Lecturers well-prepared though many are bad speakers - survey

University lecturers are generally well prepared, knowledgeable about their subjects and willing to help, but many students are not so impressed with their lecturing skills and ability to be stimulating in class.

Three quarters of students believe there has been no improvement in the quality of education being offered at the University following the rise in salary lecturers received 18 months ago, according to a survey conducted by the University Students' Council (KSU).

Nearly nine in 10 of the students who answered the survey said their lecturers were knowledgeable about their subjects and three quarters felt they were well prepared.

However, more than four in 10 felt lectures were not well delivered and that their lecturers were not good public speakers, while more than half the students said lectures were not understandable or stimulating.

And while six in 10 of the students said lecturers made use of appropriate material and resources for lectures, roughly the same number said they did not encourage student participation.

Punctuality did not seem to be a strong point either: nearly half the students did not think their lecturers were punctual and the same number said they were not informed in a timely manner when their lectures were cancelled.

Two thirds of the respondents said lecturers treated students in a fair and equal manner but the other third disagreed with this statement. The study, entitled Lecturer Accountability and Quality Assurance, was conducted with a sample of more than 550 students.

In its report on the survey, KSU said this should not be considered as a "mudslinging" campaign against lecturers.

"We truly believe several lecturers carry out their work with dedication and in a professional way. However, numerous complaints regarding certain issues have been received."

One of the points raised was that in some cases students were still asked to write their names on examination papers, something that went contrary to University regulations. When contacted, communications lecturer Ġorġ Mallia said that while the University gave a very high level of education, the few "rotten apples" spoiled the whole basket for some students.

He said the survey highlighted an important point, which was that many lecturers, especially those who were trained not as teachers but as professionals, were very knowledgeable about their subjects but lacked the skill of teaching.

"I think it's time we introduce some pedagogy induction classes for lecturers who come from industry, for instance."

He said this was a problem common in universities around the world. He also pointed out that students had to "help themselves" and should not give up too quickly on good academics who were not excellent public speakers.

History Department head Dominic Fenech criticised the survey for taking too much of a general approach and said his faculty rarely received complaints from students. He said it was unfair to judge whether the collective agreement for lecturers had increased the quality of education, because only 18 months had passed, and the agreement did not force lecturers to read more books, for instance.

"When you speak to international students here on an exchange they are all impressed by the accessibility of lecturers," he said. Prof. Fenech said there was always room for improvement but being a good lecturer should not mean pleasing students by always giving them good grades or hints about what was coming out in exams.