What makes a good professor? Is it a deep-rooted passion for the subject? Is it their teaching method? The way they attract, and most importantly retain the attention of the class? Or is it a combination of multiple traits? Truth is, everyone learns in different ways, and just as we are all stimulated in different ways, we will all have different answers to this question. Nonetheless, I think we could all agree on a few qualities and characteristics necessary to make a good professor.
Passion/Love for the subject.
Passion is the invisible force that drives one’s dedication towards something. Without being passionate about something, one could never endure it long enough to teach it. Bottom line, nothing is worse than a teacher that has absolutely no interest in what they’re teaching. The kind that simply reads slide after slide in the same monotone voice then wonders “Hmm, why are my students performing so poorly?” Passion and dedication for the subject enables teachers to display the beauty and intellect that surrounds the subject and by doing so they engage their students in a way that facilitates the exchange of information. This can turn a boring classroom or dull lecture into one that students look forward to attending and learning more about every week. Without being passionate about the subject, professor’s will find it difficult to help their students retain the lessons. Which is highly unfortunate for the people who have paid in both money and time to try and understand these subjects.
Teaching method/ Classroom engagement
While it’s up to students whether they pay attention or not in class, the way lessons are presented always affects classroom engagement. This has a direct impact on how much material is absorbed by students. While some professors use the common phrase “you are here to learn, not to have fun”, learning under a fun environment constitutes a plus for both the teacher as well the students.
Ultimately, it is not what you teach, it’s how you teach it.
That being said, there are various names that continuously pop up when inquiring about the best teachers in Brandon University. These names are, but certainly not limited to the following:
Names Department
Dr. Baker Political Science
Mrs. Paola Di Muro Mathematics and Computer Science
Dr. Balfour Spence ADES
Mr. James Forsythe DRAMA
Mrs. Zehtab-Jadid ECONOMICS