Our publisher, Prentice Hall/Pearson, never ceases to amaze us with all the information it collects about our book from 
students and professors alike. One of the fascinating surveys it sent us was what students liked most about the OM class they were taking–and what they liked least. (Hopefully one of the best parts of the course is the book itself!) We had earlier blogged about the former, hoping to provide you with some views as to what students liked most–what was their favorite day in class.
Today, let’s hear what they liked least. Here are just a few comments that pretty well sum up the findings. (The one about the monotone voice appeared over and over again).
“I could not relate the material she presented to anything in the real world.”
“He did not use any videos or Powerpoints–just lectured the whole hour and a half.”
“Too much lecture without involving the class.”
“He didn’t give us any problems to practice with.”
“He stayed monotone.”
“Her slides had mistakes on them.”
“He hadn’t prepared his thoughts very well.”
This all comes to mind today because I just returned from Florida Gulf Coast University where I gave a couple of guest lectures in Prof. Julie Yazici’s OM classes. In the blog where students described what they like most, a repeating comment was the use of guest speakers. I hope the students in Fort Meyers appreciated that their prof found a way to bring me in as her guest.
Videos, class exercises, small group projects, guest speakers, an enthusiastic voice, maybe an OM news article we mention in this blog–all are necessary ingredients to keep the students involved.