Do engineering professors really want students to fail their classes?

This question already got a lot of good feedback regarding the difficulty of the curriculum so I will not repeat it all, but one professor sticks out to me. He was known to fail a lot of his classes and was the professor that sorted through those that could handle engineering and those that couldn't. He offered NO partial credit on exams, and you had to have his exact numbers within 10% sig figs. When we brought this up to him in complaint, his example is one I will never forget. Say as a professional engineer you build a bridge, and it collapses. The collapse kills 25% of the people, and 75% survived. In the academic world, 75% is a C and is passing. But if your creation killed people, did you win? Do you get partial credit because only partial damage? Did you pass at life in engineering? No, you failed at your job. While this is harsh, and the professor made people cry (myself included) with his grading mechanisms, that always stuck with me. We are often responsible for the health and safety of society, and sometimes professors are just trying to ensure their students understand the responsibility and are prepared for the real world. 

I love this question, because I can remember being an engineering student and wondering the same thing! Now that I can view the situation from the professor's perspective (being one myself), I can reassure you that most professors want their students to succeed in their classes. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing or hearing the 'aha' moment when students understand something finally that had baffled them before. Our students' success is a measure of our success as professors. Even renowned research professors often like to teach because students ask hard questions and the capacity to explain complex concepts in a way that they can be understood by others is a gift to which we as professors aspire. Sometimes seeing things through others' eyes also leads to unexpected discoveries.

What to do – If you are feeling stuck or clueless or just can't figure something out, seek out other students to explain how they understand it. Having study-buddies is really important for this, because even the strongest student learns more by helping others to understand material. Also, never give up! You may not understand something this year and then three years down the track you may suddenly have a breakthrough in understanding when applying the knowledge to a real life situation. That's why I recommend to students to get hands on experience in the lab or in an industry internship.

I will admit, there were times in my college career that I had professors who I could swear found pleasure in failing students in their class. I could almost picture them going home at night and laughing maniacally as they added another tally mark to the list when they gave another failing grade… But really this is not the case. Even though I thought this about a few of my professors I actually came to find out that they just expect a lot out of you in their classes. The course work and material they are teaching is difficult. They expect you to come in knowing all of the previous information that should have been learned in the courses prior to their class, and expect you to work hard and put in the effort. Therefore, when you leave their course, you have all the knowledge you need to proceed forward. What I have also found is that these professors ALWAYS have an office hour(s) for you to come discuss the class with them. They don’t want to hear you complain about how their class is difficult, but they are almost always willing to help you with something you are struggling with or they will set you up with a grad student or another student that can help tutor you so you can catch up.

I think there are many fields (engineering, pharmacy, medicine, law) where the professors are tough on their students and will expect a lot out of you. It is not because they don’t want you there. It is because they want you to learn the material inside and out and come out of their class prepared for the workforce. When I look back on some of those professors whose classes were really hard, I have to almost thank them now. It’s the material they taught in those tough classes that I can recall and remember the most because I HAD to learn it.

I never had a feeling of my professors trying to fail me or any other student. However, I did have a feeling that college is somewhat of a “weeding out” process where only the hard-working, dedicated, persistent students will get through it. Professors and colleges provide a lot of resources for students. It’s been quite a number of years since I was in college but I can recall my professors had dedicated times in which students could visit them to understand the information better. Colleges provide tutors, online information, etc. If a student fails a class, it’s more likely the reflection of the student not doing their work, not studying, or not taking advantage of the resources available to them; rather than a professor trying to fail them.

I do not believe this is true. I was a professor for a short time and currently work closely with different university professors. They are not malicious and do not want bad things for their students. They do hold a high standard of what is expected and the classes can be hard. When some people do not step up to this level, it is easy to point the finger at someone else and blame them, so they blame the professor. Listen carefully to how people talk. I hear students say they do not like a professor, and when I probe further I find that the class is hard, demanding, etc. But the professor is just doing their best to prepare you for work and/or the next classes you will be taking. Now, not all professors are great teachers, and that can be a struggle. They know the material, but the ability to teach is a different skill set. But no one is trying to get rid of you. If the class is hard, if you are struggling with a topic, find a tutor or older student, and ask for help. Or as the professor for help. They are just regular people and are fun to get to know.

I have never heard of professors trying to fail students. There are certainly difficult classes and professors will want to make sure the material is understood (as with any other teacher). In my experience, the people who say this are people who didn't want to put in the work to pass engineering classes or they couldn't handle the course load and decide it’s easier to blame it on the professors. Ultimately, any professor will help you if you show initiative and want to be an engineer. I hope this helps.

There is no doubt that Engineering is a tough curriculum in school. This is not intended to make your college life harder, but it is intended to prepare you for your career as an Engineer. As an Engineer, you will be the authority to identify, analyze, design, and solve problems. It is both exciting and challenging. In my experience, what gives you the confidence to do that is learned expertise and the experiences you gain across a broad range of activities. This starts in your schooling and carries through your professional career. I encourage you to take on this challenge in school so that you can take on the bigger and fulfilling goal of solving problems that have real impact on our world.

I haven’t seen that happen in my 22 years of being a faculty and as an administrator. The reality is that engineering typically does have homework that requires time to do. My frequent observation is students copy homework so are not able to do questions in exams independently. I would suggest if students do their own homework in groups but practice doing it alone without the solution in front of them. The faculty is not the enemy. Plus many schools monitor classes with high fail rates and the faculty has to explain them in their annual performance reports.

From personal experience I can tell you that Engineering professors are not trying to make anyone fail in their classes. Some of the engineering classes are more challenging/more complex than others but with discipline you can accomplish what you need done. Like in any major, you really have to put in the time to make your time worthwhile and learn the material.

I believe your time in engineering school is an investment in your future and every investment has its risks and rewards. I like to say that there is more reward than risk as you really have the opportunity to add value and develop products that can save lives.