Favorite student emails

[jerseyjay]

In one of my classes, I divided the students into groups and had them exchange papers and critique them. I posted the groups in Blackboard and told the students to use the message feature to contact one another. The students had two weeks to do this.

Today I got the following email from a student:
"Is there any way I can do the group project alone? I don't know how to get in touch with my group and I feel like I would be better off working on my own. "

[biop_grad]

In one of my classes, I divided the students into groups and had them exchange papers and critique them. I posted the groups in Blackboard and told the students to use the message feature to contact one another. The students had two weeks to do this.

Today I got the following email from a student:
"Is there any way I can do the group project alone? I don't know how to get in touch with my group and I feel like I would be better off working on my own. "

While that's a very lame/non-excuse for the student, I've always given fairly concrete sub-deadlines for discussions where appropriate so that they will hopefully get it.  Perhaps consider having them share papers using the LMS?

(FWIW: Canvas has a peer review feature for this purpose).

[jerseyjay]

Well what got me was not that she couldn't get ahold of her group mates, which is, well, whatever (although I know that her group mates had emailed her). Given the situation of the world, I will overlook this.

What gets me is that she wants to do a group project by herself. When the group project consisted of reading other people's papers.

[polly_mer]

What gets me is that she wants to do a group project by herself. When the group project consisted of reading other people's papers.

I know some managers and program leaders who have this same mindset.  That type of group project is even easier to do alone than a typical group project.

[Hegemony]

I think it's not that she thinks she can "exchange papers" and do the group project, as designed, all by herself. What she means is, "Since I don't know how to get hold of my group, is there another way I can do something to get a reasonable grade on this, instead of just failing it?  I'm willing to do something, but I can't get my group together.  Is there a way I could do something else?"  I think it's a fair question.

[marshwiggle]

I think it's not that she thinks she can "exchange papers" and do the group project, as designed, all by herself. What she means is, "Since I don't know how to get hold of my group, is there another way I can do something to get a reasonable grade on this, instead of just failing it?  I'm willing to do something, but I can't get my group together.  Is there a way I could do something else?"  I think it's a fair question.

That depends on how long it was from the time the assignment was given until she emailed her instructor. If she had problems contacting group members and emailed the instructor within a day or two, that's reasonable, but if she let a week or more go by before trying to sort it out, then it seems pretty clear she was trying to avoid it from Day 1.

[Hegemony]

Well, I'd dispute that if she waited a week or more, she was trying to avoid the assignment. My son, a high school senior, has a required group project this semester, now turned into an online group project. He's been waiting for the other group members to contact him and get it going, basically because he's shy. He does know them in real life, but they're not close friends. After quite some time, and some egging on from me, he sent out a message about "Should we get this project going?" No answer from anyone. I said, "Are you sure you have their right contact details?" He said, "I thought so. But how would I know?" Which is a fair point. Finally sent out a second query. No answer from anyone. Now, ideally he should have sent out a message the first day or so. But he didn't. I can imagine this same scenario playing out in college.

This is yet another reason I hate group projects and never assign them. They depend so much on everyone being responsible and pulling their weight, and how often does that happen? And the other students have little leverage if it doesn't.

[jerseyjay]

Well, to get into the weeds: this assignment was to take the place of what we would normally do in class: have each student bring in a copy of his or her term paper, get into groups with two or three other students, read each other's drafts, and offer thoughts.
The students have been working on the final project--which is worth about 40 per cent of the final grade--the entire semester, and have done two rounds of revisions based on my feedback. I am sick of reading them and do not want to read them again until they are final, but I wanted the students to get the benefit of a fresh pair of eyes.


Anybody who writes up comments on his or her group's drafts gets full credit for the assignment (which is worth about 2.5% of the total grade). If a group member went awol, he or she wouldn't get points, but the other students would, assuming they read each other's drafts. (I structured the groups so there were enough strong students in each group that they could finish the assignment regardless of what their groupmates did.) The students had two weeks to do it, and were to contact each other using the messenger feature in the LMS, which is also linked to the university email. 

So the only way a student could not do the assignment is either he or she did not do the paper at all or something extraordinary has happened to the student (which is possible in the current context), and since in the former case the student would flunk anyway, or in the latter case would probably be excused anyway, I am rather lenient--including with the student who wrote the email.

But to write an email, the day that this two-week assignment is due, asking, in effect, if he could read his own paper and offer comments on it, struck me as either so clueless or so guileless to be worth noting to this forum.  Of course, I didn't so to the student.

[marshwiggle]

Well, to get into the weeds: this assignment was to take the place of what we would normally do in class: have each student bring in a copy of his or her term paper, get into groups with two or three other students, read each other's drafts, and offer thoughts.
The students have been working on the final project--which is worth about 40 per cent of the final grade--the entire semester, and have done two rounds of revisions based on my feedback. I am sick of reading them and do not want to read them again until they are final, but I wanted the students to get the benefit of a fresh pair of eyes.


Anybody who writes up comments on his or her group's drafts gets full credit for the assignment (which is worth about 2.5% of the total grade). If a group member went awol, he or she wouldn't get points, but the other students would, assuming they read each other's drafts. (I structured the groups so there were enough strong students in each group that they could finish the assignment regardless of what their groupmates did.) The students had two weeks to do it, and were to contact each other using the messenger feature in the LMS, which is also linked to the university email. 

So the only way a student could not do the assignment is either he or she did not do the paper at all or something extraordinary has happened to the student (which is possible in the current context), and since in the former case the student would flunk anyway, or in the latter case would probably be excused anyway, I am rather lenient--including with the student who wrote the email.

But to write an email, the day that this two-week assignment is due, asking, in effect, if he could read his own paper and offer comments on it, struck me as either so clueless or so guileless to be worth noting to this forum.  Of course, I didn't so to the student.

This was what I was imagining, hence my response.

[Aster]

Stu Dent: "Can I redo the homework assignment from last month? I'm really serious about this course and concerned that I might not pass?"

Ha ha. You made three funnies in one sentence. You want a "redo" on something that you already submitted. This thing that you want a redo on was turned in over a month ago, but now a week from the end of the semester you decide to communicate about it. And you are really serious about this class, yet somehow your grades have mostly been all failing. How did you think that any professor would respond to this message? With anything other than a chuckle and murmur of disbelief?

[Thursday's_Child]

Stu Dent: "Can I redo the homework assignment from last month? I'm really serious about this course and concerned that I might not pass?"

Ha ha. You made three funnies in one sentence. You want a "redo" on something that you already submitted. This thing that you want a redo on was turned in over a month ago, but now a week from the end of the semester you decide to communicate about it. And you are really serious about this class, yet somehow your grades have mostly been all failing. How did you think that any professor would respond to this message? With anything other than a chuckle and murmur of disbelief?

But... all my teachers in K-12 always made sure that I passed!  Especially after I told them how serious and concerned I am about the course!  What's WRONG with you!?!  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!  Mommy, help!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OneMoreYear]

And so it begins . .
First email of the season with grade-grubbing trifecta (paraphrased): 1) is there any way they could earn just 5 little teensy weensy extra points; 2) if there is not an option for additional work, they are soooooooooo close to an A, will I just round up?; and 3) it's probably not possible, but it's better to ask even if it doesn't happen, right?
The answers in my head: 1) kudos to you for actually using the term "earn" but No; 2) there are already way too many bonus opportunities in this class because it is "hard;" so No; and 3) No, it's not better to ask, you are a grad student; now either go enjoy your semester break with the knowledge that you have passed this class or, better yet, go write your dissertation!

[Aster]

Stu Dent, on the very last day that the final exam is due.
"Everything is so crazy right now and I don't have a computer and I couldn't ever find the assignments but I'll fail the course unless you can let me take all of the assignments now."

And then an hour later, I receive almost an identically worded email from a *different* student.

Looking up both of these students records, neither of them had been turning in much or anything prior to the pandemic, both of these students had poor classroom attendance prior to the pandemic, and both of these students would almost certainly get an F for being total slackers in any normal semester.

But it's nice to see that slacker students are finding ways to insert the pandemic into their BS.

[Aster]

Stu Dent inquiring about a course grade from previous year.

"I noticed that I got a D last semester. Please change that to a permanent incomplete."

Well, that's a new one for me. A request for an Incomplete five months after the term ended. And the student took all the exams. There isn't anything incomplete to request an incomplete for. And what the heck is a permanent incomplete?

So many things wrong.

[dr_codex]

Stu Dent inquiring about a course grade from previous year.

"I noticed that I got a D last semester. Please change that to a permanent incomplete."

Well, that's a new one for me. A request for an Incomplete five months after the term ended. And the student took all the exams. There isn't anything incomplete to request an incomplete for. And what the heck is a permanent incomplete?

So many things wrong.

Many of my students are still (not) working on permanent incompletes. "Don't hold your breath" might be a better notation. See if your Registrar would go for it.