A few days ago I had an interesting discussion with my master student who recently had entered our university after his graduation as a bachelor from an Arab university. As usual, I gave him few questions for analysis through reviewing scientific Journals and monographs. It was the easiest way to check what his grades in Diploma are worth of and skills in working on a thesis. In all the cases the first chapter of a thesis is to comprise a scientific analysis of the focal problem and therefore it resembles be an introduction to experimental research, in our case in the field of applied Biochemistry.
After years of being a university professor I’m rather sceptical about students’ ability to offer at the first attempt a proper scientific review that would meet all the requirements (strangely enough, it’s a matter of consideration for some proposals for a scientific Journal). Still I’m an acting professor, appointed as the supervisor for the foreign student and should teach him skills of a scientist. It is just a normal practice. I am used to teach and like to do it, and accept the idea the first attempt barely gets you the final result; anyway, I am there to help to overcome the difficulties (which is an approach in Science education that gives students good experience to enable them to work further on more independently. I am used to correct and edit, to teach and explain, to discuss findings and help to do work in a proper way. That’s just all right, that’s the process of learning. But in that case, I was absolutely disappointed.