On Wednesday, I witnessed a situation I had never seen in my four years here at Tufts. One of my professors had difficulty projecting her slides from a computer. The professor tried to conduct class while the TA worked on and was finally able to fix the technology. Although the slides were working, our professor was frustrated with the way they were being displayed and the speed at which the TA was clicking through them. With exasperated sighs and hands thrown into the air, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the TA. Members of the class looked around at each other to make sure that everyone else had noticed what seemed like odd behavior for a professor. Still, her frustration continued to mount, and her tone turned edgy and cold as she admonished the TA. Eventually the professor turned to personal attacks, including phrases like, "If you can't do it, then just forget about it," and finally, "Just let me do it myself!"
Embarrassed, I squirmed in my seat while the rest of the class glanced nervously at each other, trying to pretend that they didn't notice our professor's blatantly rude behavior in front of a group of forty students. I began wondering if this professor and the TA had previously had an argument or if there was something else bothering her so much so that it caused her to act this way. As the berating continued, I was almost ready to get up and leave the class. I felt so sorry for the TA and so ashamed of the professor's actions that I could barely watch anymore.
The next day, another one of my classes ran into technology problems: The professor could not get a PowerPoint presentation to work. Instead of the usual displays of quotes, pictures and information for the class to read and observe, we were left scrambling to follow along as the professor read from a slide that was visible only on the teaching screen at the front of the room. Luckily, she stayed patient and did not snap at the assistants, but it was clear that these problems had left her frazzled and unable to run the class in a normal manner.
These are not the only instances this semester in which my professors have run into problems with technology. In fact, all five of my classes have been affected by it in some way. One of my smaller classes is delayed by five or ten minutes every class while we wait for our professor to remember how to connect a computer to the overhead projector. One professor told a large lecture class not to take notes in class so that we could better pay attention to the lecturer. The professor promised to put all of the slides with notes on Blackboard, but she later informed the class during the exam review that she was not going to be able to do this, leaving the entire class without notes and with nothing to reference in preparing for the midterm.
I spoke to a friend of mine (a junior in the engineering department), who noted the crucial role projectors play in displaying graphics, problem sets and plans in engineering classes. When professors are unable to get this technology working, examples must be written on the blackboard, which are less clear and harder for students to follow. This same friend noted that there had been several instances where this had been the case, and the professor's performance, the flow of the class and the students' understanding of the material had suffered.
In an attempt to save the situation and deflect attention from her obvious rude behavior, the professor who had mistreated our TA joked to the class, claiming that that was why she was not a computer teacher.
This is absolutely the wrong sentiment to take. This idea is what leads to situations like the one I witnessed last week. Professors that do not teach in the computer science discipline feel that they can use that as an excuse for their lack of technological knowledge. The fact is that it is 2008, and Tufts is one of the most prestigious schools in the country. It is absolutely unacceptable for a professor to not know how to operate basic technology that they want to make use of in class. I am not claiming that every professor should be a technology wizard who can troubleshoot every problem, but if your class calls for you to utilize PowerPoint, projections and media, it is important that you take the time to learn how they operate. Even more so, if you are having trouble with media in class, it is absolutely deplorable to lose your cool and embarrass yourself in front of a class in the way my professor did. Be patient, be professional and understand that you're presenting yourself in front of a large group of students.
Thankfully, at the end of class, our professor apologized to both the TA and the class for her rudeness. Still, I hope that she will think back on this experience with remorse and that it will make her and other professors strive to become familiar with the technology they are working with in order to prevent incidents like this in the future.
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Craig Kaufman is a senior majoring in English.
