Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!

[Parasaurolophus]

I know you guys see this all the time, but I just got my first-ever case of an author (of an academic article) being called 'the narrator'.

[Biologist_]

I long ago adapted to the double line space rather than indentation to signal paragraph changes. The problem now is that in some platforms, when I hit return to create a apace to indicate a new paragraph, whatever I've written is immediately published in text, or WhatsApp, or whatever. Drives me crazy.

In many platforms, one can hold down the shift key and press enter to create a line break without submitting prematurely.

[Parasaurolophus]

I think I give up on allowing students to see their cumulative score to date. Too few understand what they're seeing or how the math works.

[fishbrains]

I think I give up on allowing students to see their cumulative score to date. Too few understand what they're seeing or how the math works.

Yep. I once had a student not show up for the final exam (worth 20% of the course grade) because he already had a 92% average and didn't want to blow it. He wasn't so happy with that "C." [sigh]

[marshwiggle]

I think I give up on allowing students to see their cumulative score to date. Too few understand what they're seeing or how the math works.

Yep. I once had a student not show up for the final exam (worth 20% of the course grade) because he already had a 92% average and didn't want to blow it. He wasn't so happy with that "C." [sigh]

I don't show their cumulative average; I show their cumulative grade. So it's easy to explain: "If you don't hand anything else in, this is the grade you'll get." At any point, everything they do will raise their cumulative grade.

[Caracal]

I know you guys see this all the time, but I just got my first-ever case of an author (of an academic article) being called 'the narrator'.

At least they didn't call it a novel...

Students are often incredibly confused in intro level courses about academic articles. Weird things they do:

1. Call the author by their first name.
2. Assume the author is arguing for the thing they are writing about. "Stephanie really thinks it's terrible how everyone is drinking so much and wants it to stop." Well, no she's an academic writing about drinking habits in the first half of the 19th century.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

The lab final states on EACH question AND on the page they click before starting that their work MUST be in the quiz and not submitted anywhere else.

Student emails me at 1:30 this morning with the work for the lab final. Why the hell do they do this?

[Langue_doc]

I know you guys see this all the time, but I just got my first-ever case of an author (of an academic article) being called 'the narrator'.

At least they didn't call it a novel...

Students are often incredibly confused in intro level courses about academic articles. Weird things they do:

1. Call the author by their first name.
2. Assume the author is arguing for the thing they are writing about. "Stephanie really thinks it's terrible how everyone is drinking so much and wants it to stop." Well, no she's an academic writing about drinking habits in the first half of the 19th century.

Repeatedly, despite reminders to refer to authors/writers by their full name or last name.
Refer to short stories as novels. Course specifically and repeatedly refers to the former as "short stories". What these students were doing in their high school English classes is a mystery.

[Langue_doc]

The lab final states on EACH question AND on the page they click before starting that their work MUST be in the quiz and not submitted anywhere else.

Student emails me at 1:30 this morning with the work for the lab final. Why the hell do they do this?

Hah! You have no idea how my emails I get from students with their assignments attached. I got one a week ago despite repeated reminders of the policy on when and where to submit assignments. My standard reply is that the only place for assignments is the relevant assignment folder on Canvas. If I'm feeling kind-hearted, I open a folder for the student so that the student can submit their "late" assignment.

As to your question, these students are trained by their parents, teachers, and some of their professors that it never hurts to keep doing the same dumb thing. Some professors do accept emailed assignments.

[Caracal]

I know you guys see this all the time, but I just got my first-ever case of an author (of an academic article) being called 'the narrator'.

At least they didn't call it a novel...

Students are often incredibly confused in intro level courses about academic articles. Weird things they do:

1. Call the author by their first name.
2. Assume the author is arguing for the thing they are writing about. "Stephanie really thinks it's terrible how everyone is drinking so much and wants it to stop." Well, no she's an academic writing about drinking habits in the first half of the 19th century.

Repeatedly, despite reminders to refer to authors/writers by their full name or last name.
Refer to short stories as novels. Course specifically and repeatedly refers to the former as "short stories". What these students were doing in their high school English classes is a mystery.

Probably same thing they are doing in their college classes, not paying much attention. I try to provide lots of signposts and contexts but there is a certain kind of student who just puts all readings in the category of "stuff I have to read for class" and never even considers what the hell they are reading.

[Parasaurolophus]

Students are often incredibly confused in intro level courses about academic articles. Weird things they do:

1. Call the author by their first name.
2. Assume the author is arguing for the thing they are writing about. "Stephanie really thinks it's terrible how everyone is drinking so much and wants it to stop." Well, no she's an academic writing about drinking habits in the first half of the 19th century.

Yeah, mine do this all the time. I can count the number of students who don't do (1) on the fingers of half a hand; in my case, I assume it's because their mother tongue has somewhat different conventions, but maybe that's too generous. (2) I chalk up to the same problem people have understanding that conditionals are conditional.

The lab final states on EACH question AND on the page they click before starting that their work MUST be in the quiz and not submitted anywhere else.

Student emails me at 1:30 this morning with the work for the lab final. Why the hell do they do this?

I get so many emailed assignments. At this point I just reply with 'thank you, can you please submit it through the folder on Moodle?'

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I really didn't think it would be this complicated. Oh how I underestimated my students. A 2nd student emailed me work because it was 'too difficult' to enter work in the quiz. Now, I'm not asking them to integrate anything, they just have to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Each problem states that they must enter their work in the quiz box. It's also on the first page of the quiz in capital letters and bolded. Maybe I'll grade their emailed submissions with a 20% penalty. What irks me is that they're trying to make up their own rules instead of following mine.

[arcturus]

I do not accept emailed work. Period. First and foremost is that I don't want students claiming that they had emailed me a draft and were waiting for a response, so they should be allowed to submit work late. Second, I don't want to download material onto my computer - it should all remain in the LMS. If students cannot follow directions to upload work to the LMS, they receive the 0 that they have earned.

Students sometimes view my course policies as draconian. However, having regularlized course policies (no late work, all work submitted through the LMS, specific assignment-types due every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, etc) is the only way to stay sane with large classes.

[Parasaurolophus]

I really didn't think it would be this complicated. Oh how I underestimated my students. A 2nd student emailed me work because it was 'too difficult' to enter work in the quiz. Now, I'm not asking them to integrate anything, they just have to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Each problem states that they must enter their work in the quiz box. It's also on the first page of the quiz in capital letters and bolded. Maybe I'll grade their emailed submissions with a 20% penalty. What irks me is that they're trying to make up their own rules instead of following mine.

I get so many emails saying that the LMS wouldn't accept their essay so here it is.

The LMS wouldn't accept their essay because it only accepts PDFs. I say so on the syllabus, on the assignment instructions, in class, and in bold caps right under the link to the folder.


It drives me nuts, too. But: shrug. You can only do so much!

[kiana]

I really didn't think it would be this complicated. Oh how I underestimated my students. A 2nd student emailed me work because it was 'too difficult' to enter work in the quiz. Now, I'm not asking them to integrate anything, they just have to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Each problem states that they must enter their work in the quiz box. It's also on the first page of the quiz in capital letters and bolded. Maybe I'll grade their emailed submissions with a 20% penalty. What irks me is that they're trying to make up their own rules instead of following mine.

I get so many emails saying that the LMS wouldn't accept their essay so here it is.

The LMS wouldn't accept their essay because it only accepts PDFs. I say so on the syllabus, on the assignment instructions, in class, and in bold caps right under the link to the folder.


It drives me nuts, too. But: shrug. You can only do so much!

Same! "Student, you're trying to upload a .zip folder filled with .heic files. That's why it won't work." "Student, the assignment is closed as it clearly says. That's why it won't work."

Or they just stick it in the comments on the assignment. Why the hell is there no option to disable student file attachmentS?!