tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post1672705494520712876..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: Examining StudentsFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-64610670619487740712007-01-01T17:42:00.000-06:002007-01-01T17:42:00.000-06:00I don't recall my non-majors undergrad classes wel...I don't recall my non-majors undergrad classes well (aside from chemistry), but in my major classes and my chem classes, almost <i>everyone</i> (like, all but 2-3 students) went to the review sessions--including the male students who goofed off and liked to pretend they didn't work hard (although most of them did). Granted, I went to two small liberal arts colleges, where interacting with the professor and taking advantage of office hours were strongly encouraged. I suspect that gender trends there would be hard to pick out without surveying across a variety of departments and sizes of institutions. I read Rebekah Nathan's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Freshman-Year-Professor-Becoming/dp/0143037471/sr=8-1/qid=1167694874/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6379806-1885738?ie=UTF8&s=books">My Freshman Year</a> and found it very interesting, but largely inapplicable to my experience at small lib arts colleges, so I think institutional culture can vary quite wildly in terms of academic behavior.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-53335398157000985092006-12-27T02:45:00.000-06:002006-12-27T02:45:00.000-06:00Maybe it's an extension of the stereotype that men...Maybe it's an extension of the stereotype that men who are lost won't stop and ask for directions!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-42893596622020250282006-12-21T17:14:00.000-06:002006-12-21T17:14:00.000-06:00Why no multiple choice tests?Why no multiple choice tests?mapletree7https://www.blogger.com/profile/15261672903705693449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-7321701696810710772006-12-18T10:04:00.000-06:002006-12-18T10:04:00.000-06:00I love it when students ask me questions about mat...I love it when students ask me questions about material outside the course -- something they've been thinking about from some other experience they've had or something they've read or just another question that occurs to them because they are curious. I know that many of my colleagues are thrilled to get this kind of question as well. It's also great that you are aware that it's best to try to figure things out yourself about course material before asking the professor -- but if you are curious about something or really do have a question, you should definitely ask.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-80160252757395097112006-12-18T09:52:00.000-06:002006-12-18T09:52:00.000-06:00Maybe it's like high school at the beginning, and ...Maybe it's like high school at the beginning, and it's not "cool or masculine" to show that you need to put effort into getting good marks. If you study, make sure you do it while no one is watching. It probably goes away after a year or two.<br /><br />Personally, I thought that everything was in the textbook and the prof wasn't going to tell me the answer anyways (there was more hope that the TA would actually). Whenever I talked to a prof, I'd ask them questions outside of class material that I was interested in when I read ahead in the book. Now that I think back to it, most professors probably dreaded talking to me just because of that. And probably made fun of me to their colleagues and grad students later on if my latter experience is any indication. Who wants to answer stuff like: "what is the true nature of an s orbital if the electron density is mostly at the nucleus and electron capture doesn't occur", when you're teaching an introductory class?<br /><br />But I'd also feel bad for the prof who had to teach ~300 students and I didn't want to waste their time when I could figure something I didn't know out given enough time. Those introductory classes were hell. After I stopped going because it was pointless, I felt even worse for asking the prof for help. If they put in the effort to teach and I didn't show up (even though the room was unbearably hot and overcrowded and I kept falling asleep), why should I expect them to help me?<br /><br />So, I was wondering, do any current students ask you about material that's outside of the syllabus but is related to the discipline? And if so, what is the gender ratio?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-51102086856540270252006-12-18T09:29:00.000-06:002006-12-18T09:29:00.000-06:00I taught a mid-level majors computer science class...I taught a mid-level majors computer science class this summer (40 students) and people who came to see me during office hours was mostly females. But it wasn't a 99% split or anything dramatic like that. The class as a whole reflected the usual male skew in computer science. <br /><br />Also just from eyeballing the grades, females seemed to get higher marks in general.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com