WingColors

Above knowledge of the topic, a love of the topic and the students is a necessary quality for a college professor (or any good educator!) to have. Without this love, the students can trounce through the material basically on their own. If there is, however, great love of the topic then the leaking enthusiasm is bound to infect the students who care making them more energetic and eager to learn about whatever the professor is teaching.

I see entirely too much apathy in college professors where I go to school. I get the feeling that when the entire class gets 60% on a test, they're not even phased. When you ask a question that gets the professor off his beaten path and he becomes flustered, that's just wrong. You should be enthusiastic about your topic and want to teach us all about it!

Also, timeliness, computer skills and etiquette. Professors come off as some of the laziest creatures in existence to me, simply because they can't be bothered to do anything in a timely nature. Now, don't say that they're busy or what-not because I've spied them playing Bubble Bobble with the precious time my paper could have been graded. Computer skills are another necessity, I believe. We live in a modern age if you can't do something basic, like update the school's provided software for grade posting then something is wrong with you.

Can we go over etiquette? When an email is sent... please. please. please don't just overlook it and feel like you don't have to respond. I've more than likely asked you a question that I would like a well-thought-out response to. If I pass you in the hall and say "Hello sir!", don't just grumble and walk past.

Phew. This turned into a great big rant against college professors. My first paragraph still stands as the most important, but the rest stand as things that can kill a professor's rapport with students and thus his/her influence and teaching ability.

Comprehensive and well organized lecture notes and interesting lectures. I'm doing my undergrad at the University of Toronto right now, and there's nothing I hate more than a prof who just reads off his/her slides and doesn't inject anything into the material. They don't even have to be that enthusiastic about it, but I want someone knowledgeable and capable of giving a good talk. Also, this is totally just the OCD kicking in, but I get really annoyed when my lecture slides are full of typos and poorly constructed figures.

1) The ability to teach
2) Experience in the field, outside the tower of academia

The ability to teach is self explanatory. If you can't get the message across then all the knowledge in the world is worthless, like having 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife, or being stuck in a room with Alanis Morissette.

As for experience, too many professors I've seen underestimate the importance of answering the question "outside of this class, what will I use this for?" Or as one of my professors used to say, "I'll teach you the 20% you'll actually be using. Consider the other 80% to be extra credit." He was one of the best professors throughout my entire college years.

In theory, there's no difference between theory and fact. In fact, there is. This seems to be lost in too many professors, which I suppose is why Einstein once quipped that too much air flows through the upper levels of the tower of academia. Frankly, I believe people shouldn't teach a subject unless they have verifiable experience with it, but then again what do I know: I'm not the guy who came up with the statement too many take to be a commandment: "those who can't, teach."

1.) understanding of the subject
2.) understanding of how people best learn the subject (discussion vs lecture)
3.) an expectation of excellence

Every term, there was a professor that sucked the life out of interesting material because he felt the best way to convey was by standing at a podium and droning on. I always felt numb when class ended.

A prof that demands your best is essential. Their expectations of you help you to raise your own expectations and makes you better as a student (and later as a worker or manager).

In one word: passion!

I think passion is the key.

Where I go to school most professors have TA's doing all their work, so it is mandatory they have not only the knowledge in their field but know how to impart their passion for it in their lectures because after they give the lecture students are left on their own to figure out the rest, or at the hands of a TA. If they suck the subject dry it doesn't work.

I find experience in the field outside of academia to lend credibility but haven't always found professors who have experience outside of academia to be better teachers. I think it could go either way.

Most profs I've had have something else going on for them from the standpoint of experience in the field at least in upper level courses, but they don't all teach it well.

Overall though the passion thing is important because it makes the professor want other people to know and love the subject.

ability to relate the material to the students.

So many professors know the subject better than anyone else, but have no way of relating it to their students, and thus, no way to teach it!

I would say that a good professor would inspire creativity in others. Would engage with the class with questions, fairness and a hint of strict teaching conduct. There are a couple at my business school that really get the class working collectively and enthusiastically. All done through fairness (giving each person a chance to voice their ideas).

I like dorkyness in a professor--if they can tell silly jokes or poke fun at themselves, the better.

Also: passion. Right now, I'm taking American Lit, which I hate, but I love the teacher. He is suitably depressing out side of class, but once you get him started on the depressing lit we're reading, he gets really animated.

And that's all I need. I'm never going to like American Lit, but listening to him lecture is worth the hour and a half I have to spend in class.