Pick-a-professor: Students at a Chinese university can now choose lecturers based on their preferences

When it comes to university lecturers, it’s usually a gamble: you win some, you lose some.

But what if your university allowed you to decide which lecturer you get based on gender, personality and age, much like the way you would order a coffee?

Such an idea may seem unreal to some, but for students at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology in China, that’s exactly what they’re now able to do.

The university, located in the city of Ganzhou in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, has recently introduced a service allowing students to input their lecturer preferences, reported China Daily.

Starting this year, freshmen at the university’s Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering department can choose to opt-in to the service during enrollment.

According to the China Daily, on the first day of enrollment, the system received 180 requests.

Up to 70 percent asked for a lecturer who is funny and has a positive attitude, while 65 percent said they wished for lecturers in the 25 to 40 age range.

To meet the students’ preferences, the university recently recruited a group of younger lecturers.

“Custom-made teachers could help the school know more about the students’ requirements for their teachers,” said Xu Zhifeng, the department head.

He added that through the systems, the university and lecturers could work better with the students.

Many students appear to be pleased with having the option of determining the type of lecturer they get.

A freshman, Ding Yanjun, told the news outlet: “The service caught my eyes immediately as it meets the taste of youth quite well.”

“I chose a young female teacher as my head teacher as she might be more considerate compared to the male teachers,” she added.

Another freshman, Xie Yu, commented: “I never thought I could have a custom-made teacher and I am very excited.”

“It shows that the university cares for us, and we must study hard,” he said.

So what do you think – should other universities adopt a similar system?

Image via Flickr

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