<p>It’s not the professor’s job to teach basic computing skills unless that’s the actual class he/she’s teaching. This is no different from some parents I’ve heard who felt that professors in humanities/social science courses should also be expected to teach basic writing skills on top of course material and is IMO, a mistake. </p>
<p>Here lies the road to LCD teaching which has plagued US K-12 public education and some universities…including one in my area whose once stellar academic reputation tanked after the late '60s due to policies which ended up promoting this. Something which fortunately wasn’t tolerated at my urban public HS…sometimes to the point of extreme bluntness by some teachers I’ve had. </p>
<p>At the very best, the Prof. should refer the student to campus resources more appropriate to handling that and I agree with Hanna that undergrads should be much more resourceful than some here seem to expect.</p>