculty members in the department, and only one of the nine has been there more than two years.  Six of the nine appear to be adjuncts.  The department chair is also new to the department.

 

Interesting that the university's strategic goals include increasing enrollment and raising the graduation rate.  I wonder if that is causing something to give.

 

 

 Perhaps faculty retention should be a that strategic goal.

[Dmmetler]

What surprises me is that at the schools I've taught at, students aren't compelled to attend. If you truly don't care about your grade and would rather text your friends, chat in the student lounge, or sleep off a hangover, have at it! And I've certainly taught my share of kids on the "Prince(ss) passing through because Daddy's (or someone-in some cases, I think the kids were actually there on student loans and were still blowing off classes) paying plan"-but for the most part, I didn't have disruptive students in my classes because they simply weren't there. Not like teaching PS where the kids were required by law to be present and would have consequences for cutting class (other than their grade at the end of the year).

 

I will say that I've had a couple of PS classes where, if I had to grade on a college scale with a large part of the grade dependent on a departmental final, anyone in the class who didn't study the subject on their own time would have failed, no matter how attentive they were, because the composition and behavior of part of the class was such that I simply couldn't teach the full subject content to that group of kids. Maybe that's what this professor's point was-that the behavior of a minority of his students was such that he simply couldn't teach the full subject content such that the kids would be prepared for the next level of the class?