Is it that he's dead . . . ?

[Alpha]

Is it that he's dead or that they didn't tell the students?  Students at university just found out that the Professor that has been teaching the course had actually died over a year earlier.  Does it matter?
https://twitter.com/AaronLinguini/status...1501289472

[rachel83az]

It's one thing if he were listed as "a" professor and not "the" professor.

[jch]

The professor of the ASU EA computer apps course died in 2020. They're still using his lecture videos and materials. This is mentioned on the course team page, where they introduce the professor that has taken over administration.

[ss20ts]

We read books from authors who passed away centuries ago. With a shift to online learning, people could have died 10 years ago and the course content still be used including the videos. Not a big deal. Now, if the dead professor emails or texts you, then you've got a problem.

[dfrecore]

Is it that he's dead or that they didn't tell the students?  Students at university just found out that the Professor that has been teaching the course had actually died over a year earlier.  Does it matter?
https://twitter.com/AaronLinguini/status...1501289472

I guess if we listen to music by someone who died, or read a book by someone who died, or watch a movie starring someone who died, that's TOTALLY different?  Um....no, it's not.  If the recorded material is still relevant, who cares!

[rachel83az]

I think it's relevant if students were taking the class thinking that their coursework was being graded by and supervised by the dead professor. I see no problems with the ASU EA class because they were honest and upfront about it. If the other university lies to its students by omission, that crosses the line into fraud.

Think about all the students here who put effort into making sure that they choose the "right" teacher for their TESU capstone because some teachers have a reputation for grading more or less fairly than others.

[Alpha]

In my mind, not informing the students is a lie of omission.  Then I assume that the lie is intended to hide something.  Maybe that makes me a suspicious person but it's something that comes from being burned.  As other's said, the fact that the course is now canned content is not an issue for me.  We consume that kind of content all the time from multiple sources.  To me it's the quality of the content that matters most.  In some ways it seems like a testament to the now-deceased Professor that they want to continue to use his lectures.  At the same time it seems disrespectful that they can't even mention his passing.  I wonder if his surviving beneficiaries receive  any compensation.  Like royalties paid for re-runs on TV?

[dfrecore]

In my mind, not informing the students is a lie of omission.  Then I assume that the lie is intended to hide something.  Maybe that makes me a suspicious person but it's something that comes from being burned.  As other's said, the fact that the course is now canned content is not an issue for me.  We consume that kind of content all the time from multiple sources.  To me it's the quality of the content that matters most.  In some ways it seems like a testament to the now-deceased Professor that they want to continue to use his lectures.  At the same time it seems disrespectful that they can't even mention his passing.  I wonder if his surviving beneficiaries receive  any compensation.  Like royalties paid for re-runs on TV?

Yes, they should change the wording to make it clear that the content is from a now-deceased prof.

OTOH, he wouldn't be getting royalties for his course (canned or not) in the normal course, because his employer is paying him for his time.  He's giving them what they paid for.  If he had decided to create a course on his own, and his employer agreed to it, he could go out and sell it on his own.  But a course he makes while employed by a school would belong to them.