To feel really down about this experience in my university seminar?

[sadddd5]

I'm in my first year, around 4 weeks into term. We had a seminar where we had to answer a list of questions about a patient case.

We got to the seminar and the lecturer would pick a person at random to project their answer onto the board at the front, and stand up and verbally explain their answer. It wasn't clear before the seminar that this is what we would be asked to do, I've looked through all the guidance docs and it made no reference to this so we all expected it to be more like a class discussion.

Anyway, I got picked to present my answer to the class and the lecturer and his assistant (a PhD student) slated it and were really negative about it. It was really embarrassing. I had answered the question, but I hadn't linked it to the patient case enough (which wasn't clear that we had to do as it was a vague/general introductory question and I thought wrongly that the introduction should be more general before going into specifics about the patient).

The lecturer has since shared an example answer and it's pretty similar to my answer, and I feel like the negative feedback in front of the class wasn't really warranted, especially given it was our first ever seminar. I can handle constructive feedback but this felt really negative and embarrassing. It's left me feeling really unconfident and like I'm not good enough for the course.

I mean this kindly, but I think you need to grow a thicker skin. Scrutiny and review is part of professional life. I’m qualified 15 years and still take criticism! I am sure other people’s answers will be similarly scrutinized in future - you were just unlucky to be first! Nobody will think any less of you. I promise that everyone in the seminar was just grateful not to be picked.

Your first one! No one expects you to be perfect ! Now you know the score you will prepare the next one as demonstrated and be ready. Don’t let these little setbacks worry you, you are there to learn. Crack on! 😄

They sound a bit inept at teaching - I bet the other students are grateful you got chosen and not them. Anyway, fuck it - you know what they were looking for now, tweak your answer a bit and forget it. If your answer was substantially similar to theirs then you know you are fully able for the course.

There's a way to tell students how their answers can be improved in a really positive way that educates and improves everyone's understanding. And then there's a way to make people feel shit and dent their confidence while making everyone else anxious that they may be the next to be picked apart.

Unfortunately uni lecturers can be absolutely shit teachers - they are not hired for their teaching skills, they're there for their research. I was also taught by a PHD student for a term at uni, they were the worst lecturer I had in 4 years, again zero clue on how to teach. It's quite possible that the lecturer was also showing off in front of their PHD student and on a complete power trip.

Please don't let this twat ruin your confidence. The problem is that he is a poor lecturer not that you're not be good enough for the course. If you find this is a pattern of behaviour then i would speak to others on the course and consider putting in a complaint. Hopefully the lecturer will calm down and do better in future - but don't let this put you off.

I'm sure no other student was sitting and thinking anything other than "that's like my answer..." "I'm glad I wasn't picked." It sounds as if you did just fine, you weren't assessed on it and your answer was just basically a conversation starter. They should have added praise, I'd even praise my students for managing the technology and projecting their answer correctly at this stage.

Did you say anything to fellow students afterwards - didn't they reassure you?

However (and I have done a lot of teaching at a medical school) - if you are a medical student, who has always been top of the class at school, it might be a shock to hear even minor criticism and not to be automatically the best student there. It's possible you might need to shift your perspective a little bit and recognise constructive criticism isn't being slated.

Hello, I'm an acadmic

Agree, there are good and bad ways to give feedback even when the feedback needs to be quite savage. Not saying your answer did need to be savaged by the way. Your lecturer sounds like one of the old school types (usually men) who don't get/believe this and just shoot from the hip.

I also don't think its great to have the first seminar as this kind of structure where individuals have to stand at the front and give their perspectives. I do think there's a place for this (for students to feel under pressure and to feel out of their comfort zone) but the very first time meeting each other isn't the place.

However, if you're healthcare training, I think the situation is a little bit different. You'll be under pressure and be expected to take critique from day one and throughout your career so this type of activity is good. Character building 😅

Contrary to what @itsmyp4rty says, lecturers don't "show off" in front of their PhD students, especially in a teaching situation. And don't bother with a complaint, there's nothing here to actually complain about and it'll do nowhere.

Lecturers these days absolutely are hired partly based on their teaching performance. That wasn't always the case though.

That doesn't sound like a very clear brief especially if the example answer was similar to your own.

Take it on the chin though and don't be embarrassed, just reflect on the subtle areas for improvement and more importantly, how you would have taught students better yourself as a healthcare practitioner as you'll most likely find yourself doing some teaching of some sort.

I wouldn't make a complaint off my own back but if they request feedback at the end of the module then definitely feel free to make the point that this wasnt clear and you felt on the spot.

Perhaps you could talk to your tutor to discuss how you could improve your resilience in regard to feedback

As PP said, lecturers are hired for their research and not for their teaching capabilities. Your teachers previously are hired for how well they teach and therefore (usually) give feedback in a constructive way.

However, the university clearly at some point thought what his research was important enough to be part of your course. I’m sorry that happened to you on your first lecture; that sounds a bit harsh. However, there’s plenty of people like this in the professional world and you just have to grow a thicker skin. You’ll also have to deliver similar kinds of presentations in your future career, I imagine.

Brush it off and if you find yourself in the position again of not being sure what he’s asking, send a quick email to clarify before you attend.

I can appreciate it was horrible at the time, OP, but I think almost everyone who's been at university has had a similar experience.

Don't take it too personally - they're just doing their job! Learn from it and keep your chin up!

LOL

These days, your first statement simply isn't true.

It may well be the case that the OP's lecturer was hired before there was a particular focus on teaching in the hiring process. But lecturers have absolutely been hired partly on the basis of their teaching for at least ten years.

I'm an academic. I sit on academic hiring panels.

I definitely have.

one seminar that is burned into my mind- didn’t do my reading and everything was going over the top of my head minus the general lecture. We had two students giving a presentation on a particular topic from
the reading.

The seminar leader gave us all bits of paper to write a question on a topic to be put into a hat (well it was a waste paper bin) afterwards. This was BEFORE the presentation, but I suppose it was to test the students and catch them off guard, so they couldn’t regurgitate what was already said.

anyway- I drafted a surface level question just so I had something to contribute.

Presentation happened, and of course it got picked- the seminar leader sniggered and rolled her eyes as she read it, egging on the lad giving the presentation to laugh too, which he did. In a ‘oh what a silly question!’ fashion. Others laughed too. It was obvious it was me.

i went bright red and wanted to cry, it was so horrible.

I hadn’t done my reading because I was the only fucking person in the room working nights to study at the bloody place. I had to basically ‘game’ my undergrad degree by granting time to things that I knew would be in the exam/on the coursework.

strangely enough- it didn’t spur me on to work harder in all areas. It just made me feel like absolute shit.

I have OCD and it’s one of my most common intrusive thoughts. I haven’t been able to unfuck it.

Apologies for not specifying in the OP but I've studied an undergraduate and master's degree before having a career change, so it's not my first seminar ever but my first seminar for this degree.

Teaching based on embarrassing your students is never a good strategy. I would refuse to share any further answers.

Great, thanks for the update. My undergrad and postgrad degrees were well over 10 years ago so I wouldn’t know. I was giving my own opinion based on my experience with some lecturers who seemed to enjoy belittling students.