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

[the_geneticist]

I feel the same way about making a study guide.  They already have one.  If, that is, they took notes.  If they didn't, I don't see how a study guide would help anyway.

I have students in a course that has all open-note quizzes and exams, who still don't take notes.

Or an outline for the paper. I gave them the general outline as laid out in the textbook "On page 10 is the outline of an X plan." Each week I explain what I'm looking for in each section. It's all on the LMS, including suggested research sources. If they want to plan ahead, they can because it's all there. If they stay caught up week by week, the paper takes care of itself.

If they want to wait until the last minute and bs off of an example of another student's paper, well... I must have told the story about the student who wanted to do a pizza delivery business, found a business plan for a floral delivery business, and then replaced the word "flowers" for "pizza?"

All hilarity ensued.

Do tell!  That sounds awesome funny!  Do they mention "special occasion pizzas" - Mother's Day, weddings, & funerals?  Knowing that the "pizza selection" is best in the summer months when the growers have more varieties?

[Puget]

Do tell!  That sounds awesome funny!  Do they mention "special occasion pizzas" - Mother's Day, weddings, & funerals?  Knowing that the "pizza selection" is best in the summer months when the growers have more varieties?

I see no problem with any of this. Pizza is appropriate for all special occasions, and the freshest vegetable toppings are only available in season. My special limited edition pesto pizza for example, is only available in the summer when I have fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden.

[MarathonRunner]

Apparently the hill I have decided to die on is refusing to convert the documents that lay out my expectations for our class project extremely clearly into some kind of grid format so that students will be forced to acknowledge that they do actually have "a rubric" for what I expect.

Who is asking for this? Admin or students?

Students. Lots of whining about how they couldn't possibly know how to write a good paper if there's no rubric. This is despite LOTS of communication via many tracks that all the expectations for the project can be found in the posted/linked/attached document helpfully labeled "project expectations". I was venting to a colleague who pointed out that I could easily convert that document into something students would recognize as a rubric. But as noted I have, for the moment, decided this is my hill.

I compromise by having a rubric that doesn't have points/grades assigned to each level, but rather qualitatively describes what is considered above expectations, meets expectations, below expectations, does not fulfill assignment. Gives students an idea of how they will be graded, but allows for flexibility.

[MarathonRunner]

I feel the same way about making a study guide.  They already have one.  If, that is, they took notes.  If they didn't, I don't see how a study guide would help anyway.

I have students in a course that has all open-note quizzes and exams, who still don't take notes.

Or an outline for the paper. I gave them the general outline as laid out in the textbook "On page 10 is the outline of an X plan." Each week I explain what I'm looking for in each section. It's all on the LMS, including suggested research sources. If they want to plan ahead, they can because it's all there. If they stay caught up week by week, the paper takes care of itself.

If they want to wait until the last minute and bs off of an example of another student's paper, well... I must have told the story about the student who wanted to do a pizza delivery business, found a business plan for a floral delivery business, and then replaced the word "flowers" for "pizza?"

All hilarity ensued.

Hehe. Yeah, you can't just use a model and run with it. One of my fourth year UG classes provided exemplars of previous assignments to see what constituted an A+ assignment. These were case studies, and cases were changed year to year and so students just couldn't copy, even if they weren't worried about plagiarism, but the exemplars gave them an idea of what was expected. I was honoured when two of my group's assignments were chosen as two of the four exemplars to be provided to next year's students.

[AvidReader]

I've seen so many rubrics with so many different formats and points over the years. One of my colleagues at a recent job used to call the assignment directions the rubric. One school at which I taught had rubrics that said "An A paper will . . ." and "A B paper will," etc. While students think of rubrics as a grid, they can often be convinced that rubrics come in other formats.

I also think training students to read directions and infer the evaluation criteria is a really useful skill. I tell mine that many future endeavors, such as grant proposals and applications for all sorts of things, will come with rubrics hidden in the directions. Can you have a short lesson doing something like this and linking it to bigger, real-life things?

AR.

[ciao_yall]

I feel the same way about making a study guide.  They already have one.  If, that is, they took notes.  If they didn't, I don't see how a study guide would help anyway.

I have students in a course that has all open-note quizzes and exams, who still don't take notes.

Or an outline for the paper. I gave them the general outline as laid out in the textbook "On page 10 is the outline of an X plan." Each week I explain what I'm looking for in each section. It's all on the LMS, including suggested research sources. If they want to plan ahead, they can because it's all there. If they stay caught up week by week, the paper takes care of itself.

If they want to wait until the last minute and bs off of an example of another student's paper, well... I must have told the story about the student who wanted to do a pizza delivery business, found a business plan for a floral delivery business, and then replaced the word "flowers" for "pizza?"

All hilarity ensued.

Do tell!  That sounds awesome funny!  Do they mention "special occasion pizzas" - Mother's Day, weddings, & funerals?  Knowing that the "pizza selection" is best in the summer months when the growers have more varieties?

Oh yes. "Bouquets of pizzas" was a very special category.

[FishProf]

Oh yes. "Bouquets of pizzas" was a very special category.

After this week, I want "Bouquets of pizzas", and a nice seasonal arrangement of beer.

[onthefringe]

I've seen so many rubrics with so many different formats and points over the years. One of my colleagues at a recent job used to call the assignment directions the rubric. One school at which I taught had rubrics that said "An A paper will . . ." and "A B paper will," etc. While students think of rubrics as a grid, they can often be convinced that rubrics come in other formats.

I also think training students to read directions and infer the evaluation criteria is a really useful skill. I tell mine that many future endeavors, such as grant proposals and applications for all sorts of things, will come with rubrics hidden in the directions. Can you have a short lesson doing something like this and linking it to bigger, real-life things?

AR.

I do all of these things, and to be fair the vast majority of students are fine, appreciate the skills, and produce strong projects. The is definitely one of those cases where about 4% of the people cause 98% of the problems.

[the_geneticist]

Oh yes. "Bouquets of pizzas" was a very special category.

After this week, I want "Bouquets of pizzas", and a nice seasonal arrangement of beer.

I second the motion!!

[OneMoreYear]

Oh yes. "Bouquets of pizzas" was a very special category.

After this week, I want "Bouquets of pizzas", and a nice seasonal arrangement of beer.

I second the motion!!

Thirded!

Like this? https://www.delish.com/food-news/a21073696/wedding-pizza-bouquet-pizza-boutonniere/

And this? https://www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com/Summer-Seasonal-Beer-Bucket.asp?sku4520&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%3A+Main&cid=17699989602&gclid=CjwKCAjw0N6hBhAUEiwAXab-TfQMpDJH0-vdrFXzK5AGdpW7eJhh3c9Wbi5dEwjmHeUj5kfGWJP_uxoCcBMQAvD_BwE

[the_geneticist]

I want the pizza bouquet!  It's adorable! 

I'm sure I could make a homemade more, ah, rustic version.  Not quite as cute, but hopefully just as delicious.

[traductio]

Grading.

Final projects.

So.


Much.



Mediocrity...........

[arcturus]

Grading.

Final projects.

So.


Much.



Mediocrity...........

I hear you! I tell my students that the final project is their opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in the class.  Sadly, the final project demonstrates what they have (not) learned in the class...

[FishProf]

I have had 5 students whining about grades on a presentation who ONLY want to wheedle for points.  The last one wanted to know why they got what they got and what they should focus on for next time.

So, one student, at least, gets it.

(In this particular assignment, I have students peer evaluate using my rubric.  I gave a student a 57 on a talk.  Her peer scores were: 56, 95, 100.  I think I understand why my class is upset about their grades - they are delusional about what a quality talk looks like. )

[the_geneticist]

Those peer scores are disturbing.  And that's with a rubric?!?

My current head-bang moment.

Dear Graduate Student,
The entire point of our several-hours-long mandatory Friday meetings is so you have the chance to BE READY TO TEACH YOUR CLASS the next week.  I have just learned that you are leaving your students to go to the lab next door and ask that TA questions that you should already know the answers to.  And you are not teaching the students to use the equipment correctly.  And you are showing up late.  This is NOT acceptable.  Congratulations, now I'm going to watch you in excruciating detail.  You better graduate this quarter since you're never getting another TA appointment in this department.
Dr. Geneticist