Teaching confidence on the decline, attendance on the rise

Recent scientific findings from the University Calgary have discovered that Teaching Confidence is at a record all time low this fall semester. Professors at the University of Calgary aren't as confident in their teaching methods as they have been in years past a local study finds and because of this anxiety and depression among faculty staff is on the rise which is in turn leading to an increase in marked and even mandatory attendance demands on their students.

Professors spend much more than five hours a year designing and molding their course curriculum, hours that seem to have been wasted in years past-- especially by the Professors who lack the creativity, interest, and intelligence to devise lecture or even seminar edutainment. But now empty lecture halls look to be a thing of the past, as a University wide mandate was issued in August by the University Board to increase classroom attendance astronomically by forcing students to attend Professor Borings 50 minute lectures, three times a week by making use of the "taking attendance method" which is a prominent tool for elementary school teachers and is often carried out by class designated attendance takers.

Such provisions include allowing attendance to be worth up to a maximum of 20% of students grade, and enforcing a rule that in order to pass the class you must attend all classes and or labs/tutorials. It seems like the University has placed more importance on looking like an institution of scholarly learning than actually becoming one. Not only is the University scholastically on the decline according to McLean's Magazine, but it is now awarding a maximum of 1/5th of its GPA for just showing up. Students can now theoretically get a degree by failing every single course related article as long as they have an immaculate attendance record.

There are two sides to this story, and like a good journalist, we spoke with both sides... "I like getting easy marks, but it sucks that I could hurt my GPA by simply sleeping in once in a while or even getting sick. It's an interesting issue but it can work for and against my betterment. Maybe Professors could just make their lectures and courses more enjoyable and it wouldn't be such a chore for me to show up" said 3rd year Biology student Sasha Jenson.

Sasha makes a brilliant point, why is it that Professors like Professor Quaderu (See:UofC scientists say science becomes more fun and good the more high you get') are continually able to headline and pack gigantic lecture halls on a nightly basis for courses like "Bio312: Sharks!!!!"?

"I see other professors and the weak ass shit they bring on a daily basis, their classrooms are barely packed, kids are napping, facebooking, their voice is this nasally monotone sound... where's the showmanship? Where's the flare? Where's the edutainment?" says Quaderu.

This journalist went to a 200 level lecture with Quaderu. The room was packed with students, and too the untrained eye it looked like a great classroom vibe but not to Professor Q as he is known by the student body, "Fucking amateur hour." he said before storming off midlecture.

"See I like to fuse mtv shit, shit the kids know and feel, real talk from the streets, with my information on sharks, like I'll show Jaws for one lecture, blueray, and then in another lecture spit the nastiest shit on my mic about how sharks got dorsal fin spines. That is what kids today are creaming for when it comes to edutainment".

The University of Calgary needs to readjust its current attendance mandate and start hiring education/entertainment professionals who make University and learning fun so students want to attend as many classes as possible, learning should be sought after not forced.