Procrastinating until very last moments to take online exams

[Puget]

I've been banging my head in despair for a year due to this issue, but for different reasons.  Many of my students simply do NOT own a computer.  Or if someone they live with owns a computer, their smartphone is still often the only internet connected device that is theirs and not shared with a household.  Our "student success" folks are shocked that students are attempting to take classes on their phones ("But they shouldn't!").  It's not that the students are being lazy.  A phone is really all they have.

I noticed this a few years ago regarding printers. There was a time when most students had their own printers, but then that declined so that students showed up the day they were to hand in some (paper) document, asking where they could print on campus. (It was weird that evn though they had apparently never owned a printer, they had never figured out how to get something printed. Did they never once have to hand in something on paper in high school?)

I've never owned a printer. Of course, I've always had academic offices to print things in. I'm always vaguely contemplating whether I should buy one.. In theory, it would sometimes make my life easier, but I'm always worried that, in practice, I'd always be running out of paper and ink.

One small positive of the current situation is that it has forced many antiquated processes to finally go paperless. For example, it shouldn't have taken this for the registrar's office to stop require paper add forms for certain classes, but it did, and if you actually have to change the process it is easy to just allow students to add them with consent codes like every other class. . .

I've stopped printing almost anything --Everything can be turned in on the LMS, the syllabus is online, and if they really want a paper copy they can print it them selves.

[AvidReader]

One thing that drives me crazy about my current campus, as I have noted elsewhere, is that there is no easy way for faculty to print things (unless we buy our own exorbitantly priced printer credits, which come only in batches of 100 and expire at the end of each semester). The official line is that we are "paperless." We are not. I am required to print and sign numerous documents every month. This is the first place I have ever taught at which faculty have neither print allowances nor printing capabilities.

On the original topic of this thread, I had several students last semester who did not begin their two-hour final exam until its final hour. It was not the wisest choice.

AR.

[Vkw10]

I've been banging my head in despair for a year due to this issue, but for different reasons.  Many of my students simply do NOT own a computer.  Or if someone they live with owns a computer, their smartphone is still often the only internet connected device that is theirs and not shared with a household.  Our "student success" folks are shocked that students are attempting to take classes on their phones ("But they shouldn't!").  It's not that the students are being lazy.  A phone is really all they have.

I noticed this a few years ago regarding printers. There was a time when most students had their own printers, but then that declined so that students showed up the day they were to hand in some (paper) document, asking where they could print on campus. (It was weird that evn though they had apparently never owned a printer, they had never figured out how to get something printed. Did they never once have to hand in something on paper in high school?)

I've never owned a printer. Of course, I've always had academic offices to print things in. I'm always vaguely contemplating whether I should buy one.. In theory, it would sometimes make my life easier, but I'm always worried that, in practice, I'd always be running out of paper and ink.

I owned a high speed laser printer and used it extensively for many years, but my printing gradually declined as more people used online documents. When my printer died about four years ago, I switched over to printing at Office Depot, Fed Ex, etc. Works well, so I won't buy another printer as long as those options are available nearby.

[bacardiandlime]

I'm old-school enough that I print out article drafts before submitting. Somehow errors & typos are invisible to me on the screen, but glaringly obvious on paper.

[marshwiggle]

I owned a high speed laser printer and used it extensively for many years, but my printing gradually declined as more people used online documents. When my printer died about four years ago, I switched over to printing at Office Depot, Fed Ex, etc. Works well, so I won't buy another printer as long as those options are available nearby.

Your experience fits with my point; at one time, it was very convenient for students to have their own printers so they could print off their own documents rather than having to print on campus facilities. What surprised me was the appearance of students who apparently had never had to have a printed copy of anything so they didn't know how or where to print on campus, and just started trying to figure it out the day something was due.

[Caracal]

I owned a high speed laser printer and used it extensively for many years, but my printing gradually declined as more people used online documents. When my printer died about four years ago, I switched over to printing at Office Depot, Fed Ex, etc. Works well, so I won't buy another printer as long as those options are available nearby.

Your experience fits with my point; at one time, it was very convenient for students to have their own printers so they could print off their own documents rather than having to print on campus facilities. What surprised me was the appearance of students who apparently had never had to have a printed copy of anything so they didn't know how or where to print on campus, and just started trying to figure it out the day something was due.

I'd guess that is because fewer professors now require paper copies to be submitted. Every couple of years, I have to fax some document to someone, but because I do it so rarely, it is always a giant pain. I think you can still do it on copy machines? But, I go so long between faxing that I don't remember how, and there's probably a new machine anyway. You can take it to Kinko's I guess, but do you have to buy ones of those cards? Years ago, I figured out how to use some computer fax thing, but maybe it's different now?

I'm assuming there are lots of students who basically feel like that about printing. Besides, school printing systems always seem to be sort of a disaster. I printed things all the time as an undergrad, but it seemed like everytime I had 5 minutes to print out a paper before class, the thing would vanish on the way to the printer, or take forever to show up, or the printer would be out of paper and I'd have to run off to try to find a different computer to print on.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Students have a test due tonight. It's been open since Monday, so of course, they're asking me questions now.

Stu: "Is the formula sheet on the test?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the Testing Rules handout (*that has been up for about a week)." * Wanted to say, but didn't.

Stu: "I couldn't finish the test. We only had an hour. Is that the right time?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the syllabus that all tests are one hour long."

So frustrating.

[OneMoreYear]

Students have a test due tonight. It's been open since Monday, so of course, they're asking me questions now.

Stu: "Is the formula sheet on the test?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the Testing Rules handout (*that has been up for about a week)." * Wanted to say, but didn't.

Stu: "I couldn't finish the test. We only had an hour. Is that the right time?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the syllabus that all tests are one hour long."

So frustrating.

Turn off your email. Problem Solved!


The first major assignment for one of my courses is due Friday. Half the class has completed and uploaded it (woot!). 33% of the class has not started it (there are specific scaffolding steps involved, so I can see progress).  I foresee the possibility of a bimodal grade distribution in my future.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Students have a test due tonight. It's been open since Monday, so of course, they're asking me questions now.

Stu: "Is the formula sheet on the test?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the Testing Rules handout (*that has been up for about a week)." * Wanted to say, but didn't.

Stu: "I couldn't finish the test. We only had an hour. Is that the right time?"

Me: "Yes it is. It's in the syllabus that all tests are one hour long."

So frustrating.

Turn off your email. Problem Solved!


The first major assignment for one of my courses is due Friday. Half the class has completed and uploaded it (woot!). 33% of the class has not started it (there are specific scaffolding steps involved, so I can see progress).  I foresee the possibility of a bimodal grade distribution in my future.

Lol. I wish I could turn my email off. We're also required to respond to email within 24 hours (someone else mentioned it in another thread).

[OneMoreYear]

Lol. I wish I could turn my email off. We're also required to respond to email within 24 hours (someone else mentioned it in another thread).

I respond to email pretty quickly, particularly now that all my courses are online, but no one has mandated I respond within a certain time period. Who is in charge of making sure that all faculty are meeting this requirement?  I'm pretty sure my chair has more pressing issues to deal with than if I'm responding to student email within 24 hours or if it takes 48 hours.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Lol. I wish I could turn my email off. We're also required to respond to email within 24 hours (someone else mentioned it in another thread).

I respond to email pretty quickly, particularly now that all my courses are online, but no one has mandated I respond within a certain time period. Who is in charge of making sure that all faculty are meeting this requirement?  I'm pretty sure my chair has more pressing issues to deal with than if I'm responding to student email within 24 hours or if it takes 48 hours.

We have some crazy politics over here.

[clean]

Off track some.

Last Spring I had a student email me on Friday night about 8 pm.  The students question was why there were penalty points assessed if he turned in his exam after the deadline.  The deadline was 96 hours in the future. 

Saturday morning, student resends exact same email. 
At 6pm on Saturday, student prefaces the exact same email with "AS you have ignored my other very important messages about this class, I have no choice but to email the Dean and report that my instructor is ignoring my very critical question".

At 745, I emailed something like this to the student, "I am sorry that you are under the mistaken impression that faculty are required to answer emails within a few hours, much less twenty-four hours, or even at all on weekends!  I do not share your belief that a question about the consequences for missing a deadline that is more than 96 hours away from the time of the initial email was 'critical'. Life is full of deadlines, and missing those deadlines often involves consequences. 
I do encourage you to email the Dean your concerns, but I insist that you include that you DID, in fact, get a reply within 24 hours of your initial email and that it was ON A WEEKEND.  Please let me know what the Dean replies. " 

Who has set these students up with the expectation that faculty are 'ignoring' them if we fail to answer emails sent at 2am before 5am?

BUT, if THEY miss a test deadline, even after being sent multiple reminders (which they claim they dont get BECAUSE they dont check their university email, even in an ONLINE class, when  the syllabus explicitly  notes that the university email system IS the primary channel of communication}....  IF THEY miss a deadline, it is 'unfair' that there even WAS a deadline and that they should have another opportunity... THIS time Open Note, Open book, Open network, and with NO time limit!


On Monday, I extended the deadline for everything that had been due the entire term to date to last night.(2 chapter's worth of assignments as we started the term late).   (I gave them 18 hours to catch up!)  I told the class today that there will be no more extensions this term and to plan accordingly.  IF they miss future deadlines, not to worry, they will  have about 6 months before the deadline for these assignments will roll around again. 

I close with this quote from a former department chair.  He would tell his classes, "We are a Full Service University.  We have a grade for everyone."

[bacardiandlime]

Who has set these students up with the expectation that faculty are 'ignoring' them if we fail to answer emails sent at 2am before 5am?

I don't reply at weekends. At all. And I've noticed that a huge proportion of "urgent" crises at 2am on Saturday have actually solved themselves by Monday (students have found the required info elsewhere).
Anything that's a real problem will still be a problem when I get back to work.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I usually don't respond on weekends either. I know they told us 24 hours, but it's in my syllabus that I don't respond on weekends.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Clean:

Did the student or the Dean ever get back to you? I'm curious to know. :)