The Mail

[apl68]

All that said, I do agree that you as a professor need to get yourself access to a printer. You really should not be without. And if you're requiring students to mail you stuff, you really must not be without. There will ALWAYS be a few students who are going to mess something up or have something bad happen to their hardcopies. For those students, it falls on the professor's responsibility to have alternative submission options for student emergencies. Buy a printer, borrow a printer, or go to campus and use your printer there.

As an update, for what it is worth, I have posted a note on Blackboard clarifying that students do not have to go to the post office if they feel unsafe and I apologized for not taking into account that we are in a pandemic.

And for the record, I do have access to a printer. I have one in the department, and access to others. I can pay the "multiservices" store across the street to use theirs if it is urgent. I got rid of my printer--just like I got rid of my fax machine, my record player, and my VHS machine--in part because I do not have room to put it in my apartment, but I should try to find something.

[Not having a printer is also a way to force myself to only print stuff that I think I need to print. I put everything I want to print on my USB stick and then print it out when I get to my office, by which time at least half of the material no longer seems that useful.]

It is true that there will always be some students who cannot print something out. Just like there are always some students who will not make the deadline, but that doesn't mean I should eliminate deadlines.

I suppose that I should have gone into my office to print out the papers. The problem is that the school frowns upon printing stuff in large quantities (we are not supposed to print out the syllabi for the students, either, in a normal period). Also, I cannot expect the students to submit the paper by any particular time; even today, two days after the deadline to upload the paper, only half the students have submitted their papers via Blackboard. I could probably have figured something out, but, to be honest, I just mechanically applied my normal policy to a situation with a pandemic.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to reflect on this issue.

Given the pile-on you've experienced, I think you're handling your reflection very gracefully. 

[apl68]

Residential students living in dormitories are perhaps the only student demographic that one might reasonably assume to not have personal printer access. This demographic will use the campus printing centers, so there's no problem for them. Everybody else? They have home printers, or can easily drive themselves to a CVS, Walgreens, Staples, Office Depot, UPS Store, public libraries, their own workplace, etc... where document printing services are offered. I mean come on people! What do you think that regular folks who don't work at universities do to print stuff out if they don't have a home printer? Duh, everybody needs to print stuff out occasionally for something. They use a local service from the bazillion local retailers in their area. These services are everywhere.

Ahh, brings back memories of when I was in school, living 40 minutes away from the nearest town (not by choice, I worked there and was kindly provided a room too), and my car broke down. Being quite poor after having spent all my money on tuition and textbooks, I couldn't afford to fix it. It was summer and I was taking online classes so thankfully I did not miss classes, but if I had been required to get to town to mail something it would have been very difficult. There are lots of reasons why a student may have trouble getting somewhere.

Yes, rural students have far fewer options.  Our library is the only option for public printing, or very close to it, in a substantial radius.  At least we haven't had to do like some less well-funded libraries and hike the cost of printing to use it as a cash cow to keep the doors open.  We just charge for printing to recover costs and avoid the abuse that would be inevitable if word got out that we printed for free.  When I worked at a university library we had free (to the patron) printing.  The wastage of "free" paper and toner was absolutely grotesque.

[Langue_doc]

As an update, for what it is worth, I have posted a note on Blackboard clarifying that students do not have to go to the post office if they feel unsafe and I apologized for not taking into account that we are in a pandemic.

And for the record, I do have access to a printer. I have one in the department, and access to others. I can pay the "multiservices" store across the street to use theirs if it is urgent. I got rid of my printer--just like I got rid of my fax machine, my record player, and my VHS machine--in part because I do not have room to put it in my apartment, but I should try to find something.

[Not having a printer is also a way to force myself to only print stuff that I think I need to print. I put everything I want to print on my USB stick and then print it out when I get to my office, by which time at least half of the material no longer seems that useful.]

It is true that there will always be some students who cannot print something out. Just like there are always some students who will not make the deadline, but that doesn't mean I should eliminate deadlines.

I suppose that I should have gone into my office to print out the papers. The problem is that the school frowns upon printing stuff in large quantities (we are not supposed to print out the syllabi for the students, either, in a normal period). Also, I cannot expect the students to submit the paper by any particular time; even today, two days after the deadline to upload the paper, only half the students have submitted their papers via Blackboard. I could probably have figured something out, but, to be honest, I just mechanically applied my normal policy to a situation with a pandemic.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to reflect on this issue.

Given the pile-on you've experienced, I think you're handling your reflection very gracefully.

+1. I do have strong feelings about the post offices in my neck of the woods based on my experiences on the two occasions I ventured to one of their locations this year.

[lightning]

Remarkable that anyone should suggest that it is the professor's responsibility to print out hard-copy papers for entitled students.   I insist on hard-copies, because I red-ink the snot out of them.   And because I am the professor.

Regrettable that an instructor believes that students read term papers covered with red-inked comments when the semester has ended.

Hey, I used to read mine . . . .

[kaysixteen]

The fact that student x does not deign to come and get papers after the semester ends, when they are clearly available, does not mitigate against the professor's responsibility to thoroughly comment on them.

[Hegemony]

I question the idea that it's okay to require mailing because the student does not have to go to the post office; students can buy envelopes and stamps at the supermarket. First of all, it's unclear how much it's going to cost to mail an essay of several pages — probably more than your basic 55-cent stamp. So somehow the student has to get the thing weighed, which probably means going to the post office. And first they have to get the envelope from somewhere, so that may mean going to the supermarket and the post office — not a reduction in risk at all.

I'll interject here that my son took an online class in Korean this year. One of the assignments was to go to a Korean restaurant and order something. Son is living with me; I am immune-compromised. We have been completely isolated for more than a year, because if I get the virus, my chances are not good. We get all groceries delivered; we literally have not been to any commercial establishment in more than a year. And yet when my son told the Korean instructor that he could not go to a Korean restaurant, she argued with him about how easy it would be. We're in a pandemic!  People take online classes in a pandemic precisely so they don't have to interact with others!  Requiring them to go out and interact with others to fulfill the requirements of the course is not only perverse; in some cases it could make a real difference to people's health. Why anyone would devise an assignment that requires that is beyond me.

[spork]

The fact that student x does not deign to come and get papers after the semester ends, when they are clearly available, does not mitigate against the professor's responsibility to thoroughly comment on them.

I thought the professor's responsibility was to help students learn.

[Charlotte]

The fact that student x does not deign to come and get papers after the semester ends, when they are clearly available, does not mitigate against the professor's responsibility to thoroughly comment on them.

What's with the assumptions you have made about students? "Entitled student" and "does not deign" suggest that you know exactly what is happening with your students and why they do or do not do something. Could it be that there are circumstances you are unaware of and your assumptions could be wrong?

You might be right, you might be wrong, but either way it does no harm to view students in a more positive manner.

[Caracal]

I suppose that I should have gone into my office to print out the papers. The problem is that the school frowns upon printing stuff in large quantities (we are not supposed to print out the syllabi for the students, either, in a normal period). Also, I cannot expect the students to submit the paper by any particular time; even today, two days after the deadline to upload the paper, only half the students have submitted their papers via Blackboard. I could probably have figured something out, but, to be honest, I just mechanically applied my normal policy to a situation with a pandemic.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to reflect on this issue.

Given the pile-on you've experienced, I think you're handling your reflection very gracefully.
[/quote]

Agree, we all have these moments sometimes. Part of being in charge of things is occasionally making the wrong call and it speaks well of you that you're willing to just cop to a small misjudgment. In the larger context, the whole thing is no big deal.

On late papers...I know this will drive some people crazy, but I really don't care if papers are a little late as long as they arrive eventually. I pretty much have institutionalized this as a policy in my classes at this point. For example, in my upper level class, papers were due on Monday this week. I told the whole class that, while that was the deadline and it was designed to help get the paper done before finals, but if they had a bunch of things due at the same time and a few extra days would be helpful, they should just email me requesting an extension and I'd grant it. About half the class turned the thing in on time, and the other half asked for the extension and I told them they could have till Friday. Almost everybody has turned it in by now.

This isn't hard to manage, because I don't actually keep track of who asked for an extension and who didn't. If you don't email me and just turn the thing in late, I don't take off any points or even notice usually. I'll go through this afternoon and make sure there aren't any unexpected missing papers from students who are on track to pass the course and if there are I'll email those students. It all works fine and saves me the trouble of worrying about late papers.

[kaysixteen]

You do realize that good, thoughtful professorial comments are an integral part of helping students learn, right?   I wonder why you would denigrate doing this?   

I am also always willing to send the student their paper US mail, if they provide a paid envelope.

[Caracal]

You do realize that good, thoughtful professorial comments are an integral part of helping students learn, right?   I wonder why you would denigrate doing this?   

I am also always willing to send the student their paper US mail, if they provide a paid envelope.

I always provide comments on final papers by request and tell students that. However, I can grade so much more quickly when I don't do it, I'm so pressed for time at the end of the semester and I know that most students won't look at them. Spork is being sort of a jerk, however.

[marshwiggle]

You do realize that good, thoughtful professorial comments are an integral part of helping students learn, right?   I wonder why you would denigrate doing this?   

I am also always willing to send the student their paper US mail, if they provide a paid envelope.

I always provide comments on final papers by request and tell students that. However, I can grade so much more quickly when I don't do it, I'm so pressed for time at the end of the semester and I know that most students won't look at them.

I can't remember where I read it, but one prof had a brilliant take on this. There were 2 due dates for a paper; early and final. Papers submitted by the "early" date would get detailed comments, and would be returned so students could revise and resubmit. Papers submitted by the "final" date would just get graded; no comments at all. The few students motivated enough to submit by the early date would read the comments and benefit; the vast majority who submitted at the "final" date didn't care about comments, and the prof didn't need to waste time on them.

[Golazo]

When I have a small enough upper level class I have done group tutorials on student essays--everyone has to read the three essays for the day, and then we read parts aloud and comment on the writing as well as the argument. This is quite polarizing, as some students like it a lot while others find it mortifying, but at least some students are clearly benefiting from feedback. I've become quite tired of making extensive comments for no avail.

[downer]

I give feedback to all students via a rubric now. But I only put written comments on paper drafts. Sometimes I require drafts, sometimes I don't. If a school wants to really prioritize writing skills, then it should designate a course as "writing intensive" and limit the number of students in the class.

Teaching these days is very much about being efficient, and writing detailed comments on work that most students won't read and won't act on is a bad use of my time.

[Caracal]

You do realize that good, thoughtful professorial comments are an integral part of helping students learn, right?   I wonder why you would denigrate doing this?   

I am also always willing to send the student their paper US mail, if they provide a paid envelope.

I always provide comments on final papers by request and tell students that. However, I can grade so much more quickly when I don't do it, I'm so pressed for time at the end of the semester and I know that most students won't look at them.

I can't remember where I read it, but one prof had a brilliant take on this. There were 2 due dates for a paper; early and final. Papers submitted by the "early" date would get detailed comments, and would be returned so students could revise and resubmit. Papers submitted by the "final" date would just get graded; no comments at all. The few students motivated enough to submit by the early date would read the comments and benefit; the vast majority who submitted at the "final" date didn't care about comments, and the prof didn't need to waste time on them.

Maybe I'll try that sometime. My policy now is that if students want to meet with me, I'll happily read anything they give me and discuss ways to improve it with them.