r/AskProfessors

I have seen quite a few articles and posts saying students are arriving at university unable to do things that used to be expected, for example structure essays, basic maths, reading longer texts, work without AI, etc

have you actually noticed this in practice? Have students’ academic skills or independence noticeably changed over the years, or are they mostly doing fine and this is just another version of “kids these days”?

Today one of my female professors scolded me. I am a second year medical college student. All our professors are quite rude. She scolded me because I was laughing and she saw me laughing. She thought I was laughing at her. So she humiliated me in front of the entire class. Now I cannot stop thinking what should I do???

With UK, US, and European universities becoming increasingly international, it’s common to have classrooms where students and professors come from very different language backgrounds. A student may understand the subject perfectly well but still struggle to follow a lecture in real time because of an unfamiliar accent, speaking pace, pronunciation, or simply the amount of information being delivered verbally. Sometimes that means missing parts of a lecture or seminar, relying on slides and recordings afterwards, asking classmates for clarification, or spending extra time trying to work out what was said. In other cases, students may not say anything at all and quietly fall behind.

Have you experienced this with your students, and what has actually helped in your classes? Do you feel the support currently available, such as recordings, captions, transcripts or lecture notes, genuinely solves the problem?

I'd especially like to hear from professors who teach large lectures, seminars, or courses with a lot of international students.

Ok, hear me out. I know the answer is almost always professor.

This is a 100% asynchronous online history course in California

Classes just started yesterday and the Canvas for our class is a little lackluster. Instead of any materials being accessed through canvas, we’re given a google drive link. Instead of turning in anything through Canvas, we are supposed to email them to our professor. Except discussions, which we do on Canvas and it was stated they won’t be graded until the end of the course (you’ll lose points for doing them late, they just won’t be graded until the end).

I have two big concerns with this setup. One, nothing has due dates on Canvas. There ARE due dates and they’re all in the syllabus, so it’s not flying blind. But nothing has due dates on Canvas - even the discussions. The second concern I have with this setup is that by emailing our work, we aren‘t able to see the grades or feedback from the assignment. A couple reviews for the course mention that the only way to find out your grade is by emailing him.

Another concern that I have is a lack of rubrics. Nothing has a rubric.

My last observation that honestly feels kinda petty but lowkey still feels important is the course was advertised as zero textbook however there is a textbook we are responsible for getting ourselves.

So, I’m hesitant to reach out to him since that would be essentially criticizing his entire course in the first week of class and honestly, this strikes me as more of a department needing to step in issue than a student having a question he can answer.

I'm a senior lecturer at large public R1, but the small liberal arts college where I did my undergrad and where I later returned to teach as an adjunct has been flashing danger signs for a while now. The usual list of reasons applies: declining enrollment, some racist incidents that were poorly handled by admins, rising costs, what looks like serious debt, crumbling infrastructure, rising tuition. Now they've been issued a warning by the accreditation committee, and the coach who led the only sport with any kind of following just quit. I left a long time ago but still have some attachment to the school and wonder if this means the school is pretty much done for? Have any other SLACs managed to come back from this kind of situation?

Hello! I'm an undergrad in the US in a field of biology. I'm going to be defending my honors thesis (as well as graduating) in the spring. I have been working on my thesis project since last fall, and my advisor has done a lot for me; in addition to helping with normal thesis things, he's advocated for me a ton in matters related to the project, and he's overall been very supportive. My project has additionally eaten a lot of money, at least as far as an undergrad research budget goes. My situation also warrants extra gratitude because my project falls outside of the lab's current focus.

It is pertinent to note here that this professor collects bones. I found an intact squirrel skull recently and have been going through the steps of processing it. Would it be okay to give the skull to him this spring after I defend my thesis?

Giving gifts seems to be a contentious topic, and all of the posts related to professor gifts that I have read have to do with store-bought items, or at least items of clear monetary value. Is there anything different about natural items (e.g. bones, insects, rocks, etc.)? Are gifts usually awkward? Would it be more or less awkward if it's a natural item? There's no clear consensus on what is and isn't appropriate or if gifts are appropriate at all. I know a card is a safe option, but I'm not so good with words. I was originally planning to just give a card, but when I found this skull, I thought he would like it, and I think that it may also help me communicate how grateful I am for his support and how much he's done for me.

Thank you!

Does this mean online students can't read?

I feel like I'm supposed to create a video game instead of a course...

Hello! I’m beginning uni for the first time, but since I have no way to be at the university the first week I will miss the first two lectures. Is there an appropriate way to ask the professor about what he went through and what I should study so I won’t fall behind?

If it’s relevant, I can’t show up because I live 8 hours away and I get student housing the week after. Thanks you so much in advance :)

First it was homework, and now I believe it is no longer viable to ask students to present seminars. They are heavily using NotebookLM to build their presentations, sometimes just parts of them, but often the entire slide deck. They then improvise their speeches without actually understanding the content. Are we now forced to rely solely on in-person exams to evaluate our students? What is your opinion about this issue?

I have screwed myself over and I don't know how I can fix my career trajectory. I'm a rising senior Political Science student wanting to go to law school and I don't even know how to write.

For the past 3 years, I have been dependent on using ChatGPT for every single assignment. What worries me is that for my senior year, we have a capstone project where we must research something related to our field of study under the guidance of a faculty member. However, I don't even know what to research about. I feel as if I know nothing nor do I feel confident in writing anything. I can't even confidently think of a topic that is worth researching about. My GPA makes me a weak applicant for law school and I was caught using AI last semester on a final exam. I have felt severely guilty in my actions even prior to being caught.

Every assignment has felt like trying to survive rather than the opportunity to learn. I attend a top 30 school in the world and honestly don't deserve to be here. I feel that I let an amazing opportunity slip between my fingers. Everyone in this school is thriving and has plans after college. I've seen my peers' educational growth with my own eyes and I feel like I'm right where I started.

I've been rejected from every internship related to legal work and rejected from every school position. I feel my last chance this year is to try and join a research group at school, but again, my writing skills are underdeveloped and I would feel guilty if they asked for a writing sample and I give them AI slop work. I understand that I have done this to myself, but what do I do to stop and fix the damage done?

I wish I could just tell a professor or someone that I genuinely need personal guidance and help with building skills I have been lacking in due to my dependence on AI, but I'm sure that would get me expelled. I have vented to ChatGPT about this extensively, but it honestly feels like an echo chamber. I'm asking for a real guidance on my situation and would appreciate any advice.

(I am not sure which flair to choose, so please let me know if it is wrong and I will change it.)

Hi everyone, There is a common idea in developing countries that to get a Master's admission or a scholarship in a developed country, it is best to contact a professor directly, build a relationship and share your project, research proposal, or academic goals.

The idea is that the professor can help secure your spot, arrange funding or scholarships, and facilitate matters like student visas.

Is this true?

If not, could you clarify how it actually works? I am a fresh graduate who wants to do a Master's degree abroad. I don''t have sufficient funds, have not found a job yet, but am genuinely passionate about research and hope to work in a research centre in the future.

What advice would you give me?

(Also, if this subreddit is not the right place for such questions, please direct me to the appropriate one.)

Thank you all!

So, I've recently joined an undergrad TA team as a soph to teach fundamental programming concepts as a CS class. The typical demographic is freshmen and novices who know no programming at all.

I had my first mini-class/tutorial with about 14 students yesterday, and like clockwork, I rushed like crazy even though I maintained to finish on time without consciously trying very hard to do so. I had delivery problems and I was not able to figure out how to prompt people to interact. A senior TA and the lecturer sat in to test me out, and they did give me some feedback but in a pretty harsh manner, almost like rebuking, not considering I'm new to this. In fact, I have felt from the start that the senior TAs have some air about them bossing around the newer junior TAs.

I did tell my students later via our forum that we'll be slower next time, and I am receptive to feedback if they have any. However, I feel I'm lacking specific direction to improve, and I'm thinking of too many things and overdoing it, really. Is there advice I should specifically focus on taking up?

I really like teaching, but I don't want my classes' quality to take a hit due to my poor time managing skills or my zeal to share what may be helpful. I don't want people to attend because it's mandatory. I also realized in the first class that my students are not very open to share, which is okay because it's the first class, and likely their first uni class in totality. Yet, I would like to get them to feel free in the classes and not feel shy to share, and I'm ready to make resources like polls and quizzes to the purpose as well. Are there things I can do to get people to speak up and feel more comfortable?

Hey! I'm Argentinian so what I consider new/old is probably very different.

I consider old-school teaching to be more focused on exams and not too keen on constant evaluation. In Argentina classes that take a more traditional approach take two written exams which determine whether you take a "big" final exam (usually oral + written) or smaller version (usually just oral). It doesn't matter if you got a 100% in both written exams, if you fail the final you just fail and have to retake the final exam (it affects your GPA too). There are usually smaller tests before labs or classes, but it's usually no homework whatsoever.

While old-school teaching is still quite common, in the past 20 years there it has been increasingly common to find classes that focus more on constant evaluation and not that many "high stakes" evaluations. Like, your final grade being determined by a bunch of smaller assignments (like essays, oral presentations and projects) and exams are curved. They also say they want a more "student lead" classroom and that teachers should only support student's in their own journey, which means students doing their own research before lectures and teachers checking if we reached the right conclusions (which, IMO, it only leads to pointless debates between the prof and the same 3 students).

I usually dislike when professors take a more modern approaches to education. I feel like I end up having to spend more time on things that don't teach me as much as an exam. While I can see how it's important to develop "soft skills", I have found it mostly useless (only essays followed by an oral presentation about it seem meaningful to me). It's definitely easier than traditional classes (if you are not lazy you will pass), but I end up learning less and spending more time.

It also makes college more like High School in the sense that you have to apply their way of learning the material instead of figuring out yourself. It ends up being way more restrictive than traditional education.

Have your experiences been similar? Have you common are both ways of teaching at your university? Would you say that the results of newer teaching techniques have been overall positive?

Sorry for the rant! Currently taking my last class for completing my undergrad which has been pretty disappointing so far.

Title

When professors let the class form their own groups of 5 to 7, it tends to favor existing social cliques. Being an introvert and an older student, I only know a couple of people, who usually end up forming groups with their groups of friends.

By default, I usually end up grouped with whoever is left over—frequently the students who don't contribute or meet deadlines. Because I want to maintain my grades, I end up picking up the slack. However, bringing up group performance issues leaves me feeling like I am labeled as the "difficult" student who complains too much. I'm the one who's always complaining while other groups, because they usually get along, don't have much of the same complaints.

I personally find it much more straightforward when professors simply assign groups themselves rather than letting students pick.

From a professor's point of view: am I being reasonable in thinking self-selected groups put non-traditional students at a disadvantage? What leads professors to choose self-selected groups over assigned ones?

Hey everyone! I'm a senior at a smallish school [very community minded HBCU] in a department of maybe 80ish students. We have quite a few specialized classes and it is entirely normal to have classes with 4-10 people which get even smaller after attendance drops off mid semester.

I have two professors that I'm very close to, one more than the other but not by much. I have taken several classes each with both of them and [when I lived on campus] usually visited their offices multiple times a week before or after class [usually just to hang out there and crochet/sit and talk with one of my professors while he let me play his guitar]. They have both agreed to write me recommendation letters for law school and currently do things to support me in other ways [one by showing up to my extracurricular events and the other by agreeing to advise a club that a classmate and I run, among other things. I also will bake things for my professors/advisors at the end of the semester and have made things for them before, which they took and seemed to appreciate. One of my professors has also met my family/parents [at the aforementioned extracurricular event]

I want to invite them to my graduation party and was just wondering if this would be overstepping. I'm not necessarily concerned it will be but just wanted thoughts about it before I ask!

I'm a sophmore in a 5 year program and didn't get any research freshman year, because I never tried, but I need to now. I sent some emails out about a month ago but all of the professors said things along the line of being deep in the summer research process and they weren't taking stuents. Now class start is a week out I'm wondering if now is a good time to start sending emails if professors schedule is pretty empty, or should I wait like a month until they get in the swing of their classes and then send out my emails?

Hi everyone,

I’m about to complete my Master’s in Healthcare Administration and will be starting a Doctoral program in Healthcare Administration in Janurary. I currently have a great job in the healthcare field, but I’m also interested in giving back and eventually transitioning into academia.

I know that adjunct positions, especially at community colleges, can be highly competitive. I’ve been considering volunteering as an instructor at University of the People to gain teaching experience and strengthen my academic resume.

For those with experience in higher education, do you think this would be worthwhile? Would teaching there help me become a more competitive candidate for adjunct or faculty positions at other colleges or universities once I complete my doctorate?

I’d appreciate any advice or insight. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I posted about this before, but things have moved pretty quickly since then and I could really use some outside perspectives.

I’m from India and recently completed my bachelor’s in biotechnology/bioinformatics. My long-term goal is research in AI/computational biology and eventually an academic career.

Right now I’m between three paths:

• 🇰🇷 South Korea: Fully funded AI master's starting Fall 2026
• 🇹🇼 Taiwan: English-taught master's starting Spring 2027 + RA with a mentor I already know
• 🇺🇸 US: Apply for PhD programs for Fall 2027

The Korea option is the one causing me the most confusion.

I’ve already been accepted into the program, and my Korean D-2 visa has been approved. I should get my passport back in a couple of days, after which I’m supposed to send it to Korea so they can arrange my flight. So this isn't really hypothetical anymore — I’m supposed to be flying next month.

The problem is that I recently contacted the program coordinators about the language situation. They told me:

>

They said they'll give me more details after consulting the professors.

What surprised me is that TOPIK wasn't required for admission, but apparently students are expected to reach TOPIK 4 to graduate.

I’m still basically at the beginning of learning Korean. I’m willing to learn it, but going from almost zero to TOPIK 4 while doing a graduate-level AI degree sounds pretty unrealistic for me.

I even watched a sample lecture recently. The lecture was in Korean, although the slides were in both Korean and English. I could understand the general structure from the slides, but obviously I couldn't follow the actual lecture properly yet.

At the same time, I have the Taiwan option.

I previously worked in Taiwan and honestly had a really good experience there. I found the research environment suited me much better, and I have a mentor there who has been one of the best advisors I've worked with. He's supportive but also honest and critical when needed, and we work really well together.

He has encouraged me to return for a master's starting Spring 2027. The program is in English, my tuition would be waived, and I could work part-time as an RA in his lab. There may also be a PhD path afterward, although obviously nothing is guaranteed.

The downside is that I'd be giving up a fully funded Korean fellowship and waiting another semester.

My previous supervisor actually told me to go to Korea and at least start the program. His advice was basically: it's a stable, funded two-year opportunity, and if I hate it or the language/culture doesn't work for me, I can always leave. That honestly makes sense to me too.

And then there is the US.

I've always viewed the US as the place for research, especially if I want to eventually work in AI/ML + computational biology.

I was considering applying for Fall 2027 PhDs this year, and I actually have one professor at the University of Pittsburgh who encouraged me to apply to a particular PhD program and said he could vouch for my application. He asked me to email him once I submit.

Obviously, that's not an admission and I know I shouldn't treat it like one. But it does make the US option feel a little more real than just “maybe I'll get in somewhere.”

So now I'm stuck.

Korea: funded + AI + immediate, but potentially a huge language barrier.

Taiwan: English + mentor I already know and trust + research environment I know I enjoy, but less funding and starts in Spring 2027.

US: potentially the strongest long-term research route, but completely uncertain until I actually apply.

I think what is messing with me is that I already have the Korean visa approved. A few weeks ago I was just going with the flow and thinking, okay, I'm going to Korea. Now that the actual flight is becoming real, I'm suddenly questioning whether I'm making the right decision.

Am I overthinking the language issue? Is it reasonable to start Korea and see what happens? Or is the fact that the program is primarily in Korean enough of a red flag that I should reconsider?

And how much should I value a known good mentor and research environment over a fully funded degree?

I'm also wondering whether I'm being greedy by wanting to keep all three options open. 😭

Would really appreciate hearing from people who've actually experienced academia/research in Korea, Taiwan, and/or the US. Especially if you've done graduate-level technical work in a language you weren't initially fluent in.

I know nobody can tell me exactly what I should do, but I’d really like to hear how people who've been through similar situations thought about these tradeoffs.

I have my first test with Lockdown Browser and I’m super nervous that I’m going to accidentally get flagged. It’s a math test, if I am looking down at scratch paper, will it flag that as cheating? do I need to keep my eyes focused on the screen, the whole time? Like if I look around, will it automatically flag that?