The professor said my placement of them in partial shade was incorrect... that they should be planted in full sun. The professor was new and he was from Dallas, TX... where azaleas are correctly planted in full sun. But I knew I was right for placement in central Oklahoma... so I appealed his grade. The head of our department straightened out the professor and the grade was changed. I respected the professor... I just didn't like the grade.
The situation inadvertently taught me an important lesson... that the designer, the design, the soil, the water and the weather combine to form gardens specifically suited to their site. In garden design you cannot take what you learned in one place and move it across the country and expect the same results. A lot of gardening and garden knowledge is site specific.
Of course, that just makes it more challenging and fun...