What Makes a Good Professor – Good?

By Antonia Kurtović, RIT Croatia student
Photo credit: Niko Goga

On the 7th of November, 2022, RIT Croatia’s professors, Dr. Maja Vidović and Dr. Peter Schmidt, together with International Business student Andrea Danić, participated in the panel discussion on the topic "What should professors do to be good professors.” This panel was part of the Education at a Turning Point Conference, organized by srednja.hr, the most relevant online news media for college and high school students.

The conference consisted of eleven panels and lectures focusing on finding answers to the educational system’s issues. RIT Croatia aims to offer top American higher education in Croatia, and its mission is to prepare its students for the global business world that awaits them. Hence, it gladly supports initiatives that promote the importance of quality education. It also participates in discussions, sharing best practices, and finding solutions for better higher education. That is why its panel focused on the quality of professors and students and how their role plays a significant part in a good or bad learning experience. Ms. Vidović and Mr. Schmidt have years of experience in teaching, while Andrea is a successful and versatile third-year student. They know from their own experience that no matter if the student has or has not had an initial interest in a particular subject, professors have the opportunity to motivate and capture the student’s attention. Dr. Schmidt, a professor of Financial Accounting, shared the importance of the first impression. He starts his first accounting class of the year with a compelling story about a lady who sells tomatoes and sparks curiosity by getting students involved in the story. Andrea still remembers the name of the tomato lady two years later, as she confirmed on the stage. She also said how college allowed her to dive deep into the topics she is interested in but to, with professors’ help, connect those topics with a variety of other subjects. Dr. Vidović pointed out how the good student-professor relationship should not be a cliché but rather a must. There is no place for disrespect and provoking in schooling. One of the worst things a professor can do is to make a student feel not good enough and discouraged. Dr. Vidović and Dr. Schmidt agreed that the quality approach requires preparation and hard work, but it shows results, too. 

Our panelists managed to engage the audience with a captivating discussion and vivid explanations. We could not be more proud and thankful to be represented by Dr. Maja Vidović, Dr. Peter Schmidt, and Andrea Danić, and we hope to see them again on similar occasions.