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On swindling



The phrase “swindling students” appeared in at least two messages this
week.
It is worth discussing. We often say “physics is an experimental
science” but we
forget to add that “it would not be a science without a theory”. In my
opinion
an experimental physicist can be as successful as a theoretician in
making an
introductory course a failure. And phys-L would not be so interesting if
it
did not have teachers from many levels of physical sciences.

And now the swindling itself. What does it mean? Passing students who do

not meet minimum requirements? Teaching less than we should? Making
false promises? Teaching without a textbook? Teaching at the level of
our
best students? Teaching at the level of our worst students?
Compromising?
Teaching what we want instead of teaching what we should? And who is
responsible? Teachers who swindle or their administrators? Can somebody
define the non-swindling for us?
Ludwik Kowalski