Stanford Professors React to Mean Course Reviews

Mark Duggan, Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and, Alexander Nemerov, Chair of the Art and Art History Department react to some reviews of their courses ECON 1: Principle of Economics and ARTHIST1B: Introduction to the Visual Arts, respectively.
Let us know what professors we should reach out to next!
Special Thanks: Mark Duggan, Alexander Nemerov
Producers: Andy Huynh, Lana Tleimat, Sonja Hansen, Patrick Monreal
Editors: Ellie Wong, Andy Huynh
Music: "Take Me Down to the Fashion Show" by NoMBe
This is the pilot episode for The Stanford Daily's NEW show Mean Course Reviews. Inspired by Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets, various Stanford professors and lecturers react and respond to rude, funny, and just wacky reviews of their courses.
Check out future episodes here: • Playlist
The Stanford Daily: www.stanforddaily.com
KZbin: / @stanforddaily
Facebook: / stanforddaily
Instagram: / stanforddaily
Twitter: / stanforddaily

[@e.2862]

"This person astutely offers criticism of the kind that ring in my own head, undered by my own soul after every single lecture" think I understand the Tumblr review

[@DreamingWithEyesWide]

He was being sarcastic and playing off of the comment

[@cupidok2768]

This was 1 yr ago. Were there restrictions in Stanford

[@burrybondz225]

Uttered*

[@darthnihilus2729]

@@burrybondz225Yes, I think they got the point from the comment that was made 8 months before yours lmao.

[@talhasalahuddin9909]

*uttered@@darthnihilus2729

[@kirstendenney6129]

I really love the fact that the one professor took the comments as constructive criticism

[@KimberlyLetsGo]

Agree. For these professors to discount their reviews shows how unable they are to grow and how staunch they are in their own tribble. Ask anyone who has taken college courses and you'll find professors just like these. These are not 'mean' reviews. It's the responses to the reviews that are elitist and sometimes condescending. And, this comes from a woman that has been married to a university professor for over 20 years. He also has been awarded the instructor of the year award in our state. Even though he has taught for over 55 years, he has never received a negative review from students. Educating is his life and not a chore.

[@minymaker]

So cool to see that Stanford only has two professors

[@Thomas-yl8lb]

😏

[@herobrine1847]

so THAT’s where all the inflated tuition prices are siphoned towards 🤬🤬🤬!!!!!1111!!!111!

[@suus1027]

“I don’t know what Tumblr is but I will now check it out.” What has he done

[@kbunzzzz]

That professor will be scarred for the rest of his life.

[@arianbehnami1050]

Both of them seem like genuinely nice people.

[@JustMe-ob3nw]

No they don’t. The Nemerov guy almost made me 🤢

[@ilovedogsilovethem]

@@JustMe-ob3nw I've taken a class with Nemerov before. He's not too bad, I think it's just his dry humor that can come off as arrogant to people

[@Olivier1]

At 3:56, the student says "Be prepared to be tested on material you have never seen or read". Professor responds "I should put that in the syllabus". This is so sad, but I can't stop laughing. Imagine having a syllabus like that! 😂😂😂

[@EvoDevo2004]

I have heard this a few times, some of them in person in my office. Then I open the PowerPoint and show them exactly where I talked about said topics.🤣

[@starryskies9655]

“Maybe don’t” is the funniest review I’ve found yet

[@johnperry5522]

When I was a professor, I got one that said "he's worse than crazy, he's evil". I was actually impressed, until I realized that this was plagiarized from "Apocalypse Now".

[@cutthetvcord8933]

The greatest thing a lecturer can pass on to a student is confidence in their ability to learn complex topics. Once a student learns to find the confidence within themselves, then learning information becomes engaging, easier, and enlightening.

[@annabethyeung8512]

Absolutely.

[@burrybondz225]

Three e's

[@thepracticinggardenerwilli4072]

I studied Old Testament with a boring, monotoned, almost deaf professor who spoke so softly that he was barely audible- and people dropped his class after the first lecture. I stayed because his lectures were absolutely fascinating, he challenged everything I believed to be true and, of all the professors with which I studied, he was the most influential in my life. I wonder how the professors would evaluate the students.

[@ThrowAway-gu2lw]

It is literally a professor's job to evaluate their students

[@stephensheppard]

I loved this! As a professor of economics, who is interested in art history, I found this combination really delightful. It is a great compliment to be told that you are "such a dad". I can only hope that I get that comment before I retire.

[@spoopyscaryskelebones3846]

You are such a dad Mr Sheppard, that is a comment of all time.

[@sirich7751]

These are mean reviews? Back in engineering school an entire Mechanical Engineering class went to the department head because the exams resembled nothing taught and nothing from the text. We won, future test were based on examples similar to the text. Professors, in my opinion, wield way too much power and some are vindictive. Most are fine to excellent. Had a calc professor and we were his first class ever taught. He was nervous, sweating and spoke with a heavy chinese accent. Yet, he took the time to review your homework and correct where you went wrong...for a class of ~40-50 students. Always went back over material if NEEDED. Professor Pun, I still remember you 30+ years later.

[@aap9490]

Usually asians are brought up in a society where they are always told to please people or things told to be perfect or things like, "what will people say". That's why when they try to do something that involves other people they always try to please them and goes extra for that. But again there are exceptions but in general sense that's a truth.

[@Seeker0fTruth]

Sounds like a professor my husband had while at the Merchant Marine Academy. Where was this?

[@sirich7751]

@@Seeker0fTruth Polytechnic University in Brooklyn (Now NYU poly) many moons ago.......late 80"s early 90's

[@anamorenovandiver8737]

We need a series.

[@EverythingCarter]

Gosh, I forget teachers can get hurt feelings too... I felt bad a little...

[@strawberrymilk607]

Teachers are people too, I think students forget that sometimes.

[@AlFredo-sx2yy]

@@strawberrymilk607 students are people too, i think teachers forget that sometimes.

[@strawberrymilk607]

@@AlFredo-sx2yy Definitely, it feels that way especially when a bunch of teachers give you lots of projects/busywork/assignments at once.

[@mathematix-rodcast]

Most professors love their subject matter and consequently love spreading their passion to their students. We really do care about our students. I know soany of my students are well aware of this.

[@AbbasiOfficial]

These guys are genuinely nice and are experts in their field and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with their students. Criticism is a normal part of any profession, but it is important to remember that our professors are human and make mistakes like anyone else. They should be given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and continue to provide valuable education to the next generation of leaders.

[@demichael5815]

I am not a professor, but I have taught at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Though I can't speak for all teachers, I would be as bold to say that at least 80% of teachers care greatly about their students. I know that I certainly value and respect my students. When a student gives me a Christmas card with a nice message or just acknowledges the work I do to help them at all, it makes my day. Tell teachers you like that you enjoy their class. They will certainly appreciate it.

[@Mystery_Biscuits]

3:48 “Purely tangential. No straight lines at all.” As a mathematician, that hurt a little inside.

[@eaglerider1826]

How are these mean comments ? All of them sounded like honest reviews .

[@nanmorey8724]

At one point in my career it was my job to hire college instructors and review student evaluations. I always looked at the students grades before I took their comments about the class/instructor seriously. 90% of the time the biggest complainers were failing the class because they hadn't attended or completed the required work.

[@EvoDevo2004]

The only students that complete evals and make comments either loved the class or hated it (usually because they were failing).

[@prumchhangsreng979]

I used to think the same, but that might not necessarily be a good idea. Because how much students attend and pay attention in class is partly reflected in the ability of the professor itself. Some professors manage to make boring classes interesting and keep the students hooked till the end of the semester, whereas some professor make simple topics into complex one; thus, students start to suffer or give up. So it's true that they aren't the brightest students, but the fact that they become lazy and want to skip class might be an indication of how good a professor is themselves.

[@inglestherightway]

oh I just loved it! Such fun! The teachers are clearly amazing and their reactions are irreverent and priceless! I am now left with wanting to take their classes myself!

[@wenwu-xu]

Ouch.... that's why I never dare to check my reviews... These two professors are absolutely brave to do so...

[@texasflood1295]

As a faculty member, I would like to provide some advice for students as they write their reviews. 1. Be creative. I don’t mind a negative comment if you put some effort into it. 2. Be specific. Comments such as “This course sucks!” Lets me know you didn’t like the course but I would rather you write “The course sucks because……!” 3. Be skilled. Comments with multiple spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors are harder to take seriously.

[@VKat]

So nice to include some positive reviews as well!

[@magicmanticore3536]

Duggan seems like the type of Prof I’d love.

[@umniyahirfan5026]

please they are literally two different personalities

[@marysketch4772]

Really great. Both really appealing likable guys. Funny.

[@TeamTimeRiders]

When I got accepted to the school of my dreams, I asked Stanford to withdraw my application. They immediately sent me a rejection instead.

[@LanaRioss]

Not the "hommie" 😭😭😭😭😭

[@equesfuscus]

These two had a lot of humility to read these out and react to them on KZbin. If anything, it suggests we should take at least some of this criticism with a grain of salt.

[@KerryJ]

That was brave and gutsy of both of them. RESPECT.

[@blue_sugar_falls]

Yeah but it's weird to see some people are so invested in their own things like they have this tunnel vision, systematic ladder climbing or whatever they're unaware of the world around them, no matter how loud it gets.

[@KevinMDowney]

Good reactions by both of them.

[@yossarianmnichols9641]

You gotta have a sense of humor to teach this generation.

[@WiekingderViking]

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Teaching must be PLANFUL!

[@mikatu]

sure mate, very planfull!!!

[@raylenemacdonald2417]

While I do not relish th negative reviews these to professors have gotten, it puts into some perspective the negative reviews I endured when teaching at a much smaller and less prestigious institute of higher learning. There is a huge difference between entering a critical dialogue and degenerating into criticism. It sure can erode your confidence and be quite hurtful.

[@mrvk39]

if you are an adult, you should be able to handle criticism. It doesn't even have to be constructive.

[@Readraid_]

'I dont know what tumblr is but ill now check it out' OH GOD

[@margo3367]

I like Nemerov. He kinda reminds of Eeyore.

[@momoniem]

STANFORD IS THE BEST, I stumbled upon this when I was looking at Stanford tours lol. Fingers crossed for 2021 REA

[@nephtys369]

How’d it go?

[@momoniem]

@@nephtys369 haha, rejected

[@bingwen469]

@@momoniem Don't worry, Stanford isn't all that good as you think. Just get through college and get a good paying career.

[@momoniem]

@@bingwen469 Thank you! I have since gotten rejected anyway and now go to UMD.

[@sitrakaforler8696]

Hahaha I would love to watch if for my school in Marseille hahah

[@kekceo3942]

A teacher is supposed to make it as easy as possible for students to learn hard things, people pay a lot of money for collage, the teachers work for the students not the other way around.

[@svharken6907]

I like capitalism... elite soul searching... stanford

[@noam65]

I don't find most of these quotes to be particularly mean. I do find them as having the feel of honest feedback. Sometimes honesty can hurt.

[@rjfontenotiii]

I think that many people find the intro to economics classes difficult because it often challenges their political philosophy causing them to reject the information they are learning.

[@mrvk39]

it used to be the reason to go to college -to open your mind, to learn and to give up on your ignorant ideas and preconceived notions. But, now the reverse is true. Open minds are discouraged in favor of group-think, dogmas are worshiped like how capitalism "is bad", and ignorance is applauded as "being yourself".

[@mikatu]

not sure what you learn in economics, but I never had politics taught in my classes. formulas, laws of the markets, formulas, more market stuff.... never politics because it has nothing to do with economy. even in comunism the same laws apply in regards to supply and demand, they simply chose to ignore them and subvert them, but the laws remain the same no matter the system you believe in. the only politic we can admit in economics is between the Austrian school and Keynesian.

[@danielplainview2584]

Belief perseverance/backfire effect.

[@rjfontenotiii]

@@mikatu You could say that economics is the math behind political ideas. When the math doesn't add up anymore, some people will reject the math instead of the idea.

[@moonman239]

Me if I were a new professor: "So, I'm new to teaching, just to get it out there. In that spirit, I encourage you to do a little reading on the course materials before class and then hopefully what I teach will make sense to you. Also, the entire class material was copied from Dr. XYZ's course, so if my office hours don't work or I still don't make sense after you visit me in my office, Dr. XYZ has office hours in room number 123."

[@Luis-xr6ec]

There are good professors and awful ones. I have had the experience of encountering both.

[@percabethforever4483]

I only had one prof in my two years of college so far that I didn’t like. Her lectures were not great, she constantly got off topic and never really answered questions. She actually told us to ask our peers instead of her. I ended up getting a pretty good mark in that class tho so it wasn’t a big deal

[@jessstuart7495]

Be prepared to be tested over material you have neither studied or seen. Welcome to the real world.

[@williammarinelli2363]

I was an instructor in the Navy. Students turned in evaluation forms at the end of the course. So I told them, "Please be nice with these evaluations because they can really hurt me. If you roll the paper into a cone, and jab the point into my eye, it would hurt."

[@Say_Tin]

The Stanford Occasionally

[@MubashirullahD]

I was hoping for "who? never met him"

[@TinyGiraffes]

Review: Englsh techair do goodteching

[@arunrajiitbaero]

in teaching, your intelligence play only 20-30% role. if you want to be a great teacher; embrace your students, love them, motivate them, crack some jokes with them and allow them to feel free and comfortable with you.. by being strict, we are not going to achieve anything in the class..

[@general.disdain]

So cute I love them

[@plekkchand]

These are students at an elite university, are they?

[@faithlesshound5621]

They're rich kids, so they expect all their professors to lead them to A grades.

[@mrvk39]

@@faithlesshound5621 61% of Stanford undergraduates qualify for financial aid, so majority are NOT rich kids.

[@davereese6614]

And these are Stanford students...

[@spuriousjohn6720]

Why bother with such an exercise? Go with Emerson: “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.”

[@mnm1273]

Because their job is to teach students.

[@nononouh]

2

[@enlisty]

These professors are cute!

[@michaeldeloatch7461]

Stupid YT algorithms! Yesterday it suggested something to me that made me laugh so hard I got an asthma attack and today my diaphragm muscle hurts. So today _this_ pops up and every time these guys wryly feign being wounded I get this painful chuckle. Make it stop!!!

[@kentiy6641]

CS103 is not that bad actually...

[@lisahyyppa3360]

2 Timothy 2:3-7 King James Version 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. 7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

[@malcolmthompson9848]

As a retired history professor, I can assure you that students are the least suited persons to critique the quality of courses or the competency of professors. If they were they wouldn't be students... they would be professors.

[@moonman239]

A lot of times, I would agree, but sometimes you hear things in class that appear to be factually incorrect. It never happened to me, insofar as I know, but it happens.

[@mnm1273]

When your teaching success is measured by the ability to communicate the information and methodologies to all students who are listening. They're exactly the people who can judge of how well the job is done.

[@take9781]

いいじゃん！

[@michaeltrower741]

These comments come from Stanford students??? Embarrassing. (btw: love the POTA gorilla behind Nemerov).

[@williamcleland]

There is a Latin saying: "They damn because THEY don't understand." (Damnant quod non intellegunt.) Something to think about when students complain. Also, the quality of grammar and the wording speaks for itself. Elitist? No, just doing what educators do: impart knowledge.

[@mnm1273]

Teachers who throw around phrases like that are usually quite bad at their job. Must be due to insecurities or something.

[@aryanthakur9995]

never as good as i think it'll be...

[@user-bx4ti6ig3i]

These kids forget that they're there to learn, not make buddy buddy with the professors.

[@Sktlmn]

That is such an incredibly closed minded way to look at it. The two are not mutually exclusive.

[@xtradelite903]

All the comments should’ve started with the professors’ first names. ✌️

[@HulaLuau]

STEM professors: criticism is valued and taken into account. Humanities/pseudostudies: this tarnishes the ego of the petty and pretentious.

[@93hothead]

Why can't lecturers just teach straight forward, instead of always going huge circles on a topic

[@93hothead]

@@thephilosophyguychannel that is true. profs should really take feedback seriously. But most of them will just give the typical insult to a student, that they never work hard enough.

[@marcevanstein]

Well, you see, teaching is a complex and nuanced endeavor. It's not just about imparting information, but also about fostering critical thinking and independent learning in students. By taking a more circuitous approach, lecturers are able to explore the subject matter from multiple angles, encouraging students to engage with the material in a deeper and more meaningful way. Additionally, by not simply spoon-feeding the information to students, lecturers are able to challenge students to think for themselves and to develop the skills necessary to continue learning on their own long after the class is over. Furthermore, not all students learn in the same way, and a more circuitous approach allows for multiple entry points for students with different learning styles. For example, a visual learner might benefit from a lecturer's use of diagrams and illustrations, while an auditory learner might benefit from the lecturer's use of examples and anecdotes. By taking a more roundabout approach, lecturers are able to cater to a wider variety of learning styles, which can ultimately lead to better engagement and retention of the material. Of course, this is not to say that all lecturers should always take a circuitous approach, and there are certainly instances where a more direct approach is more appropriate. However, in general, taking a more roundabout approach can lead to a more engaging and effective learning experience for students. Also, let's not forget that subject matter might be complex and has multiple ways to approach it, and a straight forward approach might not do justice to the depth of the topic and the students might miss out on important aspects of the subject. All in all, it's important to remember that teaching is an art and a science, and effective lecturers are constantly experimenting with different approaches and techniques to find what works best for their students. While a more direct approach might seem simpler and more efficient, a more circuitous approach can lead to a deeper and more meaningful learning experience for students. Note: This comment was generated by asking ChatGPT to respond to your comment with "an enormously long and rambling tangent"

[@93hothead]

@@marcevanstein and you just answered the question with a bunch of side steps. 10-12 chapters of complex understanding of physics/programming/wafer production/etc.... in a short term of 6 months with 3 or more modules packed together does not allow for any roundabout approach for thinking at all. Infact there is not enough time to learn anything or think of anything at all. Being direct and teaching the students is not spoonfeeding too, as a teacher you teach and impart the knowledge of how you manage to understand the topic you are teaching, allowing the students to branch out from your module if they are interested, not to force someone to go through whatever hard love you went through just because that student has to somehow earn that all over again.

[@marcevanstein]

@@93hothead You should probably read the last paragraph of what I wrote. Apologies for being kind of a tool 🙂

[@scarbo2229]

Because the goal is modeling how to think, not presenting simple answers to complex problems.

[@bcx1138]

these guys are probably my age or younger and they make themselves seem severely out of touch with the world by not knowing what tumblr is and not knowing the word hommie. ffs! the visual arts professor isn't bad looking which made me think that if i went on a date w/ a guy who was unaware of the above cultural references i'd be heading for the door in my mind (not IRL i'm not that rude)(in person at least haha). i wouldn't even friend-zone him. who wants to be friends w/ someone that out of touch? sorry. if it makes u feel better i both respect and envy that you have the energy to teach. i tried it once (it was during the 1st internet collapse at an art school in nyc when interwebs jobs temporarily dried up). it was EXHAUSTING talking nearly non-stop for 2 or 3 hours at a time keeping a bunch of young ppl engaged. and the amount of time spent prepping, helping that one kid outside of class who needs help, giving useful feedback on projects so they learn something, etc. teachers do not get paid enough for what they do! so, thank you.

[@elliebellie7816]

He's probably not the least bit interested in friend-zoning you OR taking you out on a date, so, NO PROBLEM.

[@geetatripathi2454]

Students giving feedback on instructor its too disrespectful. Its unfortunate these feedbacks talks about students

[@0scJohnson0]

Ew they are right about arthist professor; elitist but no value gained

[@iriswoodhead6132]

What a shame your Michelle daubery let the university down

[@faithlesshound5621]

Michele Dauber, the activist against sexual assault?

[@marky1974]

A lot of college degrees are money making rackets..

[@osomartinez]

didn’t expect anything other than cry baby whining from stanfurd students

[@hughmacdonald3595]

Lol. Skip. Why anyone on God's green earth would care about anything at Stanford is beyond me."Mean course reviews"? Oh, my....

[@dta255]

You guys are out of ideas.