LETTER: My teacher of the year award

To the editor:

    I’m a proud student of Utah State University. Like most, my path to college required hard work and dedication to be accepted and earn a scholarship. I was proud of my acceptance into this university. But I was puzzled by a playful jeer used by those older and wiser who had already passed through college.
    “You know, in the end,” they said, ‘”those thousands of dollars just pay for that piece of paper you receive at graduation.”
    While this is an obviously farfetched statement, I have come to find some truth to it.
    I believe that my tuition pays for the rich college experience that Utah State provides for its students. We have a great social atmosphere, excellent programs, and a myriad of clubs and organizations.
    But I have been somewhat disappointed by the quality of teaching that my tuition money pays for. I find it ironic that I learn more from watching free online videos and reading my textbook than I do from listening to some of my tuition-funded lectures. And I’m not the only one. I’ve met up with many fellow students outside the classroom that inform me that they no longer attend class because, they learn more from reading the textbook anyway.
    I’m reminded of an old high school math teacher. He was an excellent teacher. His lectures started with the most basic elements of a concept and he built upon those concepts with examples, stories and proofs. It was exciting to learn because we understood the material and saw its application. The impact of a prepared and involved teacher shaped the future of many of his students.
    I entered college expecting to have many similar experiences. While I’ve had some terrific professors, I’ve been disappointed at the number of teachers who lack the ability to teach for understanding. They seem to be disconnected with the learning process. They regurgitate aimless information while students hopelessly scribble notes trying to make sense of it.
    I can already hear the rebuttals – “But you’re in college now. You’re expected to learn at a higher level.” True. But it all depends on how the university defines its primary learning source for its students. If it’s the professors, I think that there’s work to be done. If it is textbooks and online material, then I think they are doing a great job because that’s where I learn the most anyways.
    God bless open courseware.

Troy Winder