Spoiler Alert: He yodels like Jewel at a folk fest
Professor Rob Busch: University At Buffalo – MathematicsGrading scale based on Kung Fu belt model
View Professor Profile Your CommentsProfessor Rob Busch: University At Buffalo – MathematicsGrading scale based on Kung Fu belt model
View Professor Profile Your Comments
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
What? You expect your students to work for their grade? You should never be allowed to teach again!
It is now out of the way, you bad students eternally whining on this site can go do something constructive, like study.
Not sure about the yodeling thing, but I had a math professor who sang in class, graded our notes, counted us absent if we were 1+ minutes late(3 absences and he drop you), and yelled at us for looking at the clock, but he was the best teacher I ever had.
Being graded on just 4 tests gives me the chills, but I psyche myself out on at least one math test, every time. It is as predictable as the sunrise. For some reason, it is always 4 tests per term. 3 tests > 95 and 1 75<=x<=85, for some reason it is almost always test 3. At least my teachers counted homework and special projects which would save me from that 1 black mark.
I will give him props for not dropping the lowest test grade, AKA grade inflation.
Math teachers are just plain weird! I expected my engineering and computer science teachers to win the weirdest teacher awards, but I can’t in good conscience give it to them.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
This guy looks baller…and I don’t understand the complaint about being graded off of 4 tests. My physics lecture and calculus class are both that way, and how else would you want to be graded in math? My physics teacher drops the lowest test (even if it’s the final), but as for math, the only way one gets dropped is if you have 3 A’s and the 4th is a D or worse, and you have to prove it was a fluke by getting nearly all of the questions correct on the final that pertained to the failed test, as well as retake a similar test and ace it.
Bottom line, it’s college..deal with it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
This guy seems normal compared to my college algebra teacher. Now the people who left negative comments for Busch would HATE the guy I had for math! Math teachers are usually the strangest around, but I’d had some normal ones too so I wouldn’t dare generalize.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Ok I can speak from experience, this guy sucks. First day of class he makes it seem like he hands out A’s and even says he got in trouble for doing so by the administration. His tests are ridiculous and unlike class examples. He is not accepting to questions for help. He wears sweaters form the 80’s, even has some of the old bills logo, probably authentic to the time. Is a TERRIBLE teacher and the Rate my Professor file on him is very misleading.
Overall Rating : Would rather learn math from a Watermelon.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
hahaha Yea I had him to. Don’t be fooled by his jokes he is a terrible teacher. I will admit you will have a fun time in class but you will miss the concepts altogether. If you want to do good in this class you will be on your own reading the book chapter after chapter.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:15 am
What does his sweaters or Bills logo have to do with anything?
October 30th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
For people who were born ca. 1987, the 80s signifies pre-history. This professor is evidently a man who’s not up-to-date. He should be wearing Abercrombie, if he wants to be a good teacher. Indeed, if you want to teach well, you have to be a “hep cat,” according to this student. Keep up with the times. This might mean a few Sean Jean sweaters and your crotch hanging about mid-thigh. It might mean a Phillies cap or the new Favre jersey.
I would suggest that John Doe go to a university where all the teachers are under 22-years-of-age. Hey, I just had an idea: John Doe can probably go to his school’s peer tutoring program for his instruction where he can be taught by instructors who have a contemporary sense of style, since they’re all young, without BAs.
On second thought, John probably spends much of his time there as it is.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Dude. It’s undergrad mathematics. Grade inflation shouldn’t be a problem. Now grad school math on the other hand …
November 20th, 2008 at 4:03 am
Why should we care if people who aren’t qualified are graduating.
Silly me.
November 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Students shouldn’t be GIVEN grades; they should EARN them.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
The truth is most students think they are above average intelligence and do above average work. Why do they think that? Because in High School thier teachers gave out A’s to everyone who worked hard, and B’s to everyone else. Grade inflation is a real problem. An AVERAGE student should recieve a ‘C’ grade. Better than average students should recieve a ‘B’ grade. An ‘A’ grade should be reserved for excellent work. (i.e. top 5-10% of anyone taking that specific subject). So, in a class of 50 students, there should be about 5 A’s, 10 B’s, 20 C’s, 10 D’s, and 5 F’s. That is, assuming everyone finishes the class with all work completed.
With that said, I must also say that because of grade inflation, it is harder than it should be to get a job with a GPA of 2.5 or 3.0. It is a deeply rooted problem, that has been (unfortunately) reinforced by our educational system. The ’system’ has been trying to put everyone on a level playing field, but instead of bringing everyone up to par, they lower the standard. In most general education courses in many universities, someone who does slightly lower than average work at the beginning of the semester (and should deserve around a 70 for that work) and ‘improves’ to slightly better than average work tward the end of a semester (and should deserve around an 80 for that work) tends to get an A for the course if they ‘didn’t miss’ and ‘tried hard’ since they improved. However thier grade should be a C!
I don’t know how to fix everything, but I think a good start would be to give students the grades they deserve (because of their knoledge of the subject, not their effort) and let the rest pan out as it will.
December 1st, 2008 at 6:24 pm
The Lake Wobegon Effect: “All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”
December 7th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
People with a 2.5 GPA should have trouble finding work in their field.
With the grade inflation that takes place, someone who graduates with a 2.5 will understand very, very little about their chosen major.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I have worked for almost 30 years in higher-paid tech jobs, and guess how many of the half-dozen of my employers asked about my pathetic little undergraduate GPA? That’s right, NONE, as in not even one. The only question I got was: “Do you have a college degree or not?” I then say “Yes,” and the next question usually is: “What do you see yourself doing here five years from now?” Unless one is seeking an academic job, GPA is not at all important.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
It’s odd that the question of whether students actually know the material and have the capacity to use it effectively hasn’t come up. Self-esteem, getting a job, social acceptance, institutional habits all seem to be the main concern. But if an engineer is building a bridge I’m driving over, or a teacher is teaching my kids, or a doctor is taking out my spleen I sure the heck want them to know their stuff–and not just 60% of it!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:13 am
I like this guy and I would try him too….
August 17th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
trent must have had a pretty low gpa. Bragging rights matter the most, in the class and on the field.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I totally agree. I see it in my college too. People just there for the grade not the knowledge. If employers ever start hiring again they should be very concerned. I know I am.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
That's a very sad comment. I care about my GPA and I bust my butt to have a very high one. I'm almost finished with my most recent degree and I see a many students that think like you. I have also had my own company for many years and I would never hire a person that could not do the job as expected per their so called education certificate. Moreover, its not so much the number of your GPA its the kowledge it represents. Low GPA = low knowledge !
November 11th, 2009 at 3:02 am
he looks like a crazy prof!