Warning: Rude words contained within.
 
ELEC170 has done it again. 9 hours to go before the first ELEC170 class of the week, and AGAIN they have not posted the tutorial worksheet up again. This has triggered a rant that has been a long time coming. After a 2 week break, I'm frustrated by my first class before I have even started it. I apologise for any rude words. I apologise for nothing else.
 
COMP115 has done a really great job at posting weekly tasks up days, sometimes even a week before the first class is set to undertake them. What gets my goat is that students have openly stated on the official discussion boards that they are unhappy that there is not enough time to get the worksheets, read over them and read over the lecture notes and the text book in advance.
 
COMP115: You're doing a great job at providing an awesome teaching environment. You give students time to work through problems and to research problems in advance if they don't understand concepts.
 
ELEC170: Tutors, c'mon pull your fucking socks up. I'm paying $1800 a semester, and I seem to cop what feels like abuse from the tutors, amongst a micromanaged environment. If I wanted to pay for abuse, I'd get it for $5 at Martin Place. Furthermore, tutorials are treated like an open book exam: We have 3 hours to complete each worksheet and if we don't, it's noted in your notebook that we did not complete the objectives. If your objective is to fail people right now, then you should look at a career change as the role of anyone in teaching is to impart knowledge. To inspire confidence in one's ability to learn. The only thing I get out of your 3 hour tutorials is a desire to drop the unit and a decent bout of cynicism for the next two days. I have left classes upset - borderline tears but I fought them back. I have left classes wondering why we got the lowest common denominator of tutors: is it because MQ is only willing to pay bottom dollar, and these are people that couldn't get work in the real world?
 
Here's an itemized list of what I don't like about the ELEC170 tutorials:

1. The tutors ALWAYS need to have the solution sheet open when looking at a problem. This does not inspire confidence, these are people who are supposedly able to handle engineering tasks at a professional level, but need to be handheld the whole way through the lesson.
2. If you run into an issue solving a problem, they do not look at where you went wrong. They don't even examine your working, they only start writing the solution as their solution sheet is written, usually from the solution sheet.
3. When presented with the task of writing a LaTeX document, they do not seem to understand that you can use editors other than WinEdt given that LaTeX is plain ASCII. Being locked into using only one editor is kind of like getting training (and consequently an MCP) in Windows Administration. It shows you can use Windows to Administer a network, but it does not show you understand the concepts of administration. Being forced to use WinEdt is like being forced to speak only a French Polynesian version of French. It's not the same thing as learning the language.
4. Tutorial worksheets are only usually available very late the night before, or the same day that the tutorial is on. This means students cannot learn, they suffer from having to answer the questions in what could be described as an open book exam conditions. Pressure is placed to complete the entire task before hand, otherwise we do not receive full grades on the tutorial. The unit guide itself even states "Students are required to attempt to answer the tutorial questions before attending each tutorial session..." But we are then given the chance to print out or take a copy from the front desk copies of the worksheet. The unit guide goes on: "This will help students to complete the sessions within the limited time available by concentrating on difficult parts. Those who complete early will be allowed to leave early but only after their work is checked and notebook is signed by a tutor." so it indicates that the unit was well designed with learning in mind. It's just been implemented poorly. Very fucking poorly.

 
If it weren't for the lectures (which ARE good), then I probably would have changed to USyd and ceased pursuit of a Wireless Engineering degree.
 
There's a lot of annoyance inside me about how ELEC170 tutorials are being run. I have had no formal teaching experience, but I feel that the training sessions I ran at Verint were conducted in a better manner than this.
 
I am a paying customer, but I am NOT getting my money's worth. MQ wants to make it to the top 8 universities in the country; try dropping some better tutors into ELEC170.
 
No other unit am I experiencing dissatisfaction in. COMP115, boredom yes, but I opted to do that. MATH130, difficult, yes but I feel the unit is being delivered effectively. STAT170 - no complaints either.
 
If I could do the questions in my own time in advance to the lessons, and save only the difficult questions for the tutors, as intended, I would not have a problem. I do not find myself unreasonable, but I do find myself contemplating why I even want a career in engineering after almost every tutorial with the tutors. That is exactly what makes a learning environment a bad one.
I apologise for any language that may have offended, but I make no apology for content. MQ: You have spent a lot on a great building, and great marketing to fill it with great minds ready to learn. Please don't stop the greatness at the tutors. Get them to raise their game, or get tutors who want to teach.