Accommodations and group projects

[kaysixteen]

So this reading class has a biggish group project to do, and recall I'm stuck with the syllabus this semester, though I'm certainly leaning towards dumping the group work next semester.  Tuesday as I was driving home something dawned on me, and I should like any opinions.  In class that day, a kid asked me for additional details about the project, beyond what's in the syllabus and what I'd said two weeks earlier when I assigned the groups and passed out the assignments for each.  Obviously I said then to make sure you meet as a group asap to divvy up work, make work schedule, budget time, etc...and I also said that I expected each kid to read the entire reading assigned to each group and make sure he pulls his own weight in the project, and woe betide any kid I find credibly was slacking on his groupmates.  The whole time period between assignments given out and projects is one month.  Thus, Tuesday was halfway through this.  Then, this kid, who asked for additional details, upon questioning admitted he'd not yet done anything on it, either reading or confab with groupmates.  I told him to get cracking.  Then, when driving home, I recalled that he had finally gotten round at the end of September to giving me paperwork notice of his having gotten what seemed to be a pretty standard college accommodation notice, which I read over and had to sign... Interestingly he did not actually give me a copy to keep... Things in it were like extra time for quizzes, someone to read texts, etc.  He told me that he wouldn't necessarily use all these all the time, and actually didn't do it on last week's quiz.  So far so clear, but my question is, what is the intersection of such accommodations and group project assignments, especially given that this was not iirc mentioned in the accommodation letter.  In any case, how might I avoid having any accommodations given to him create extra work obligations for his groupmates, and/or causing the overall group grade, given only to all group members equally, from being unfairly reduced?

[polly_mer]

1) Always keep a copy of the accommodation letter.

2) A good practice is to follow up with the disability services folks on what that letter means specifically for your class. 

For example, I have never been told that I had to apply the extra time to assignments where the time was already several days/weeks.  A 15-minute quiz did need to be doubled for some students and I routinely sent tests to the testing center because doubling the 2-hour time block to 4 hours was not on my shoulders.  However,  the weekly lab report was due at the same time for everyone and no one got two semesters to hand in the big project that spanned the whole semester.

[Caracal]

I doubt there's an issue here. Some students have specific sorts of learning styles that make it hard for them to do exams in the normal amount of time. They don't need more time on everything, because with longer assignments they can plan out their own time schedules.

[AvidReader]

I recalled that he had finally gotten round at the end of September to giving me paperwork notice of his having gotten what seemed to be a pretty standard college accommodation notice, which I read over and had to sign... Interestingly he did not actually give me a copy to keep... Things in it were like extra time for quizzes, someone to read texts, etc.  He told me that he wouldn't necessarily use all these all the time, and actually didn't do it on last week's quiz.  So far so clear, but my question is, what is the intersection of such accommodations and group project assignments, especially given that this was not iirc mentioned in the accommodation letter.  In any case, how might I avoid having any accommodations given to him create extra work obligations for his groupmates, and/or causing the overall group grade, given only to all group members equally, from being unfairly reduced?

I agree that, in future, you should keep a copy. I've never had to sign an accommodation letter, but, if I did, I would keep it between classes and photocopy it before I returned it.

I also require accommodation students to meet with me and talk through the letter. I point out things that will be easy (taking exams in the testing center) and things that aren't relevant (I don't teach labs). For things that are nebulous, I might say "I'll sometimes have people do X in class. If you need more time on that, signal to me / write me a note / [whatever is appropriate in the setting]." In this instance, I might say, "I can't give individual extensions on a group project, but these are some options we could consider

. What do you think will be most feasible for you and still the most fair for your classmates?" --and then I would find a way to meet with every group to explain irregularities of their project, and make sure that the group in question knew exactly which areas of the project were flexible [without, of course, mentioning the accommodation]. In my experience, "more time" almost always means "more time on timed work," not "have extensions on every deadline," exactly because--as Polly notes--no one gets to take two semesters to hand in the big project/final paper.

AR.

[Aster]

"Group Work, the Mess That Keeps on Messing"

There. I made a catchphrase. How do I attach an emoji... :)

Sorry, I could not help myself. I am very much sympathetic to Kay. I have had this problem myself.

Indeed, I have had so much of this problem in the past, I have removed virtually all group work (except for courses where the pedagogy requires it).

[kaysixteen]

There's little question that I'm gonna ditch the group assignment as well as several other aspects of the syllabus for next semester, if they'll let me. 

Having accommodations students meet privately with me would work better if I had access to an office and didn't have to clear out asap after class, and in order to get to my other job, however grunty that other job is.

As to the actual accommodations letter, there were no copies.  It was merely a letter from the disability office listing the accommodations, with a line at the end for the kid's profs to sign!  I was the third one to do so.  There is actually a public copier in the room across the hall, and I had a brain fart by not telling him to go in there and make me a copy of it.

Indeed, this is one of the several things about this place, pleasant and religiously simpatico to me though it may be, that have begun to smack of at least a wee bit of lack of professionalism or perhaps competence, such as the sad fact that my last paycheck, due last Thursday, still hasn't been given to me, either in paper form or via direct deposit, because payroll somewhere screwed up the routing number off of my voided check.  If I haven't gotten it by the time I go back in Tuesday, I will have to directly insist that they give it to me in person then, just two days ahead of the next regular paycheck date, no matter how much I realllllly don't want to do that.

[polly_mer]

As to the actual accommodations letter, there were no copies.  It was merely a letter from the disability office listing the accommodations, with a line at the end for the kid's profs to sign!  I was the third one to do so.  There is actually a public copier in the room across the hall, and I had a brain fart by not telling him to go in there and make me a copy of it.

Go to the disability office and ask nicely for a copy.  Have a discussion on the spot regarding what the accommodations mean for your class.

Indeed, this is one of the several things about this place, pleasant and religiously simpatico to me though it may be, that have begun to smack of at least a wee bit of lack of professionalism or perhaps competence, such as the sad fact that my last paycheck, due last Thursday, still hasn't been given to me, either in paper form or via direct deposit, because payroll somewhere screwed up the routing number off of my voided check.  If I haven't gotten it by the time I go back in Tuesday, I will have to directly insist that they give it to me in person then, just two days ahead of the next regular paycheck date, no matter how much I realllllly don't want to do that.

They owe you money that you need and deserve.  No system is 100% perfect, which is why they should have a mechanism to fix it in a timely manner when the foreseeable blips happen.  Don't let their foolishness continue to hold up your money.

[cathwen]

Kay, I can relate to your paycheck woes. 

Long ago, when I was hired on my second adjunct contract at BucolicEliteU, my paycheck still hadn't come in after six weeks.  (And I had filled out all the forms as required, on time; and besides, they had my info from the previous year.)  My husband had lost his job, and my measly funds were the only thing keeping our family of four going.  I went to the payroll office and politely asked for my money, explaining the situation.  The woman refused, telling me I had to wait until the next payday two weeks away (which is what they had told me the last time).  I sat there, and kept repeating, like a broken record, "It's my money, I earned it, and I need it now."  Finally, she capitulated, and I walked out of there with a check.   

I am normally a shy and unassertive person, so anyone who knows me would have trouble imagining me doing such a thing.  And really, it was almost an out-of-body experience, as if I were watching someone I did not know being confrontational.  Desperation does strange things.

So good luck at the payroll office, Kay!  I hope you get the money you have earned.  The error was theirs, and you should not have to suffer, or even be mildly inconvenienced, for it.

[kaysixteen]

I did at least finally get the back pay from 2 weeks ago, and then today the direct deposit for today's check did go through, so that's one problem dispensed with.  And the car insurance appraiser called today to set up appointment to look at car, as other driver's company is going to accept responsibility.  Another problem solved.

That said, this group project is setting itself up to be a budding nightmare.  The assignment, taken directly from the previous professor's syllabus (which I was pretty much told not to change), required me to split the class into groups, 3, based on student majors, and assign each a reading about reading for that discipline/area.  The group then has to pass in a book report based on it, give a 10 minute class presentation, and then submit to questions.  These were assigned three weeks ago and the presentation date is next Thursday, so a full month.  I made it clear they must not put this off till the last minute, something all the more important for a group project, and I have reminded them several times, as well as given chances to ask questions about it. Still, i got a plaintive email from one kid, who's clearly trying in class but just as clearly pretty gosh darn underprepared for college, saying she really didn't understand what she was supposed to do on it.  I emailed back saying I would talk about it in class extensively today, and answer any additional questions then.  I did this, as well as reiterating the need to get cracking if you haven't yet done much, and noting that, as per the syllabus, I would be meeting with students about their efforts Tuesday, ahead of the presentation date Thursday.  I clearly didn't care for the obvious whining and clear lack of work done on the project to date, but I'm not really all that surprised given the nature of this class, and I'm pretty much expecting even more last minute-ism on the individual book reports due in December (i also repeated spiel on getting going on them today as well, and also reiterated the need to read the extensive syllabus directions).  Thing is, as I've mentioned on the fora here already, I'm really genuinely terrified that potential student complaints about academic rigor will cost me this job, as they did the last two adjunct positions I held.  I am also very keen not to overwhelm these kids in this remedial class, but, dammit, these skills I'm teaching are clear and important for college success, and I'm very experienced at this sort of class, and I know I'm doing a good job at it.  I hated, however, the obsequious apologetic tone I found myself taking in class, and in an all class email sent afterwards, but, again, I'm terrified.

And that was before arriving home after retail drudgery late this evening to find an email from the super-disengaged young lady i mentioned earlier this evening, saying she did not understand what was going to be on Tuesday's quiz (it will be exactly like the first 2, as i explained for the last two classes she essentially zoned out of, and I also said exactly what topics would be covered).  That didn't impress me much, but then she added that she and her groupmates didn't understand their reading, because there were pages missing.  I'm all but certain that's a lie, because I remember passing out the stuff and asking every kid to ensure that each had all his pages, but, again, that was three weeks ago, and how can I possibly prove that this is not true?  And, if course, she cc'd the email to my supervisor.  As I'm not going to be back to campus till Tuesday, I felt the need to reply immediately, cc'd back to the supervisor as well, reiterating not only the quiz directions and that i had given them in class for the last week, but also expressing my clear displeasure that after three weeks with these photocopies, this is the first I have heard of any problems, adding that I'd doublechecked the completeness of the copies the day they were handed out, but that they should bring them in Tuesday and I will recheck them, and for now they should just read the stuff they have and report on this.  I think I'm being played by unprepared kids who are angling for an extension, but how the hell do I demonstrate that to my supervisor?  It ain't like I chose this assignment, and in issuing it I also had to hunt up appropriate readings and photocopy them for kids, lots of extra work pour moi, but of course it also means I can't prove it wasn't I who bleeped up here, and, again, ahem, well, err, I'm just plain terrified my supervisor will blame me, and I'll lose this job, one which also pretty much appears to be my last chance to eventually get some permanent ft teaching work, whether k12 or higher.  AARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

[Caracal]

Oy Kay, this seems like a mess...

1. Do these students have any contact with your supervisor normally? It is a weird move to CC them. I certainly wouldn't have kept them in the loop on some boring class matter by ccing them on the reply.

2. You are being way too defensive and anxious about the whole pages thing anyway. Perhaps you did make a mistake. I screw little stuff up all the time. Part of the problem is that I gather you are still not using the CMS? That really helps with stuff like this because you can check on the issue right away, see if the student is correct, and fix the problem without waiting for the next class. Regardless, I probably would just let them have till the next week to do the presentation. Which gets to...

3. I'm not sure that your problem is academic rigor, as much as it is inflexibility and attitude. You don't need to be "obsequious." Just be nice. You don't need to express your "displeasure" to students about their procrastination. If fact, there's really no need to have all these feelings about it. Students do stuff at the last minute, that's just what they do. You can point out that this isn't a good plan, you can remind them in class about it, but many of them will do it anyway. Thus it has always been. You don't need to have a lot of personal feelings about it all. Either decide that you're going to be flexible about extensions are decide that you won't, and you don't have to angst about this kind of normal stuff.

[kaysixteen]

Because the young woman ccd my supervisor, I felt I had to cc her in reply, lest she think I was hiding something.  Neither she nor the student has responded to my reply, so methinks I wikk be ok.  That said, I did decide to postpone these presentations till next Tuesday, largely because I decided having a major quiz and presentation two classes in a row, which hadn't been on the original syllabus anyhow (we're running behind) was probably overkill for this bunch.  It really is important that I not blow these kids in this remedial class away.  That I'm also still pretty darn afraid of complaints is probably besides the point?

[kaysixteen]

One more presentation question for the fora: because I had to reschedule the thing till Tuesday, i seem to have avoided one problem, but something like this could nonetheless arise.  One young woman, easily the best and most conscientious kid in the class, emailed me yesterday saying she wasn't going to be in class tomorrow because she's going on a class field trip for another class.  What if this had been the actual group presentation day?  One doesn't want to be unnecessarily uncolleagial towards a colleague, but....?

[polly_mer]

It's incumbent on the student to make arrangements much farther ahead.  Field trips outside of class time aren't generally sprung on students with less than a day's notice.

The question then is what policies a professor has for students who can plan ahead and have a conflict that can be resolved easily with advanced planning.  Some professors plan multiple days of presentations so that the group simply shifts to accommodate the field trip.  Other professors open a second presentation time as necessary or make arrangements for a special one-off make-up session for everyone at some time convenient for the professor (e.g., Wednesday before Thanksgiving for all misses in the first half of the semester; study day or last day of finals for all misses in the second half of the semester).

I've heard of people making students do a recording and then submit that to the professor, but that's less common if the point was to present in front of a group and respond to audience feedback.

Again, having policies and deciding if you're the hardest of hard asses (e.g., all make-ups are the last day of finals week) or helping each student succeed (shifting the presentation for the one group on short notice) makes the individual decisions easier.  I did indeed record the F one term for the student who emailed with essentially no notice that he wanted to move his slot from the first day to the last day and thus was not in class for his assigned time.  This was a student who had made almost no effort during his second trip through the course so I felt no guilt in letting him fail again, especially since even an A+++++++ on that presentation would not have been sufficient to earn a D in the overall course.

[kaysixteen]

Another reason to hate groupery.  All the presentations are going to be on the same day, and I'm just not gonna let one group do it later and thus get more time to prep it.  I'd probably well deserve any complaints made to my superiors if I were to do that.

[spork]

Honest question: why do you keep putting yourself in these situations? Group projects are always a disaster when they are not scaffolded around assignments that carry individual accountability (grades), students frequently claim to have disability accommodations when they don't and it's easy to verify this, legitimate accommodations never involve changing deadlines made known to the student at the start of the semester, etc.