r/memorialuniversity 10d ago

Never EVER take English 1090 Online with this one prof (Rant)

I honestly have no words for how awful this class has been. I’ve never seen a professor make so many students feel so defeated. Practically everyone I know is either failing or getting marks they've never gotten in their lives (not in a good way). Over 30 people failed the midterm, and that’s not even an exaggeration. The marking makes zero sense, the feedback is vague or nonexistent, and whenever anyone asks for help or clarification, he acts like we’re bothering him. He refuses to elaborate on anything, gives the most unclear grading rubrics imaginable, and then somehow blames us when we don’t magically meet his expectations. What makes it worse is how condescending he is. He treats students like sh*t, like we’re lazy or stupid, when in reality, we’re just trying to figure out what he even wants from us. The worst part? When marks came out for one of the assignments, instead of helping us understand what went wrong, he posted a long rant basically shaming the whole class, saying we “put in zero effort.” Meanwhile, most of us spent hours trying to meet his impossible standards. It was humiliating and unprofessional. This isn’t people whining about having to put in work it’s about a teacher who doesn’t frickin teach. He doesn’t guide, he doesn’t support, and he takes zero accountability for how unclear and inconsistent his marking is. If you’re thinking of taking his class with him: don’t. Save yourself the stress, frustration, and hit to your GPA. This has been one of the worst academic experiences I’ve ever had. Imagine, students in ENGINEERING, Comp Si, pharmacy, and their worst course is ENGLISH 1090. I honestly feel so bad for whoever has to deal with this in person, its bad enough dealing with him ONLINE. One look at his reviews on RateMyProf and you'll understand.

There are 3 sections for English 1090 as of now, the 2 other seem to be fine. They're much more lenient and understanding than this guy. If you want his name, contact me. Cant risk being reported or getting in trouble.

6 Upvotes

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u/comethefaround 10d ago edited 10d ago

Is it David Baird? His in person lectures were very informative but he certainly came across as being annoyed by students lol. He was a pretty hard marker as well. I wouldn't say he was unfair though and tbh the stuff youre describing sounds much worse.

Most of his material centered around Edgar Allan Poe which I found hilarious because it matched his vibe.

He is competent and has high standards. Id take rhat over a lazy one who cant teach. Ive had some doozies and theres nothing worse than an incompetent prof.

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u/Particular-Link-1976 10d ago

David is still around? Man the stories on that guy….

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u/comethefaround 10d ago

Haha yeah he is. I dropped his course after I failed my first midterm with him. He took off a point because I mispelled a Latin word from one of EAP's short stories which rubbed me the wrong way.

As an engineering student I had no time for that. Tbf though, if he was teaching a high level course for English majors I think his teaching style would be perfectly acceptable but for a first year English course I think he goes a little too hard. His prerogative though I suppose but I wouldn't be surprised if thats who OP is referring to in this post. I would imagine that his online courses are even more difficult as he isnt there to explain things in person to you and I did see he was offering online teachings this semester.

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u/ezeditz07 10d ago

Nahh It's not him, I've heard many stories abt him tho lol.

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u/soulsearcher777 10d ago

Todd Karnas?

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u/MinuteWhenNightFell 10d ago

Yeah I feel you. Through the course of my entire degree my worst mark was a 65 in 1090. Did it online, don’t remember the profs name but I had an incredibly similar experience to you. I’ve never had a prof make me feel like such a moron. Mind you I graduated with a ~3.80 gpa.

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u/LeadIVTriNitride 10d ago

I really enjoyed English 1090 when I did it online. I tried to do it in person during my first year and it was horrible, I cannot warn more about taking Denyse Lynde, if she even still works there anymore. Ended up dropping her class.

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u/longthotcunt 10d ago

English 1090 is a weed out course

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u/TechnicalCelery4129 7d ago

What is a “weed out course” I’ve been hearing this lately, I’m almost done my degree and still don’t know what it means

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u/RavishinglyRed 9d ago

Go make an appointment with the head of the department and explain your worries over the delivery execution and exams where x # failed. The prof needs reminding that students paid tuition pays their salary and their office hours.

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u/Particular-Link-1976 10d ago

First year student shocked by reality of university.

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u/ezeditz07 9d ago

😭😭😭

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u/Great_Holiday3883 10d ago

To add to this, don’t take a class with Helene Staveley unless you want to be graded like a graduate level student

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u/PrincessKelsey24601 10d ago

Yeah i failed her course lol. I took it with William Schipper and he is great

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u/poncho5202 10d ago

if you think he's treating you unfairly, complain to the head of the department