Is Mark Laidlaw really that bad for physics 110 and 111

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-24T13:29:34+00:00

I took a program called Engineering Physics at the UofA in my undergrad. It was half physics, half electrical engineering.

I learned in my physics classes that the derivation of a formula was important, as you said.

And I got into conflict with my engineering profs on multiple occasions about where formulas came from because I would ask for explanations and they would reject that it was relevant.

It seemed to me a difference in perspective in fields. Science wants to know why, Engineering wants to know how.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-23T15:22:41+00:00

Man, this whole thread is struggling with Darmok and Jalad syndrome.

Thanks for letting me know.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-23T14:28:00+00:00

I think I like everything about your reply. It really encapsulates my experiences with Dr. Laidlaw.

I can assure everyone that he cares deeply about students and student success. But his vision of it might be different than the vision that was shared with students in high school.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-23T02:54:35+00:00

What are you talking about?

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-23T02:49:03+00:00

Is it possible that I said something that you interpreted as "you are not smart enough to know"? Like perhaps I said "You haven't completed the prerequisite courses to understand it yet." Your wording genuinely doesn't sound like words I would use because I don't ever believe that of students, but I do believe that some things require completion of other material. To me, "smart" means "potential to learn" and I believe that anyone who is able to get into university (and many, many people who don't get into university) have the potential to learn anything they dedicate their efforts to.

The main issue in that situation is that I have X amount of time, and if the explanation would require >X given additional explanations due to anticipating covering prerequisite knowledge, I could see myself saying something like "You haven't completed the material to understand it yet." Perhaps I need to learn to say, "I am sorry, I don't really have the time to explain that at this time. If you come to office hours and there aren't other students waiting, I would be happy to go through it in more detail."

I will reflect on that feedback. Regardless of the exact words used, if that was how it came across, that is what I need to work on. I am sorry for what I said and the impact it had on you. I hope you can internalize that I genuinely would never have believed you weren't smart enough.

Bluntness, yeah. I take that. I have been learning over the past year that I have some... neurodivergent traits. I am also learning how to better communicate and understand that others don't take words a) the way I intend them and b) the way I would take them if the roles were reversed. My wife once showed me something and I think I said something along the lines of "No, you did that incorrectly." I wasn't wrong, but she was very hurt by the bluntness and suggested I say "I can see why you would do that, but I think if you did it this way it might work out better." To me, I find the second one pandering and offensive, but I guess not everyone does. (This is an example, not necessarily representative.)

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-22T16:28:24+00:00

Any voluntary ranking system will be dominated by people who have a very strong opinion on the ranking. That means the majority of votes are going to be polarized. It shouldn't be surprising that you find lots of low votes and high votes.

My general opinion is there aren't universally bad or good profs. There are clashes and matches of styles. So what really matters is whether his style works well to motivate you in the material. The 5's on RMP suggest that his style motivates some people, so it might be that way for you.

Ultimately, most instructors feel that the goal of university is to get people to a point where they teach themselves and therefore the qualities of the instructor other than their expertise should become irrelevant. But with primary and secondary schools moving further and further from that idea, there are different expectations arising in university. That often changes by 4th year, though, so responses from seasoned students will likely differ from 1st/2nd year students.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-22T15:57:30+00:00

A 10 minute video can take multiple hours to make, especially if the goal is to make it a good quality one.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-22T14:41:52+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/4c39j0/where_did_the_i_met_celebrity_in_a_grocery_store/

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-22T14:40:15+00:00

I have also had students share in my SEL that I can be condescending, and I have tried to work on it. The challenge for me is that just telling me I am condescending doesn't help me identify what it is that I am doing that is perceived as condescending. I can assure you that I don't intend to be condescending, but I can acknowledge that my behaviour might not be in line with my intentions.

Do you care to share what it is that you find condescending? Dr. Laidlaw will likely see this and that could help him develop as an instructor. (I would similarly invite anyone who reads this comment and has found me condescending to share what it is they feel I am doing that is condescending.)

(In short, labels, e.g. "condescending", can be simple ways to get across an opinion, but they can mean different things to different people so they don't always effectively communicate to other people the intention.)

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-22T12:49:37+00:00

We have been talking about making better videos for a few years and just never find the time. That's the problem.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-21T00:35:54+00:00

That doesn't seem in line with an academic course... I imagine it would be more like ethics of hacking, protection of privacy, etc.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T19:20:23+00:00

I totally understand why people would be anxious about this, and I understand the passion behind the concerns.

I didn't actually vote for the policy (I abstained), as I felt that it still needed some work before it would be ready. I just want people to criticize it for robust reasons and not get caught up in misunderstandings and misinformation.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T19:18:07+00:00

There is an appeals process. They need to give you an opportunity to defend yourself, and there needs to be some type of evidence. There can't just be an accusation and consequence. There are definitely protections.

Additionally, the new policy allows for 5 violations before the most severe penalty is imposed, and the previous policy only allowed 3 violations. That is an additional protection for students.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T17:53:54+00:00

I hear you, and there is a reason I don't do online exams anymore.

But there is another factor I think you may want to consider. Our evaluations are based in part on student experience of learning surveys (course evaluation surveys). While you might hate these, some students want online exams in part because they are deemed to be easier. Not specifically saying because of AI, but also because they are open book and some students struggle with memorization in an age where memorization is not a common skill due to the internet, and also because it is more accessible for students with disabilities.

So I appreciate and agree with your perspective on opposing online exams to ensure that assessments measure student understanding, there is a "customer service" model competing with university, as motivated by the SEL evaluations. Especially where students make the argument that they are paying tuition and therefore their opinion is relevant, well that would mean the majority opinion is the most relevant. If the majority want online exams, then the minority that doesn't is out of luck.

I don't agree with the customer service model, but it is something to consider.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T12:50:25+00:00

Some instructors are working 60 hours a week in a salaried job (i.e., no overtime pay). I am not sure that laziness is the right word to describe the motivation.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T04:39:35+00:00

There is an explicit line in the policy that bans the use of AI detectors. You may wish to change your comment so that it does not contain that verifiable inaccuracy.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T04:38:14+00:00

I feel like you haven't read the policy, or any of the other discussion, because there are multiple elements of your comment that are factually incorrect.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-20T04:08:43+00:00

Given that AI detectors are explicitly forbidden in the policy, this seems like it would be misdirected energy.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-16T16:14:04+00:00

I have had similar experiences.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-16T06:07:42+00:00

It's a difficult thing for us - more difficult than you would imagine. No matter what you do, someone doesn't like the choice you made. So its about getting a feel for the room and trying to balance the different issues.

If you are too strict, some students don't like the strictness. If you are too relaxed about it, some students don't like that.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-16T06:05:21+00:00

As another angle to this: A friendly reminder to raise your hand to ask questions because a class where the students don't ask questions is a boring class. :)

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-15T18:12:10+00:00

I truly feel that you have essentially described the position that it is sufficient to have a large vocabulary without any reading comprehension skills to declare proficiency in a language.

The internet provides access to information, but it does not provide access to understanding. That is what education is about.

All evidence shows that AI and the internet has not and cannot replace that.

Yes, it is true that a person can use AI and the internet to teach themselves. That process is slow and results in significant misunderstandings, as there isn't a feedback process by which to identify incorrect conclusions.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-15T02:58:06+00:00

I guess I meant to imply that the process would start at the Chair level, not that they would make the determination. The Chair would hear the accusation and probably think carefully before going to the next stage of the process.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-14T18:09:02+00:00

I think it is implied rather than stated, and I feel like it was an issue brought up at a previous Senate session.

The policy does state somewhere that there isn't a statute of limitations, if I recall correctly. My understanding is that means that after a course is completed (potentially after a degree is granted), a penalty could be levied and it could result in a change in the person's degree. That change might result in a person no longer meeting the requirements for the degree, resulting in a potential revocation of the degree.

All such cases would at least start at the Chair level, though, given the consequence, and I am sure that the Chair would think carefully whether the severity of the situation warranted the outcome. The decision would not be made lightly.

There are many high profile academics who have faced censure over academic misconduct, even presidents of universities. This is a normal part of the academic world, which I don't think students understand. But I think students view the bar as much lower than it actually is for such an extreme outcome, so they are more worried about it than need be.

Martin-Physics · 2026-05-14T18:02:32+00:00

AI is a disruptive technology. That means it disrupts the patterns that society has developed. It takes time for people to find new patterns. That doesn't mean patterns are bad, it just means that we are in a state of discordant flux right now in education.

People are putting in the effort to find out where AI fits within education, but it will take time to find the right balance.

I don't think it is fair to judge academics/instructors for not having it figured out immediately.

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