By: Nick Kearley

The numbers don’t lie.

In my last blog I talked about what traits students look for in a professor. I used research articles as well as a first-hand account from a current Montevallo student.

A few main desired traits were compassion, organization, and accessibility outside of class.

For this article, I have conducted a wider survey in which students can submit the characteristics they look for when signing up for courses.

This will allow for more in-depth data to be shown due to a larger group of students being asked their opinions.

This graph represents the most frequent survey answers as far as positive traits. As shown in the previous blog, compassion ranks high, scoring four votes. The other four answers represented received an equal number of votes, sitting at 2 each.

The other responses indicate that it is important for a professor to be prepared and well researched when it comes to the lecture material.

Other traits not represented on the chart include flexibility, punctuality, and availability.

I also asked the students what traits they were least likely to look for when choosing which professor to take courses with. These are some of the results.

The three highest scoring answers are shown here. All three ranked equally with two votes.

Many of the responses received were, unsurprisingly, close to the exact opposite of the most desired traits. Some of these include strict, rude, and unwilling to work with students who are struggling.

There were some more interesting responses however. Examples being too fast when covering material and being slow to grade assignments.

Students were also asked about what they consider to be “red flags”. One answer that stood out was professors who rely on very few assignments to be the entire grade for the course. Excess of homework was another considered to be a warning sign. The final two that appeared the most were limited office hours and no opportunities for extra credit.

When considering what traits are desirable, having the opinion of actual students is important. Students appreciate when professors go the extra mile to show they care about the success of their pupils.

When creating your schedule for the next semester, think back on this data and determine what you personally value most.