Worst Professor

Submitted by michigandadof4 on

Keeping with the education theme. Who was your worst professor? For me, it was Bernard Nadel (a/k/a professor noodle). He single handedly convinced myself and about 20 others in his computer science class to change majors.

I think he was drummed out after only a couple of years.

MaizeNBlue

February 8th, 2010 at 10:22 PM ^

C'mon now...you get used to the accent after awhile. If you've ever talked to her, she's a really sweet lady and I can't really think of anyone nicer I've had. I feel bad because she teaches a subject that few people like. Feels awful when everyone walks out on her seven minutes before class ends when she tries so hard to keep them there and goes out of her comfort zone by trying to make jokes.

bryemye

February 8th, 2010 at 10:38 PM ^

If you mean for Economics 401, that man was a stud for that class. One of perhaps 3 legit classes in the major. I learned a hell of a lot.

If you think he perhaps wasn't the nicest guy in the world, as I understand it he lost his wife while she was tragically young and he's raising a severely mentally handicapped child, so his world view might be a bit affected.

Togaroga

February 8th, 2010 at 11:10 PM ^

Easily the worst lecturer that I encountered during my entire education. I felt like I was teaching myself economics, and thank goodness for study groups. I actually think the material in that class was not terrible, but that guy ruined economics for me.

LaurenNolan

November 4th, 2010 at 12:45 AM ^

Yes I think I started in his class and then ended up taking 401 with Paula Malone.  She was incredible.  I had fun taking her exams.  They were like mini puzzles.  

The 1st week of school I used to sit in on almost all of the Econ classes and survey the professors and figure out what classes would have more math and less reading.  

chunkums

February 8th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^

1. Thomas Toon with History of the English Language. I don't know what I learned in that class. He just rambled.

2. Troutman for Indian History was very informative, but I challenge anyone to have a boring-off with him. They will be destroyed-- even Tressel.

ats

February 8th, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^

I had Fred for 423 - Semiconductor Physics Lab aka Fab Lab. One of my favorite professors. Easy guy to talk to, always available if you had a question. Then again, it was a course with only ~20 people in it and one of the most expensive courses in the whole entirety on UM. The estimated cost per student at the time was like 80k for the semester!

jmblue

February 8th, 2010 at 10:24 PM ^

I don't remember her name, but whoever teaches History of Photography is just brutal. I thought the class would be really interesting. It was absolutely soul-crushing in its boredom - and attendance was mandatory (and this on North Campus, to boot).

greatness

February 8th, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^

There is a guy teaching it now, on central campus. They say mandatory attendance, but they don't take attendance so it doesn't matter. Still soul-crushing however. Really a downer for a person looking for an interesting perspective in a humanities class. Memorized ~150 photographs (title of photograph, photographer(s) names, year taken) for both exams, and it was only 10% of your exam grade. Really not a good setup for an intro level class in this random internet guy's opinion.

ats

February 8th, 2010 at 10:57 PM ^

Mudge isn't anywhere close to a good professor in a course setting, however he was one of the best professors there was one on one and in small groups.

Yale Patt was exactly the opposite from my experience. Literally the best teacher I've ever seen in a class room setting but not that great one on one and in small groups.

Was always interesting as during my period of UM, there was always seemed to be this covert battle of egos between them.

ertai

February 8th, 2010 at 11:19 PM ^

Yale Patt is at the University of Texas now, which is where I'm doing my PhD. I'm taking a class from him this semester. He's definitely a good lecturer, although he rambles a lot and digresses very often. Personally I consider this a plus rather than a minus, since I've already taken the equivalent of this course at Michigan. I think that the main issue with him is that he is pretty intimidating and not afraid to argue with you or call you out on your bullshit, but if you can get past that then he's pretty good in that area too.

UMWest22

February 8th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^

Miles Kimball for Econ 102. I was going to major in econ, then I took that class. the first time he'd ever taught a 100 level class, going from 400 level, and he apparently thought he was still teaching grad students and seniors. He was awful. Completely out of it, and didn't teach or look at exams. Nothing he lectured on was on the exam. A genius, but out of it. Wore the same thing every day, I'm pretty sure.

HermosaBlue

February 9th, 2010 at 2:47 AM ^

Zimmerman was painful.

I thought Paul Huth, who taught PoliSci 472 / International Security Affairs after Raymond Tanter, was excruciatingly awful. Not that he didn't know his stuff, but he spoke slightly slower than tectonic plates move, and was more repetitive than a badly written sitcom.

BlueintheLou

February 8th, 2010 at 10:42 PM ^

She is one of the "most distinguished" researchers at the University, as she was part of the IPCC that won the Nobel Prize for Climate Change work. She baffled me with her lack of knowledge of the subject. She didn't know my name the day before the final in a class of 11. She constantly had grad students in her class correcting her lecture materials. It was just mindboggling how little she understood and how unprepared she was.

zohizzle101

February 8th, 2010 at 10:52 PM ^

Smart professor who knows his material but the projects were so poorly planned that I wouldn't start until two night before because the spec would always change

Raback Omaba

February 8th, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^

First of all, great thread. Absolutely great. I hated, with a passion, Octavious Michoud of ECON 406. By far the worst teacher I've ever had....didn't quite get his sense of humor and his overall gayness was too much to be around.

He gets an F in my book.

bronxblue

February 8th, 2010 at 10:53 PM ^

I forget his name now, but he taught an advanced statistics and probability course in the math department. Had an office in the Frieze building, and had one of the worst "whistling" problems I have ever heard. It took me 2 class periods he was even saying "derivate." He also got mad at you if you came to office hours.

gpsimms not to…

February 9th, 2010 at 8:43 AM ^

i was in her class for honors chem 130...i think it was the first semester of class's existence, and amy's first semester on the job, and my first semester in college.

maybe it wasn't her fault the curriculum was stupid....but either way that was the worst class ever.

Hard Gay

February 8th, 2010 at 11:10 PM ^

Most of my terrible professors were in Intro level courses

Diane Owen Hughes-History 110: Worst public speaker ever.

Chad Hogan-Econ 101: Spent at least 6 lectures introducing the production possibilities frontier.

Benjamin Howard- Math 215: Terrible, just terrible.