Whoa, this cc experience is different

[8filltheheart]

I have had kids take classes at different CCs.  My dd's program for OTA was intense, leaving her calling me in tears at times.  Most other classes they have taken have been pretty avg. our 26 returned to school this semester, and oh my, his 1x per week classes went like this.  Monday they met for about 25 minutes out of the 3 hr class. He gave no homework and said since next Monday is Laobr Day, we'll just really start in 2 weeks.  Tonight's class was also supposed to have a lab. 35 mins, done. No lab. No homework. Nothing.

I expect more from my middle schooler's classes. My high schooler would love to have them for her teachers vs. me. But, seriously, these are the lowest standards we have ever encountered.

[MerryAtHope]

Wow. That seems weird! All my kids' CC classes have plenty of homework. Occasionally there is an instructor who cuts things early but not down to 1/6th of the time!

[chiguirre]

10 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

I have had kids take classes at different CCs.  My dd's program for OTA was intense, leaving her calling me in tears at times.  Most other classes they have taken have been pretty avg. our 26 returned to school this semester, and oh my, his 1x per week classes went like this.  Monday they met for about 25 minutes out of the 3 hr class. He gave no homework and said since next Monday is Laobr Day, we'll just really start in 2 weeks.  Tonight's class was also supposed to have a lab. 35 mins, done. No lab. No homework. Nothing.

I expect more from my middle schooler's classes. My high schooler would love to have them for her teachers vs. me. But, seriously, these are the lowest standards we have ever encountered.

Can you take a look at the syllabus? That seems very odd. Is it possible that the instructor doesn't announce homework because it's listed on the class schedule?

[teachermom2834]

Last summer my then 17 yo took a “basic calculus” class at the local cc. (Like a business calculus or calculus for non STEM majors). It was a summer class -just ten weeks and only met 2.5 hours a week. I kept thinking that had to be wrong but it was really just that meeting time.

That time was spent working through modules and taking quizzes in a computer lab. The quizzes were set to retake as many times as necessary to get 80%. 

It was awful. He learned nothing. He got a B by taking the tests and quizzes as many times as he needed to. He graduated with a 4.0 in 36 de hours from a local Christian U and that one B in the cc class. 

I was so not impressed. Dc will not be taking any other courses there (unless a kid needs to get credit for a class he cannot pass otherwise or something). 

[regentrude]

That can be a reflection of the college as a whole, but could also just be this particular teacher.

We have encountered one instructor at a pretty well regarded four year university who did not assign any homework (just told students to practice problems from the book), didn't provide any sort of feedback before the exam, didn't grade anything except the three multiple choice exams , and didn't conduct class for the last 2.5 weeks of the semester (just told the students he'd be around if they had questions.) Having to pay tuition for a class like this is a scam.

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by regentrude

[Terabith]

One of my education classes meets for three hours once a week.  Tonight was the first class.  She let us out after 45 minutes.  I had her last semester, too, and we were never there longer than 1.5 hours, and usually more like one.  Our homework is three slides about ourselves and our attitudes towards math.  

Education classes are a joke.  

[G5052]

At both community colleges I've worked for, a professor would be in trouble for not holding full-length classes unless it was an exam or a lab that some might finish early. No more than ten minutes early whether it was a 1.5 or 3 hour class.

Or of course if the professor was sick or away, there was some leeway but there had to be additional material and practice provided. If I had a bad cold and didn't think I could make it through a 3-hour evening class, I'd hold class for an hour and the provide videos and a hands-on exercises that counted towards their class participation. That was OK too.

I was told that it was an accreditation issue. However, does it happen? Of course. There were times when I would slog out of my evening classes and see a lot of dark classrooms. I never had trouble having enough material. There were times that I had to tell students that we had to leave because the security guard was ready to lock up the building and leave.

However, as we've discussed here before, there are all kinds of community colleges out there. The one I work for now is very transfer-oriented and is nationally ranked.