A Galveston College instructor, who is also the director of electrical and electronic technology program at the schools, has resigned after a student alleged the instructor sent him tests and answers to those tests.
Robert Shields earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in 2011, according to his online school bio.
"Very troublesome. Mr. Shields, head of the electrical electronics program voluntarily resigned," Dr. W. Myles Shelton, president of Galveston College, said.
The community college was recently named the best community college in Texas by the website schools.com.
"I just don't think he was meant to be a teacher," Josh Araujo, a former Galveston College, student said.
Araujo, who could have used the answers to gain certification, instead notified several people at the college, a fact confirmed with the school's president.
Araujo said that Shields was not well-organized and not well-acquainted with the material, and failed to properly proctor exams over the three-semester course, which is designed to help students earn a necessary trade endorsement in the construction industry.
It is unclear exactly how many other students, if any, also received the tests and their answers.
Shelton was not sure Friday if Araujo and any other students would receive a refund. Aruajo said he spent about $3,600 on the courses.
The Texas attorney general's Consumer Protection Division sometimes investigates fraudulent certifications, but it was unclear Friday whether any students obtained endorsements under suspect circumstances.
