The Mail

[jerseyjay]

I am teaching the senior research course in history this semester. It is not a senior thesis, but the students are required to do a substantial research paper using primary sources. This semester all my classes, including this one, are online.

Because I prefer to read long papers in print, and because I don't have a printer at home, I require the students to print out and mail me a copy of the paper as well as upload a copy to Blackboard. The hard copy does not have to arrive by a certain date, just be postmarked b a certain date (today).

I went over all of this in the last session of the class. I asked them, if they knew how to mail a letter. They all looked at me like I was an idiot. I told them that my own children seem not to know how to mail stuff. I repeated that it only had to be postmarked by a certain date, and that that I suggested just putting it in an envelope and mailing it. Although I live in another state, it is the same metropolitan area and I have several weeks to enter grades. They all looked at me like I was explaining how to tie their shoes.

So far I have had four papers arrive.

One was in an envelope with just enough first class postage, but only had the address, not my name. (Luckily they did put the apartment number.)

One was in an envelope, but with about 5 times the required postage. (And, strangely, was not postmarked at all.)

One was sent via FedEx overnight delivery.

One was in an envelope with the right amount of postage with the correct, full name and address. This student decided to return to college after retiring.

Is it a strange demand to ask them to send me a copy? Could they have really gone this far in life without having to mail something?

[Caracal]

I am teaching the senior research course in history this semester. It is not a senior thesis, but the students are required to do a substantial research paper using primary sources. This semester all my classes, including this one, are online.

Because I prefer to read long papers in print, and because I don't have a printer at home, I require the students to print out and mail me a copy of the paper as well as upload a copy to Blackboard. The hard copy does not have to arrive by a certain date, just be postmarked b a certain date (today).

I went over all of this in the last session of the class. I asked them, if they knew how to mail a letter. They all looked at me like I was an idiot. I told them that my own children seem not to know how to mail stuff. I repeated that it only had to be postmarked by a certain date, and that that I suggested just putting it in an envelope and mailing it. Although I live in another state, it is the same metropolitan area and I have several weeks to enter grades. They all looked at me like I was explaining how to tie their shoes.

So far I have had four papers arrive.

One was in an envelope with just enough first class postage, but only had the address, not my name. (Luckily they did put the apartment number.)

One was in an envelope, but with about 5 times the required postage. (And, strangely, was not postmarked at all.)

One was sent via FedEx overnight delivery.

One was in an envelope with the right amount of postage with the correct, full name and address. This student decided to return to college after retiring.

Is it a strange demand to ask them to send me a copy? Could they have really gone this far in life without having to mail something?

I can't remember the last time I sent something more than a letter or card in the mail. On the rare occasions I do have to send something, it is often time sensitive or large and I use a delivery service. Of course, that doesn't mean I couldn't figure this out easily enough.

I don't think you're asking anything inherently unreasonable, but it might not really be worth it. In your position, I'd be inclined to just go in to my office to print the papers out (although I'm fully vaccinated and might feel a bit more anxious about that if I wasn't...)

[Puget]

It's not that I think you did a terrible thing, but I actually think this is not very reasonable in this day and age. Either accept reading online like most people or buy a printer.  Many of your students may not have easy access to a printer either--You are putting the burden on them to accommodate your preference which is out of step with probably every other class they have or will ever take.

[the_geneticist]

If you really, really want a print copy, then go buy or pay to use a damn printer.  You are putting an undue burden on your students.  What would you do if one of them is overseas?  Insist on a super-expensive international postage?  Give out incomplete while you wait for mail from Indonesia/Italy/Iran?

Yes this is a strange demand and you are being really unfair to your students.

[ergative]

Agree with Puget. This is a very weird policy for an online class. You should be using university resources for university business. That means physical hand-in for in-person classes, or online submission for online classes. Your policy means that students have to use third parties to submit their work, and also requires that all of them have access to a printer.

The most efficient solution is not to require 30 students to buy a printer and ship 30 papers, but for you to buy one printer.

[Aster]

You are teaching college seniors. They're *seniors*. And it sounds like you are running a capstone course for their major. Which is, I'm also assuming, *history*.

Of course they should be able to figure out print mailing. If not, that is a basic job skill for this major, and I commend you on your ability to integrate that skillset into your curriculum.

[Wahoo Redux]

Things change:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OADXNGnJok

I don't know how to ride a horse.

[Caracal]

You are teaching college seniors. They're *seniors*. And it sounds like you are running a capstone course for their major. Which is, I'm also assuming, *history*.

Of course they should be able to figure out print mailing. If not, that is a basic job skill for this major, and I commend you on your ability to integrate that skillset into your curriculum.

On second thought, I think it is unreasonable given the circumstances. If students are all on campus, they all have easy access to printers. As it is, they may not. COVID also complicates things for students without a printer. You don't want to be requiring students to go into some place to print something out right now when not everyone has had a chance to get fully vaccinated yet.

[Langue_doc]

It's not that I think you did a terrible thing, but I actually think this is not very reasonable in this day and age. Either accept reading online like most people or buy a printer.  Many of your students may not have easy access to a printer either--You are putting the burden on them to accommodate your preference which is out of step with probably every other class they have or will ever take.

OP, you're also asking your students to go to a post office and stand in line in order to mail their assignments.

[clean]

Is it a strange demand to ask them to send me a copy? Could they have really gone this far in life without having to mail something?

I agree with those that advocate YOU BUY A PRINTER!!

Your preference to avoid reading on the compute is NOT THEIR PROBLEM!  Why should they undergo the expense and inconvenience of mailing something because it is too 'inconvenient" to you to either make a trip to your office or BUY A (profanity) PRINTER!

Look.  I more than understand. I have Meniere's Disease.  There are times that reading the computer for long stretches makes me physically ill, for a few days!  I make the trip to the office and print on the office machine IF it is a lot of printing, or use my own printer to print.

There are probably A LOT of things your students can not do... drive a stick shift, dial a rotary phone, go a day without texting! or as someone noted above, ride a horse. 
HOWEVER, YOU need to BUY A PRINTER because in the scheme of things, improper postage is a lesser problem than forcing your students to PAY for your failure to just BUY  A PRINTER!



Perhaps a new thread on What Today's Students no longer do/know.
I would add:
Carry cash
Write a Check
MAIL a Check!

[Wahoo Redux]

Actually, I have ridden a horse.  I just didn't like it.  And I had only as much control as the horse was willing to give me.  I don't know how those rodeo riders do it.

[Aster]

If you're wanting to make this part of the job training that goes into a specific college major where this particular job skill is very much a thing and graduates should definitely know and practice how to use the postal system, then it's a wonderful idea and I applaud you for forward thinking and for improving the hard skills of your history majors.

But if you're just wanting hardcopies for your personal assessment scoring preferences, I agree with everybody else.

[spork]

If you're wanting to make this part of the job training that goes into a specific college major where this particular job skill is very much a thing and graduates should definitely know and practice how to use the postal system, then it's a wonderful idea and I applaud you for forward thinking and for improving the hard skills of your history majors.

But if you're just wanting hardcopies for your personal assessment scoring preferences, I agree with everybody else.

It reflects why the proportion of history majors has plummeted over the last two decades.

[wellfleet]

If how to mail a printed document that weighs more than an ounce is in your course learning outcomes, go to town. But it shouldn't be, and if you want printouts from your online students, I agree you should do the printing yourself.

You are mailing them all back, right? That appropriately puts your preferences (and the expense thereof) on you. If you're using university mail to cover the cost, imagine not doing that. 

[apl68]

Actually, I have ridden a horse.  I just didn't like it.  And I had only as much control as the horse was willing to give me.  I don't know how those rodeo riders do it.

Well, truth to tell I suspect that even in the days when one either rode a horse or Shank's Mare not everybody who had to do the former really cared for having to do it.