Experience with GMU engin/comsci -- professors with tough accents/hard to understand?

[Anonymous]

If you have kids at GMU or went there yourself recently, especially in the com sci, sciences, or engineering majors... was there any problem with having teachers that have strong accents that made it hard to understand the instruction?

[Anonymous]

do you mean indian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do you mean indian

Any kind of accents that made understanding instruction difficult. Not specifically one language or another.

[Anonymous]

This is true of most schools with strong STEM programs. Including Harvard, back in the day at least.

[Anonymous]

If you want to work in computer science, you need to be able to understand accented English.

[Anonymous]

Minding we are minority ourselves and not at GMU my son's Com Sci. and engineering classes had professors who were very difficult to understand, my son was very frustrate and tries to avoid those professors.

My husband who is a Software Engineer and works for the Government said it's the same at work. Tell your kid he better get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work in computer science, you need to be able to understand accented English.

This is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work in computer science, you need to be able to understand accented English.

This is correct.

OK, fine.

My question is whether this has been an issue for students at GMU such that they are frustrated about the instruction and aren't learning. There are accents that are understandable and accents that are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work in computer science, you need to be able to understand accented English.

This is correct.

+3

OP, why don't you know this? Is your DC in the right major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is true of most schools with strong STEM programs. Including Harvard, back in the day at least.

+1 back in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

OP, my kid goes to another college and is a CS major. They said that one CS professor is known for being difficult to understand, so DC is trying to not end up in that class.

I work in tech. Yes, a lot of the people I work with have accents, but it's not the same. At work, I can ask them to repeat (a few times) or email me what they want to convey. Can't really do that in class at college.

[Anonymous]

DS had "accented English" science and math teachers in FCPS. I had difficulty understanding back to school videos and when I met in person at graduation. Fortunately son could "translate".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, my kid goes to another college and is a CS major. They said that one CS professor is known for being difficult to understand, so DC is trying to not end up in that class.

I work in tech. Yes, a lot of the people I work with have accents, but it's not the same. At work, I can ask them to repeat (a few times) or email me what they want to convey. Can't really do that in class at college.

Just record the lectures and listen back.

[Anonymous]

I went to UMD for engineering 20 plus years ago and many of my professors were there because of their papers and research and teaching was secondary. Several had tough to understand accents and just wrote on the blackboard equations the entire class period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work in computer science, you need to be able to understand accented English.

This is correct.

OK, fine.

My question is whether this has been an issue for students at GMU such that they are frustrated about the instruction and aren't learning. There are accents that are understandable and accents that are not.

NP. My friend's daughter is majoring in Biology at GMU and has been having a terrible time trying to understand the heavy accents of her professors, one in particular. He asked if there were any questions and everyone just looked at one another, totally lost. I'm sure this is the case at many (most?) universities as well and it makes me mad. Tuition paying students and parents should reasonably expect instructors who can communicate in clear English.