NUS Student Claims Prof Asked Peers To Drop Class For Talking, Then Apologised For Being ‘Overzealous’

NUS Student Alleges That Prof Asked Coursemates To Drop Class Or Get An ‘F’

A National University of Singapore (NUS) student recently claimed on social media that a professor called out a group of students for talking in class.

The male professor then asked them to drop the class or get an ‘F’, the post said.

However, days later he apologised for what he said, adding that he was “overzealous” in trying to achieve a quiet environment.

NUS online announcement asks students to drop class

In a Reddit post on 3 Feb, a netizen shared a screenshot of an announcement made by NUS Canvas, an online learning management system for educators and students to access course materials and communicate.

Sent by a professor, the announcement called out a specific group of students sitting in the front row and asked them to “drop the class to ensure they (you) will not get an F on their (your) transcript”.

The professor also claimed to have a photo of the students involved and had talked to them during the break.

The post indicated that the students concerned had been talking during the class.

While the Redditor wasn’t one of the students who was asked to drop the class, they still thought it was “too crazy” to ask students to drop the class for that reason.

Netizen says message gives off ‘primary school teacher vibes’

Most comments agreed, with one saying the exhortation gave off “primary school teacher vibes”.

Another netizen thought that talking in the first row was “blatant” but the professor sounded like they were on a “power trip”.

A commenter who claimed his friend had sat near the students involved said they were “whispering” and it was “barely audible”.

NUS prof apologises for asking students to drop class

On Wednesday (7 Feb), an update on the situation was posted on Reddit in the form of the professor’s note to students of the course, revealing it to be a module offered by the School of Computing.

The professor apologised to everyone in the class for his “unduly harsh” tone and choice of words in the Canvas announcement.

Acknowledging that they were “incongruous to the weight of the incident”, he also admitted that his tone and words may have “caused undue concern and anxiety” to students.

Furthermore, the Canvas announcement and his exhortation to the students to drop the class “was not appropriate”, he said.

He explained that he had been “overzealous in trying to achieve a conducive and quiet learning environment” during lectures.

As for the ‘F ‘grade he mentioned, he noted that all student grades are audited. Thus, the assessment and evaluation of assignments and participation will be conducted fairly and transparently. He added:

This incident will not result in any penalties or biased grading…for any student, and particularly not for the group that I was addressing.

Some netizens appeased by apology

The professor’s message seemed to appease some netizens, who deemed it a good apology.

However, some thought he should face further consequences.

A few also reckoned that the students caught talking in class should apologise too.

MS News has reached out to the NUS School of Computing for more information about the incident.

Also read: NTU Professor Accused Of Plagiarising Ex-Student’s Final-Year Project In Research Paper, University Investigating

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Featured image adapted from Reddit and Google Maps.