<p>After completing my freshman year at Clemson and starting/taking several classes at a community college, I’ve come to the conclusion that community college professors are better at teaching intro-level classes.</p>
<p>The professors at universities teach intro-level classes mainly because they have to and are concerned with other research. However, I think that you wouldn’t teach at a community college unless you really wanted to and loved teaching. It seems that my community college professors are more interested in your success. I often found myself lost in college lectures while I understood it better in a community college class because instead of deriving and proving stuff, the teacher stuck with the basics, how to do the problem and I understood why and what I was doing (this was a calculus class I took at both a college and community college class).</p>
<p>I don’t know if anybody has had the same experience with intro-level classes at both places but I just wanted to figure out if this is an experience unique to what I experienced or are intro-level classes really better at a community college? I’m glad that I got my general education classes done at a community college.</p>
<p>The professors I’ve had at my community colleges have all been pretty understanding of our lives as students. For one, they’re usually teaching classes that have no more than 30 people in them, so that’s easier to manage than a lecture hall of 100 students. </p>
<p>Since a lot of community college students are adult students going back to school, people working full-time, or sometimes students who still might really struggle with certain subjects, a lot of professors seem to understand that these are people who need extra attention or help, and that’s great!</p>
<p>I teach at a community college and we are not required to publish (at mine anyway). It’s great if we get something published, but it is not required to be successful. A lot more time can be dedicated to what a person is teaching if they are not worried about publishing (or perishing).</p>
<p>Also, many community colleges are open admissions, so in addition to some bright students and non-traditional students, there are some very low ability students. Because of the range of abilities (and length of time students may have been away from the classroom) teachers are forced to teach a little differently. It’s good that you are having a positive experience, pierre.</p>
<p>No, from what I understand that’s pretty common. No matter how uninspired a community college professor may be, it’s his job to teach the courses. Like you say, at a lot of 4 year colleges, teaching the little freshmen their intro classes is just something you do because the administration told you to and hey, you need a break from research once in a while.</p>
<p>Some community colleges offer tenure. At the college where I teach, two-thirds of the faculty are in tenured positions. At the college one county north, all positions are contracts.</p>
<p>I started at a community college and would really like to teach at one someday. In general, I think professors at community colleges are there to teach, and love to do it. At many 4-year universities that may not be the case, they may be there to do research and just teach because they have to.</p>
<p>I actually transferred to a smallish Master’s college, and I have found the teaching there to be superb, as well. But, again, they are far less research oriented. </p>
<p>One thing that really stood out to me during my first few classes at my new college is how the material seems to be presented with leisure. At the CC, even the best profs were always rushed, at least in the more technical math and science classes. I think it is because they are dealing with more questions and have to spend more time on fundamentals. Since my new school is fairly selective, the students don’t need as much coddling. </p>
<p>It also seems like students at community colleges are more likely to ask questions. Maybe this isn’t the case everywhere, but at my current school students don’t usually ask questions even when it is obvious they don’t understand something. I don’t know if it is a pride thing or what, but it seems like they would rather get a C than admit they don’t understand.</p>
<p>All that being said, I’ve had both excellent and horrible professors at both schools.</p>
<p>I disagree with this post so much. Seriously why would a community college teacher be better then a professor at a bigger college? Which teacher most likely gets paid more and will normally have to be more qualified? I mean I went to CC and now go to a 4-year school and I do agree that some CC teachers are better, there will always be great professor and horrible professors at every college. From my experience, Great professors at the 4-year school were much better bc the curriculum was harder so it wasn’t like i liked them bc they were nice or something. Good teachers help you learn (even if it means getting a poor grade in a class)</p>
<p>I think a lot of people underestimate community college professors. Many of them have spent years working in their field and maybe even teaching at universities. Some even split their jobs between universities and community colleges. Of course professors at universities might get paid more- those schools probably have more money to offer them. But that doesn’t mean they’re any better at teaching.</p>
<p>Starting salary for someone with a PhD at my old CC is $80,000, and if you teach long enough you can make $140,000. Dunno if teaching at a university is higher.</p>
<p>I really think it is going be based off of personal experience. I like my professors at my university more than the two that I had at community college. Then again, I can’t pretend to have a well informed opinion on the quality of teaching at ccs if I have only had two cc professors.</p>
<p>D went to community college for a year before transferring to USC. Professors at CC’s are pretty hit or miss. Some of them can be absolutely outstanding while others are there for a paycheck and do not care much about their students. To be honest, you are going to find professors like that anywhere you go, it is not just isolated to CC’s. </p>
<p>The difference will be the quality of the students and a student’s attitude can often rub off on a professor, which is why it seems like professors care more at universities when they do not at CC’s.</p>
<p>I actually had a teacher that taught at the CC i went to and the 4year school i go to now and he is by far one of the worst teachers i’ve ever had. I went to onondaga community college and I just feel like CC is dumbed down a lot for the # of idiots that go. I’m not calling everyone that goes to CC dumb (i’m not dumb and i guess most of the posters on here are educate well) but you have to look at what CC is. Some CC teachers are good while others just plain suck and work bc its a CC. I would say the same tho for 4-year schools.</p>
<p>The first community college class I took was online spanish. The professor’s English was poor (in emails and announcements), and she didn’t make it clear that there was no credit for late homework (she actually said you <em>could</em> turn it in late - I guess it was my fault for not realizing there was no point :rolleyes:). </p>
<p>The other class I took was Diff Eq’s, and the professor was pretty young. He did a lot of example problems, and there wasn’t much explanation of the sample problems he put on the test. I don’t remember that much because I had trouble staying awake much of the time (evening class). He wasn’t as exciting a lecturer as some of the guys I’ve had elsewhere.</p>
<p>I think the reason is that the community college that I go to is in the city of Boston and most of the people I meet there aren’t totally stupid, they just are new immigrants and need help learning english and taking cheap college classes. For example, in my sociology class of 20 people, there’s someone from China, Hong Kong, Nepal (2 of them), Albania, Korea, Iran, Russia, Croatia, Senegal and Afghanistan.</p>