Is it time for college students to demand that their professors speak fluent and clear English?

[Cheektowaga_Chester]

I agree with the sentiment of the original poster (and other posters). I majored in electrical engineering. Only a couple out of maybe 15 professors were Americans. The rest were foreigners with pretty thick accents. Bummer.

What can be done about it?
Complain to the department.
[Have the department or school] Evaluate professors' communication ability - especially verbal. But who is going to force them to do it?
Not solving the problem: take a different professor's class.

It all comes down to supply and demand. These guys are probably smart guys who have other attractive attributes (research, attracting top students, etc). They (with PhDs and experience) also are probably working for a lot less than they would be in industry.

[13th Alphabet]

I've had many foreign professors during my college career; some with accents heavier than others of course. From my experiences, most were not that hard to understand with a little extra effort placed into listening.

Not directed at the OP but generally speaking, too many times I've seen where the instructor's accent magically becomes a "factor" at a time when it is convenient for the student. I feel if their accent is really that big of a factor, a big fuss should be made within the first few weeks of the course, not a week before finals when you realize you might be screwed if you don't pass the final exam.

[mm_mary73]

How 'bout we require students to be able to speak fluent and clear English: "No ahm sane?" (Know what I'm saying?)