Bachelor studies, poor course content/syllabubs

[CLW]

Hello everyone,

I'm studying at a Thai University in an international Programme (all lectures in English)

I'm in the 4th semester and quite bored.

Especially from the courses who had an introduction / 101 course in the previous semester.

How to approach the professor and teaching staff without putting down their way of teaching or "losing face"?

What I tried already:

I asked the head of department, not responsible. I should talk to the course manager. Okay.

Talked to the course manager, she just ignored my request, gave me the course syllabus and if I have some questions I need to talk to each teacher independently.

But in my opinion she's responsible for that as course manager...

To give you an insight what's the current content of the course (Horticulture II):

Tropical fruit in Thailand. We have banana, pineapple, bla bla. And laboratory is drawing fruits and seeds.

Or vegetable, two hours presenting available vegetables in Thailand.

And then drawing again.

By the way the presentations are exactly the same from the previous course. So they're teaching the same thing twice.

Either they assume we're very stupid or easy to forget...

I feel like in primary school.

Please help me!

No practical work at all.

Edited March 15, 2016 by CLW

[SheungWan]

You should immediately drop your current approach of complaining about the quality and content of the course you are currently enrolled on. It will lead nowhere. You have, indeed, the option of withdrawing from the course. There is another strategy you can adopt. Firstly, if the course is as easy as chips you should be able to achieve top grades. With top grades you have an entry ticket to a graduate course. Secondly, there is nothing to stop you, armed with the syllabus to independently select and study more advanced textbooks in parallel with the delivered course. In a school one might expect to be taught, but for an undergraduate course one reads for a degree. You now have the option to do this, rather than sitting back and relying on others to organise things for you. So far you appear to have sat around being bored for a year. No excuse for that. Time to take control and push ahead.

Edited March 16, 2016 by SheungWan

[Briggsy]

I totally agree with Sheung Wan.

Thais and Thai universities are akin to the early years of secondary school in countries with better education systems.

You need to rid yourself of the mentality that the course and the teaching are the only subject matter. They should be just a starting point. You need to do your own reading and gather your own material, immersing yourself in your subject.

The fortunate thing is that you are studying in English so whatever subject you are studying, there is an enormous amount of material out there for you.

[CLW]

Thank your for the discussion.

A few thoughts:

- I stopped already thinking that I can change anything so I take the course as it is, bore myself to death and get an A at the end.

The knowledge a gained will be almost zero.

- Our study plan is completely different from foreign universities. Withdrawal makes no sense because I can't substitute with another course because they don't offer any alternative.

- What do you mean with graduate course? During my bachelor degree or as further studies?

Anyway our faculty and study plan doesn't allow us to take any of these courses.

-Reading and learning by yourself. Sounds good in Theory, but was if you HAVE to attend class and teacher asking multiple choice questions in exam from his presentations?

- In my special case, Agriculture, it's not all about books. You also gain knowledge from experience.

- I pay 65k tuition fees per semester so I could expect a proper course and not just repeating the 101 from the previous semester.

I have studied Civil Engineering in Germany and understand what you're talking about with reading and study by yourself.

But you can't apply this at Thai universities.

BTW, it's not only me thinking like this it's all foreigners and a few clever Thais

Edited March 16, 2016 by CLW

[sunnyjim5]

I wonder who researched and applied to undertake this course ?

If the course does not meet your needs then quit !

Complaining will achieve nothing.

[CLW]

I wonder who researched and applied to undertake this course ?

If the course does not meet your needs then quit !

Complaining will achieve nothing.

Welcome to Thailand!

Of course no one checks the contents and the plausibility of the courses.

That's why they are repetitive and almost deliver zero knowledge

[sunnyjim5]

I wonder who researched and applied to undertake this course ?

If the course does not meet your needs then quit !

Complaining will achieve nothing.

Welcome to Thailand!

Of course no one checks the contents and the plausibility of the courses.

That's why they are repetitive and almost deliver zero knowledge

It was your responsibility to check if the course met your specific needs before you applied.

Why are you doing a Bachelor degree course in Thailand as apposed to your country of origin?

[CLW]

I wonder who researched and applied to undertake this course ?

If the course does not meet your needs then quit !

Complaining will achieve nothing.

Welcome to Thailand!

Of course no one checks the contents and the plausibility of the courses.

That's why they are repetitive and almost deliver zero knowledge

It was your responsibility to check if the course met your specific needs before you applied.

Why are you doing a Bachelor degree course in Thailand as apposed to your country of origin?

On the paper the course outline and contents sound promising.

But what they really teaching is another thing.

I came here because I wanted to study Agriculture related to the Tropics.

So except the US and Australia where the tuition fees are astronomically high there are not many choices left to study in English.

Also the University had a good ranking.

But this represents more the quality of research. So much for rankings.

Well, I don't want to be too negative.

Half of the course are really good so the others just sit in and relax, enjoy A/C and fast WiFi.

[Rhys]

You should immediately drop your current approach of complaining about the quality and content of the course you are currently enrolled on. It will lead nowhere. You have, indeed, the option of withdrawing from the course. There is another strategy you can adopt. Firstly, if the course is as easy as chips you should be able to achieve top grades. With top grades you have an entry ticket to a graduate course. Secondly, there is nothing to stop you, armed with the syllabus to independently select and study more advanced textbooks in parallel with the delivered course. In a school one might expect to be taught, but for an undergraduate course one reads for a degree. You now have the option to do this, rather than sitting back and relying on others to organise things for you. So far you appear to have sat around being bored for a year. No excuse for that. Time to take control and push ahead.

This is really your best option.... I did my MA here.. and one instructor ....did not have the time for us.. gave us every other week off. it was read article, present using power point, write a paper.. She never once asked a question during presentations.. her response, are their any questions, next speaker.

How could we complain when she was the dept head? The content was interesting.. but the lack of engagement was it almost like her attempt at giving back what she most likely experienced in the USA..

We all of course, gave her the lowest marks on evaluations.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Rhys

[CLW]

Oh yes, the evaluations. We have that also.

I hope someone reads that because I gave some course really low scores and a long explanation.

[janejira]

I once enrolled in an international program at a Thai university and decided to drop it after the first semester. This program was taught in English but not through the international college. I actually thought the course content was ok, but it hadn't been updated in ages. The content of the lectures was basically rereading the assigned readings and the in class discussions were lacking.(I feel that both the students and instructors were to blame for this though). I didn't feel like I was learning as much as I should have been.

I talked to a few of my instructors and my advisor,and they basically said that this was the course content and structure and if the program was not a fit for me, then I might consider leaving the program. I did.

Reading beyond the requirements is an option. Meeting your instructors to discuss the class content during office hours is an option. Maybe even doing some sort of independent project for credit is an option. You could continue the program as is,or you could also drop it. I guess it depends why you enrolled in the first place. Do you need the degree? The visa?or are you genuinely hoping to learn and apply the information?

[bentfarang]

Oh yes, the evaluations. We have that also.

I hope someone reads that because I gave some course really low scores and a long explanation.

Just make sure you get straight A's... else you look quite foolish and sound like a whiner.

[SheungWan]

Oh yes, the evaluations. We have that also.

I hope someone reads that because I gave some course really low scores and a long explanation.

Just make sure you get straight A's... else you look quite foolish and sound like a whiner.

Students with grade A's are unwise to complain as they would be undermining the course they have just attended and the very grades they have achieved. Any evaluations, including the long whining ones, all end up in the filing cabinet. Every university has these. They are referred to only in exceptional circumstances.

[CLW]

If you both call it whining, it's fine. Up to you.

I have a different opinion. I pay a whole lot of money so the university has to deliver a service, First class education, as they always claim..

Of course me as student has to attend classes and study, which I'm doing.

[bentfarang]

If you both call it whining, it's fine. Up to you.

I have a different opinion. I pay a whole lot of money so the university has to deliver a service, First class education, as they always claim..

Of course me as student has to attend classes and study, which I'm doing.

So... you are a straight A student... on the Dean's list eh? If so, you are perfectly right to be complaining. If not, you are whining.

[richard10365]

I've earned a BA and MA in universities in Thailand and I sympathize with CLW. I have had similar experiences during my 7 years at Thai universities. At the same time, we shouldn't totally dismiss SheungWan's advice either. What he's saying is what I ended up doing. Armed with the syllabus and a high speed internet connection, I was able to fill in learning gaps and sometimes excel in the knowledge that was being taught in the class.

Textbooks assigned to the course were also a wealth of knowledge to me as my textbooks were from the United States. However, reading 6 chapters a week from 6 different classes practically eliminated my social life so I did have the opportunity cost question to contend with. Study or go out.

Also, depending on your major, many concepts you learn in one class are also mentioned in other classes. This is normal as they bridge the gap between major concepts in one class to another class. Don't be discouraged if you've noticed this. At the undergraduate level you're learning the big picture one class at a time and you won't be able to see it until you're in you're 4th year of study. It's all related so you should try to keep an open mind and be patient.

For reasons both good and bad, I think I had an excellent education in Thailand but only after I accepted how things are and made a decision always try to exceed classroom expectations. I didn't always end up with high grades and, in fact, I failed 3 subjects in my undergrad degree. I retook them and passed.

I am curious what you're studying and why. What are your long term life goals? Will this degree help you achieve these goals?

Are you really in the right school? There are tons of international programs in Thailand and even more across the region. I have to assume you did your homework in researching the school you're at and you had reasons, other than convenient location, on why you choose it. Degree choice is an important reason but if you don't feel you're getting what you pay for, you should look at universities across the region to see if there is a better fit for your academic enthusiasm.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck in your academic pursuits and hope your experience turns out to be more positive than negative. Most people only get one chance to study in a university. If they miss that opportunity they miss it forever. Be careful with whatever decision you make.

[cgphuket]

People employed in Thailand (foreigners and Thais) generally do absolutely nothing unless there is no possible way to avoid it. Expecting people here to do there job is unrealistic.

[CLW]

People employed in Thailand (foreigners and Thais) generally do absolutely nothing unless there is no possible way to avoid it. Expecting people here to do there job is unrealistic.

Do you have any example or personal experience?

[CLW]

I've earned a BA and MA in universities in Thailand and I sympathize with CLW. I have had similar experiences during my 7 years at Thai universities. At the same time, we shouldn't totally dismiss SheungWan's advice either. What he's saying is what I ended up doing. Armed with the syllabus and a high speed internet connection, I was able to fill in learning gaps and sometimes excel in the knowledge that was being taught in the class.

Textbooks assigned to the course were also a wealth of knowledge to me as my textbooks were from the United States. However, reading 6 chapters a week from 6 different classes practically eliminated my social life so I did have the opportunity cost question to contend with. Study or go out.

Also, depending on your major, many concepts you learn in one class are also mentioned in other classes. This is normal as they bridge the gap between major concepts in one class to another class. Don't be discouraged if you've noticed this. At the undergraduate level you're learning the big picture one class at a time and you won't be able to see it until you're in you're 4th year of study. It's all related so you should try to keep an open mind and be patient.

For reasons both good and bad, I think I had an excellent education in Thailand but only after I accepted how things are and made a decision always try to exceed classroom expectations. I didn't always end up with high grades and, in fact, I failed 3 subjects in my undergrad degree. I retook them and passed.

I am curious what you're studying and why. What are your long term life goals? Will this degree help you achieve these goals?

Are you really in the right school? There are tons of international programs in Thailand and even more across the region. I have to assume you did your homework in researching the school you're at and you had reasons, other than convenient location, on why you choose it. Degree choice is an important reason but if you don't feel you're getting what you pay for, you should look at universities across the region to see if there is a better fit for your academic enthusiasm.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck in your academic pursuits and hope your experience turns out to be more positive than negative. Most people only get one chance to study in a university. If they miss that opportunity they miss it forever. Be careful with whatever decision you make.

Best comment so far [emoji106]