Professor Resigns After Students Complain She Never Taught

Worst professor ever, or best professor ever?

  • Share
  • Read Later
Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images

George Washington University professor Venetia Orcutt resigned amid complaints that she never taught her two courses

Correction Appended: Nov. 14, 2011

Who says college students never go to class? For one George Washington University course, it was the professor who didn’t the give the students their money’s worth.

Now, professor Venetia Orcutt has resigned from her position as chair of GWU’s physician assistant department, effective October 31, following repeated complaints that she failed to teach two sections of her three-part course.

(LIST: 10 Best College Presidents)

Orcutt didn’t let her bad teaching habits affect her students’ grades, though — she gave all students enrolled in the two online modules of her “Evidence Based Medicine” course As in 2010.

The three-part course — the first of which was in-person, while the second parts were online — is required for all students who are studying to be physician assistants. Not surprisingly, the students were angry about not receiving the proper instruction during the online portion of the course, in spite of their high letter grades.

GWU has awarded Orcutt’s students credit for taking the class and is also giving them refunds.

PHOTOS: Evolution of the College Dorm

The original version of this story said that Venetia Orcutt didn’t show up to teach her course. According to the university’s statement, she failed to teach the online portion of the course.