In the United States, teaching is very important. If teachers do not teach well, students will complain. If many students do not understand, people think that the teacher does not do a good job. The teacher has big responsibility to make sure students understand. In a sense, students are consumers(消费者)and the teacher is offering services
Students have the right to evaluate(评价)their teachers , and they usually do so at the end of each course. That evaluation includes lots of aspects of teaching, such as preparation, explanation, using good examples, answering questions, and organization of classes.
Students are suppose to read required textbooks and recommended books before class. Without reading them, they will find it very difficult to understand the class. Basic courses on doing research and writing papers are taught at the beginning of the program. Students are expected to apply what they have learned to their studies
Classes are usually divided into lectures and seminars(讨论会). There are some lecture classes, where the teacher just gives a lecture, and students ask questions at the end. Higher level classes involve very little lecturing. They emphasize discussion and presentation(陈述)by the students.