Course Feedback Form

Today was the day I thought most of us had been waiting for.
Because today was the day we were going to assess one of our least favorite profs, or atleast my least favorite. The prof. who caused us so much misery. Yes, today, were we going to fill this prof's Teacher-Feedback-Form. And I had already made plans to give her the least grades possible, exactly what she deserved. Little did I know that my classmates had no such intention.

I got up early today, knowing that it was an important day. Not that it made any difference as I went late to the class anyway and had to sit in the front row. And there she was, going on about some stupid code-checking rubbish. Now, it may not be rubbish, but the way she was explaining the thing made it sound worse than anything I had learnt before, from whatever I can recall.

It was a normal C-slot class. We were doing what we always do. We were busy taking down notes quietly in the class, making no effort to understand anything, finally having realized that it won't work. The prof. speaks faster than anyone I have ever heard, and makes full attempt to keep us from understanding anything. Knowing that we can't understand what she teaches, she continues to blabber something about I-never-know-what and we continue to stare at her till the end of the class. It almost seems like she doesn't want us to learn. In her class, I always carry the look of a person who's not able to understand anything, to make her realize that I am not. Asking questions is of no use either. She'll never answer your question in a straight way. She'll always find out a way of dodging the question and at the same time, have you convinced that you have understood even though you wouldn't have. Though a few people in the class try bugging her till they get an answer, they always end up confused by the end of the class.

Its not that she doesn't know her stuff. I am sure she knows it very well and she must be one of the best in her subject in the whole country. But the thing is, she has turned this course into a self study course. Hardly anyone understands what she teaches in the class (or atleast I feel so) and the only way to pass the course is to study at home. So that's what we do. We study on our own, write those not-so-nice quizzes of hers and get some marks. Now, it so happens that according to her, our marks are way too low and with a hint of sarcasm she as good as says that we are just a bunch of dunderheads who are not able to understand even the basic concepts. This angers most of us, or atleast me, but we just sit quiet and wait for our time.

And today, we were given the chance to assess her. I had obviously planned what to fill in the feedback form, the truth. I knew I would be giving her an average of 3.5 or even lesser. I was quiet sure that my classmates will be doing the same. I was waiting desperately for the class to end, but it seemed very slow today. And if that was not enough, she added to my impatience by extending the class by 10 minutes. Finally, as she left, she gave the feedback forms to the class representative, who was sitting next to me. I took one, and I filled it up quite fast. I think I gave her an average of 4.5. I thought it would be quite good for her usual standards. Something like a treat.. But then, as the class rep. started recieving the assessment sheet from different directions, I caught a glimpse of a two or three and it gave me a shock. I took the forms and started going through them (not literally). There were forms with an average of over 8.5. Not one or two, but more than 3-4ths of them. And then I wondered: How can these people, most of whom I was sure disliked the prof, grade the prof so leniently? There surely wasn't anything wrong with my judgement. I expected everyone to grade the way I did. But I was wrong somewhere. What is wrong with these people? Do they grade this way to please the prof? Or do they expect some kind of treat in return for this favour? That won't count in the case of the prof concerned. She would grade us peacefully only because we graded her that way no sooner than Bako would give up. Or is it that they are just scared of the prof? Or according to my editor Der Bus, they just don't feel like grading a prof badly, however bad he/she might be?

Whatever the reason might be, what happened in the class today was very irritating. Though while writing this blog now, I feel that it doesn't matter that much. I shouldn't be making such a big deal out of it. Everyone has their own opinions and how they grade a prof is totally up to them.