1. Re-evaluate your expectations in university.
It is very tempting to immediately file a
complaint or drop the class when discussing an interesting lecturer and their questionable methods. However, before doing that, try to examine that situation beforehand. Are they giving you an excessive amount of work for a (keyword: university) student? Are they strictly inflexible with submissions dates? Are they genuinely inconsiderate with the current ODL style and unforgiving towards students with bad internet connections or lack of appropriate facilities or gadgets for online learning? Discuss these with your fellow classmates, your seniors especially and even, your parents. Compare your lecturer’s teaching style with the rest of your lecturers and see if they are really unreasonable or are you just not used to strict authorities.
The reason for the evaluation is NOT to dismiss your feelings and struggles as a student, but it is to see if your lecturers are just simply a bit more strict to your liking. After all, old fashioned methods do not necessarily mean they are inappropriate for modern education, depending on the situation. Hence, you as a student must properly examine your lecturer’s learning methods as well as your own learning methods.
The truth of the matter is, lecturers are there to prepare you for your future, specifically in your working life. A few silly demands such as short submission periods surprisingly help you grow as a future contributor to society, and will assist you in proper time management and teach you to act fast and efficiently when dealing with stress. On certain occasions, lecturers purposefully make these demands to see how a student responds and reacts when forced under pressure. So be sure to take a deep breath, evaluate, and address the issues appropriately.
2. Butter up!
You heard it, in order to get that delicious bread, you have to be generous with the butter! Jokes aside, sometimes playing teacher’s pet is one way, if not the best way, to get them to provide more leeway to you and e
ven the rest of your class.
The stigma that exists regarding the term ‘teacher’s pet’ is frankly untrue, and expressing interest in the subject topics of your course is a manner deemed most amiable by lecturers.
Take notes, ask questions, participate in class, contact your lecturer regarding the topic material, and surely you will be rewarded with their good graces (and good results!). It never hurts to play the game as a destined winner.
And when all else fails:
3. Raise a formal complaint to higher authorities.
Let’s say the situation is dire; your results are barely above water, you haven’t a clue on what has been taught for the past two weeks, the assignment was due 2 hours ago and you haven’t had proper sleep in almost a week. If this is the case, action needs to be taken.
Arranging a meeting with the head of the faculty is definitely one way that will provide some relief if the situation demands it. In cases where the lecturer’s demands are impossible to meet and would hurt your education if left alone, directly seeking assistance from those who can monitor their actions is the way to go. Ask your peers if they are also experiencing similar stress and address those concerns appropriately and professionally.
Be sure to insist on confidentiality in case the complaint is not fruitful. You wouldn’t want that specific lecturer to have ill feelings on anyone in the class, especially since they are the ones marking your papers!
Switch groups/classes.
Usually, students are given 2 weeks to decide whether or not they would like to remain in the class they applied for or switch to a different group or class. Use this time to judge whether the present lecturer(s) have teaching methods that suit your own learning method.
And there you have it! A practical way to cope with difficult lecturers at the university level. In time you will see that the hardships faced during this time is a character-building experience and you will learn much from it if you perceive it as such.
Good luck everyone!
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