what makes a course a good one?

China
September 26, 2010 11:25am CST
I find that many courses offered in my university are very dull. It is not because the subjects are uninteresting but because the teachers make them that way. I find some open courses of Yale, and even on the same subject, I feel I learn more in a session by listening Yale's lecture than what I learn in a whole semester in my university. I am thinking why this is happen and what makes them different. Will be happy if you can share your views.
4 responses
• United States
26 Sep 10
When I am considering taking a course, I normally look at what the course offers exactly. If I am interested in the material, I look up the professors on ratemyprofessor.com to see if they're interesting or boring or what not. That has helped tremendously! :)
• China
26 Sep 10
Most of the courses I take are required course. I just must have to take them.But now I think, since i can get so much wonderful resources from the Internet. I study by myself with the help from the Internet.
• United States
26 Sep 10
Yes, the internet is also really wonderful! Haha. I am taking all of my courses this semester online, actually :) Maybe you could go with online classes too? You have to be really disciplined so it can be a pain, but overall it's interesting.
• Thailand
26 Sep 10
i have linear algebra exam tmr n i ws just watching the MIT vdo for the course and for the first time i understood wats really happening around those numbers and variables. uhh!!i dont noe, my lecturer at uni used these slides and kept going from one to the other and she was standing at one position for the whole time not botherd that half of the class ws sleeping and she was just on and on going at the speed of light . she taught well but there were parts where she just skips and i lost all the continuity. it was like she is playing this game and has to meet a target and we are sitting like spectators. now that i have my exam tomorrow i have no clue for more that half of the things . so i m trying to study from the mit lectures
• China
26 Sep 10
Good luck with you. I also listen to some lecture from MIT. I think they are really good. How much I hope I can go to study at one the top universities in the USA. I think they are really leading in education.
• Canada
26 Sep 10
I find that many professors have a unique and interesting talent: the ability to take the most fascinating subject matter and make it boring. A teacher needs to engage intellectual discussion in class, not just talk and tolerate the occasional question. I found that the attitude in university is that no one could possible know anything unless they have a master's degree. A lowly undergraduate student could not possible offer a fresh opinion, even if that student happens to have thoroughly read the material, and understands it better than the prof because the student's IQ is 160. There are smart people out there who just don't have degrees YET. There should be more discussion and less lecturing, I think.
• United States
27 Sep 10
I think what makes a good course, is the subject at matter. The professor or teacher and how well the course is taught.