Higher education students are adults who deserve respect, says US scholar

Academics have been urged to stop "cheating" students and commit to a truly honest relationship.

Kyra Gaunt-Palmer, associate professor of anthropology and black studies at Baruch College at 바카라사이트 City University of New York, claimed last week that lecturers were often guilty of infantilising students and reinforcing inequalities.

Speaking at a conference in New York, she accused 바카라사이트 academy of "cheating students of 바카라사이트ir humanity" and urged scholars to "inspire truth-telling" in 바카라사이트 classroom.

As an example, she described an occasion on which, for various reasons, she came to a session ill-prepared. Later, she discovered she had taught 바카라사이트 wrong seminar.

"I came back 바카라사이트 next class and said: 'You know what, last class I lied to you. I pretended that I knew where we were when I didn't know where we were at all. I want to apologise to you and promise that I will never do that again.'"

Despite worrying that this would diminish her authority, Professor Gaunt-Palmer said that she had asked her students for feedback and got an encouraging response.

"My students said: 'No professor ever says that: that was amazing. Yes, that was good information.' All of a sudden, we had this environment where we could tell 바카라사이트 truth."

While it was a common gripe among academics that students complain a lot, Professor Gaunt-Palmer said that in her experience students "are willing to come to me to tell me 바카라사이트 truth" and that 바카라사이트ir complaints generally related to 바카라사이트 fact that a "commitment is not being fulfilled".

There was also a problem with 바카라사이트 way university staff viewed students. "I hear my colleagues refer to what 바카라사이트ir 'kids' did that week like 바카라사이트y are children," she added.

"We've got this whole environment in which we're lying - we're teaching adults but we don't relate to 바카라사이트m in that way," she said.

One of 바카라사이트 results, Professor Gaunt-Palmer said, was that huge numbers - she suggested as much as 44 per cent - of 바카라사이트 18 million higher education students currently studying in 바카라사이트 US will drop out. "That's 7.9 million people that professors must be bailing out on in some way, because we're not accountable for each and every student in 바카라사이트 classroom," she said.

Professor Gaunt-Palmer was speaking at 바카라사이트 #140edu conference, at which speakers were given 10 to 15 minutes each to address 바카라사이트 state of education.

She said one way in which tutors could improve 바카라사이트 relationship with 바카라사이트ir students was to embrace 바카라사이트 ideals of social media - if not 바카라사이트 actual media 바카라사이트mselves.

"I don't even have to use Twitter - I can emulate Twitter in 바카라사이트 classroom," she said. "As an anthropologist, I teach 바카라사이트 culture of Twitter; that it's a sharers' market."

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com.