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

[kaysixteen]

Ok, but with a student like this, what 'reasonable accommodations' could the Disabities office suggest, that would give her a meaningful chance of passing this (and most other) classes?

[Hegemony]

I have talked extensively to her advisor, who is aware of the issues and doing all she can to induce the student to go to the Disabilities Office, but the student steadfastly refuses. So we are at a standstill.

[kaysixteen]

How the bleep did she get into this school?

[Hegemony]

Good question. I'd guess she comes from out of state and pays tuition accordingly.

[FishProf]

Dear stu,
It is not "unfair" that there was an extra quiz for today's lecture.  We covered the scheduled material, AND it included a discussion of sexual selection, mate choice, and reproductive biology b/c the class was interested and asked really good questions.

Everyone who was in class saw and heard all the information that was on the extra quiz.  Totally fair.

You weren't there, of course, so it seems like you are being penalized for your absence.

You are.

But not by me.  You are punishing yourself.

Complaining to the Chair before contacting me was unwise.

No love,

Fishprof.

[kaysixteen]

Hmmmm... so as long as she (or more likely her parents) can pay a hefty, likely out of state, tuition bill, she will be accepted irrespective of her clear unqualifications for admission?

Of course, the thought also crossed my mind that she may well have presented a hs transcript that is fraudulent, in the sense that her hs may well have, ahem, well... you get the idea.

[Hegemony]

Once one of my students was so terrible that I looked up his applications details. I simply could not understand how the university could have accepted him. It turned out that he was from another country — in other words, he paid high, out-of-state tuition. But he had gone to an American school there. And his high school grade point average was a D-. That explained his terrible performance in my class. I can't understand how someone with a D- average would even think to apply to a four-year selective university, so there must have been some informal network that told him that ours was the one who would accept anyone who could pay high fees. I actually confronted our provost about this. The provost said, "So here is a young man who wants to educate himself. And you think we should deny him that chance?" Totally disingenuous and corrupt.

In our new system we can no longer see their application materials, so I can't say whether this is the case with the current student.

Although it looks as if my university is at fault for accepting terrible high-paying students, I'll also note that this is their way of subsidizing in-state students, in the wake of cuts that have decimated state support to a small fraction (less than 10%) of overall costs. The money has to come from somewhere, and this is the solution they chose, which is maybe not as bad as some others.

[marshwiggle]

Once one of my students was so terrible that I looked up his applications details. I simply could not understand how the university could have accepted him. It turned out that he was from another country — in other words, he paid high, out-of-state tuition. But he had gone to an American school there. And his high school grade point average was a D-. That explained his terrible performance in my class. I can't understand how someone with a D- average would even think to apply to a four-year selective university, so there must have been some informal network that told him that ours was the one who would accept anyone who could pay high fees. I actually confronted our provost about this. The provost said, "So here is a young man who wants to educate himself. And you think we should deny him that chance?" Totally disingenuous and corrupt.

There are both conservative and liberal arguments for this attitude. Both are bad, because they essentially set people up for failure.

• Conservative reason: Collect as much tuition as possible before they fail. Ka-ching!
• Liberal reason: Give them a chance, because their previous struggles were probably due to things like discrimination, and if they're finally "accepted", they should thrive. And butterflies and unicorns will dance!

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I have serial cheaters. They make me want to bang my head against the wall. Online course. Some haven't responded to me. Guess they're just going to continue to get zeroes.

[OneMoreYear]

Colleague, it would be helpful if you start with the initial assumption that I am doing my damn job.

Student, I'm sorry you were in the middle of that. It was not about you. It was a colleague's attempt to put me in my place.

[Caracal]

Ok, but with a student like this, what 'reasonable accommodations' could the Disabities office suggest, that would give her a meaningful chance of passing this (and most other) classes?

It depends what the issues are, I suppose and there's really no telling with someone that seems so extreme. It could be anything from substance use to a neurological condition to functional illiteracy to a learning disability to who knows.

[Stockmann]

Dear student group 1: You know what you should've done with that analysis? Include it in your damned lab report, that's what. I grade what you put in your report, not what you did but didn't tell anyone else.

Dear student group 2: You had three sets of measurements. You needed to analyze all three. Don't make stuff up that somehow you thought only one set needed analyzing. Gee, ya think maybe that tanked your grade?

[Thursday's_Child]

Dear student group 1: You know what you should've done with that analysis? Include it in your damned lab report, that's what. I grade what you put in your report, not what you did but didn't tell anyone else.

Dear student group 2: You had three sets of measurements. You needed to analyze all three. Don't make stuff up that somehow you thought only one set needed analyzing. Gee, ya think maybe that tanked your grade?

I feel your pain!  The belief that only "our" data needs analysis, when data from the entire class was made available - along with explicit instructions to include it b/c Replication is good - seems widespread.  At least you (maybe?) didn't get one where brand new information was discussed in the Conclusions section - I hope?

[mythbuster]

Arg! I'm stuck in the grade appeal loop that will not die.
Student earned a D in my course in the Fall. Appealed the grade in January of 2023. I fill out the paperwork send it off an hear nothing. I assume the appeal was denied.

Apparently the appeal paperwork got "lost". Appeal is resurrected in April. I have a meeting with the Associate Dean of my college and decide the expedient thing (aka least work) is to let student take makeup exam even thought I have a no make up exam clause in my syllabus.

Student is "on vacation" all of May and so can't take the exam. Then she reschedules twice because of car issues and too much work in her summer course (which started while she was on vacation). Finally, some giant grade appeal meeting is scheduled so I tell her she has to take the exam before that.

She takes the exam last Thursday- turned it in after 15 minutes. The grade does not change her final course grade. When I email student about her grade her response is "We can discuss that at the meeting on Monday." GRRR.

What a waste of time.

So today I sit on a zoom portal for over 30 minutes waiting for this meeting to stat that was scheduled without my input. During summer when I'm not paid. Apparently it was cancelled last minute and no one told me. So now it's likely to be rescheduled for I don't know when.

[kaysixteen]

What happens if you just say, no, no more meetings, F, tough, etc.?