I would tell him ASAP.
I would tell him what you think went wrong.
I would tell him what you will be doing differently this time.
I would discuss how you will deal with having to pay for this course again. Can you pay for it over time? Can you take an extra class in a semester?
Also realize as an IT person you need to know JAVA. Not “oh, a c- is okay” but “A c- shows that I do not understand this enough to be able to use it in my job.”
DOn’t say the “professor is bad, lots of people did bad” but “the professor didn’t discuss various functions but we had to learn them on our own. I did not take that into account when estimating how long the program would take. I will be taking it again and now know to read and understand the chapter before starting. I have also formed a study group and will be at the professor’s office hours early when i have an issue.”
I was a bit shocked to read you’re using UML, which does make me wonder about your professor. I thought that died out 15 years ago
It’s really not the professor’s fault, it’s the course coordinator. He’s the one that decides what to do and how much everything is worth. The professor can only do so much.
As a twist, consider the upside - you now have the opportunity to replace that C- minus grade in your major with a much higher grade. This is good! And simply by repeating the course, your skills will be strengthened.
Telling your dad is tough, I get that, but it is NOT like you failed the course. You came very close to the necessary grade and oftentimes, the difference between a C- and say, a B-, is not all that great. You can pull it up. You’ve chosen a tough major and there will be bumps in the road but it seems like you are on a good path.
I suggest…just tell him and the sooner the better. Make it clear that you’ve got a plan for improving. Include in this plan your intent to meet with the professor very early in the semester and then regularly to be sure you are on top of every single assignment and prepared for each exam. You could even arrange for a tutor in advance, to help you from the very first week of classes. This tutor might be able to help you establish a structure that will help in this course and in other courses as well.
As a dad that has a good relationship with my kids… Just tell him or even show him this thread. I would go to your learning resource center like now and sit down and get help with organization, and learning skills. This way you can tell him what your plan is going forward. That shows responsibility! . Heh college is tough and I am sure your dad had some grades he rather not show you… College is not race and don’t worry if it takes 4 or 5 years. Colleges constantly state the 5-6 year graduation rates. We all want our kids to do it in 4 years but sometimes that is not how life works. It really won’t make a bit of difference when you are working full-time and in your 30’s. Good luck but be proactive now. Don’t procrastinate…
Reminds me of the C I got in my chemistry major junior year. It got awfully quiet in the short car ride home for winter break after I told my father. Still got the honors chemistry degree (had a high enough gpa along with courses needed) and went to medical school. Other friends got a C as well- it was a torture class taught by a well renowned theoretical chemistry professor who couldn’t make the mathematical symbols relate to reality for me. My father had much higher expectations for me compared to my siblings- based on my outstanding HS career.
I understand why you need to retake the class. You likely need the foundation for other CS work. Mastery of the material likely will help you master other CS work.
All of us have bumps in the road. As others state, get the reporting of it over with. He’ll adjust.
One more quick thing. Since you have had academic trouble in the past you might want to be evaluated for accommodations. The learning resource center should again be able to help you. Sometimes the little things can make a big difference like extended time or a quiet room for test taking, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That is why these resources are available to you.
When my engineering kid had to retake a calc class, she had to pay for it. She gave me all the same reasons, prof bad, didn’t teach, etc. I suspect she didn’t put in the time she should have.
But then she took it over the summer and got an A. Then I was thinking maybe it was the teacher(?), but she still has to pay for any re-do’s. That’s the plan we made when she started school. Maybe if you pay for the redo it will go a long way in easing your dads temper.
NeedPlanB I was referring to the OP’s reference to “working with his father”, not the issue of grades and money.
And sure enough, the Dad is “in the field.” So this is a more complex interaction with the son not doing well in the Dad’s field.
I do think that part of maturing is moving beyond parental help in academics- however skilled the parent- to resources on campus, and the orginal poster has written that he or she is going to do exactly that.
Ah, but it always feels so good to blame the professor, don’t it?
And here you have exactly the reason I caution against going to a parent (or even some tutors) for help. Now our OP student thinks he knows better than the professor and can/should just ignore any directives to use some “obsolete” methodology. Meanwhile, the professor/coordinator may have reasons for approaching it this way. Right or wrong, you have to produce what they ask you to produce or you get a C-. You don’t get to decide that you know better.
But- it obviously does make a difference at OP’s school or he wouldn’t need to retake the course. We do assume he already knows this. Otherwise he’s in for a happy surprise- OP be sure on this before you get Dad upset.
Regarding course content. From my scant knowledge of how courses were run in CS at son’s U I can imagine the process of learning a programming language (or other material) may be more important than the actual language. Learning how to learn (just as it was for medical school- the facts we learned became outdated quickly but learning them in a fashion to adapt to new ones was the key). We sometimes forget that what we learned so long ago helps us keep learning as knowledge advanced and our old college skills became obsolete. Why would anyone study Latin after all? Yet it is useful in understanding so much language in use today.
As a dad, here is how I like my news:
Status/Action/Detail.
For example,
Good News / No Action Required / I got a scholarship
Bad(?) News / No Action Required / I am retaking the Java course due to a C-
Neutral News / Signature Required / I want you to sign my petition on net neutrality
Bad News / Extra Money Required / I am retaking the Java course due to a C-
That helps my thought pattern to set up most quickly instead of having to parse through a bunch or rambling. Some judgment can be applied to the status. Once I hear it is Bad News, I immediately erase expectations of pleasure and switch to problem-processing mode. Once I know if I have to do anything about it, I can know if I should activate my priority-sorting mode. If I know it’s good news, I can relax the problem-solving circuits and listen more openly.
Your news is so short, however, that it can be told in one whack - “Dad, I am retaking this course due to a C-.” The dad can decide if the news is good or bad or if he has any actions. Do you delay because you anticipate dad response vectors that would be undesired?
College is all about transitioning into adulthood. That is a learning experience for both you and your dad. Talk to him as others have suggested…there were some great ideas. And remember…this is a good life lesson for work…as a manager I want people not to just come to me with problems but with solutions. It sounds like you are on that track…make sure you approach it that way. Best of luck.