By Milan Ervin
CCC Journalism Program
At Camden County College, a community college like many others in the region, some students have experienced a lack of communication between themselves and their professors.
Some students have said many of the professors, while being good teachers, weren’t approachable enough to seek help, nor did the teachers make themselves available to the students at reasonable times. “When I went to their office to try to get some questions answered for an upcoming test, the professor was nowhere to be found at his office at the times he said he would be available,” says Tina Johnson, a Camden County student. “It would have been convenient if the professor had kept his word instead of inconveniencing a fellow student when they needed them.”
Professors do have office hours that students should take advantage of. Johnson also stated she once had a professor who said he would be very hard to reach outside of the classroom and seemed like he had no interest in trying to help his students further.
Attempts to reach Dean of Students James Canonica for information on the issue were unsuccessful.
Community colleges and universities differ somewhat on this matter. Studies suggested although universities offer more on-campus help for their students, not too much of a gap exists between community colleges and universities.
Johnson said students have a role in this as well. “You can’t just assume that the professor knows your best interest. It really relies on how bad the student is determined to succeed in the classroom, even if he or she is struggling. All blame can’t be placed on the professors.”