The worst class I ever took that I didn't drop was this mandatory education class called something like "Diversity in Education" or something to that effect. Supposedly, it was about learning how to understand and cope with students of wildly varying backgrounds (ethnicity, economic, etc.). Well, instead it turned into "How to Run a Discussion To The Professor's Exacting Standards."

It was totally horrendous. The professor had this very precise style of running a class discussion that she thought was conducive to learning, and we all had to run discussions in our student teaching the EXACT SAME WAY. It was this horrible thing where you had to use a text of some sort, and every time anyone wanted to contribute a comment, they had to find the reference in the text, say the page number, and everybody else had to find it in THEIR texts too.

You can see how well this would work in, say, a junior high setting. Anyway, that was the worst class I ever took. How about you?

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2000

Answers

Well, I don't know if this could be called the very worst, but it was definately one of the strangest. I think it was my Junior year and I was taking a graphic design course. Our instructor was just a bit off though. Really, more than a bit. I don't know if she thought it was an attempt at creativity or what, but the most memorable was the time she told the class (there were only 6 of us) that we were having a scavanger hunt. The wierd part was she gave us a list of thing and told us to go find them in her apartment. She gave us the keys and she stayed on campus.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2000

I think the absolutely worst class i took in college was "computers in health". basically a 'what if' class. we were learning to chart on computers and order diagnostic procedures on the computer.. of course.. because none of the hospitals we were training in had any sort of computer system set up, it was basically a four month course in pretending. we couldn't actually simulate situations, seeing as none of our professors had any idea what it might be like TO chart on a computer.. or order tests.. basically it was a typing class.. complete with expensive text book and boring compulsory labs. yes, it was compulsory for me to go sit in front of a computer for 90 minutes, twice a week, PRETENDING to have software that would allow me to order an ultrasound for my patient. fun fun fun...

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2000

Erm, that bit with the professor having you do the scavenger hunt in her apartment sounds REALLY weird. I would have been extremely creeped out by it, and would have possibly reported it to some higher-up.

I hate when people in positions of authority are obviously whacked in the head.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2000