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

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

This time a different student emailed the class about 'being stuck.' I had open question time on Webex today for over an hour- TWICE! Student was in both sessions.

I emailed the first student who emailed the class since that email was 'looking for answers.' This one just asked for 'help.' Not sure what to do. I could send a warning, but that may just drive them to not include me in the mass email. SMDH.

[apl68]

Just be glad you got to read them, maybe?

One thing I recall that seemed important about those books was that "the magic had rules" and part of the interest was figuring out what the "rules" were, and how they "worked."

It wasn't just run-of-the-mill, open-ended magic, there was structure and texture to it.

You entered into a conversation with its mysterious nature, you didn't just "get your own way" with it.

The magic had integrity.

M.

Yes, for a story that goes beyond basic fairy tale stuff having the magic follow some kind of discernible pattern is part of the fun.

It has been said that, just as sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from technology. 

[mamselle]

Yum!

^Like!

M.

[kiana]

Just be glad you got to read them, maybe?

One thing I recall that seemed important about those books was that "the magic had rules" and part of the interest was figuring out what the "rules" were, and how they "worked."

It wasn't just run-of-the-mill, open-ended magic, there was structure and texture to it.

You entered into a conversation with its mysterious nature, you didn't just "get your own way" with it.

The magic had integrity.

M.

Yes, for a story that goes beyond basic fairy tale stuff having the magic follow some kind of discernible pattern is part of the fun.

It has been said that, just as sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from technology.

I absolutely loved Edward Eager's books. I can't count how many times I read and reread Knight's Castle.

[Hegemony]

I've just found that you can "borrow" Knight's Castle for two weeks over at Archive.org. I'm now on Chapter 4.

[darkstarrynight]

I am teaching an online graduate course, and the students are reading a controversial opinion article this week on a hot topic. It usually generates a very polar response (students totally agree or disagree with this author). A student just posted something like "WOW! I cannot believe this author has the audacity to make this argument! This is why I am using so many apostrophes!" I wrote the student an email suggesting hu meant exclamation points instead of apostrophes and that hu could edit the post on the discussion board. I did not realize graduate students might confuse these two punctuation marks.

Also interesting is that at least three students assumed the author is male which is not the case. I asked one to please explain why hu made that assumption, which has actually created some interesting side discussions.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Next semester, I am putting something in my syllabi that basically state that I am not answering any questions the day something is due. I have been receiving just an amazing amount of email today about a lab that is due tonight. Judging by some of the emails, they are JUST starting the lab.

Banging head.

[Parasaurolophus]

This is administrative despair as much as anything, but...

I was slated to teach a class at our satellite campus for high school students looking to earn university credit. It was slated to be mixed-modality, with much smaller enrollment, and paid (and loaded) as 1.5 courses (due to the modality and travel involved). The whole thing has been a bit of an administrative disaster so far, including several meetings trying to hammer out a theme (because they want the whole suite of courses offered at the satellite campus to pick up on a theme of interest to the local population), only to be told repeatedly by our liaison that the "theme" is "university courses for credit at the high school". 0_o

Anyway. I checked my enrollments today. I have as many students enrolled as I normally do. Fully 90% of them are international students from our main campus, and the other 10% are domestic students from our main campus. So: I have 0 students from the satellite campus. And as far as I'm aware, it's still slated to be mixed-mode.

*headdesk*

[the_geneticist]

Next semester, I am putting something in my syllabi that basically state that I am not answering any questions the day something is due. I have been receiving just an amazing amount of email today about a lab that is due tonight. Judging by some of the emails, they are JUST starting the lab.

Banging head.

That's why I never have late night or evening due dates.  I'm not going to spend my weekend answering work emails or staying up late just in case they might have a question.  But I've taken over a course that has assignments due at midnight on Saturdays [bang! bang! bang!].

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Next semester, I am putting something in my syllabi that basically state that I am not answering any questions the day something is due. I have been receiving just an amazing amount of email today about a lab that is due tonight. Judging by some of the emails, they are JUST starting the lab.

Banging head.

That's why I never have late night or evening due dates.  I'm not going to spend my weekend answering work emails or staying up late just in case they might have a question.  But I've taken over a course that has assignments due at midnight on Saturdays [bang! bang! bang!].

Our department has 'encouraged' us to have 11:59pm as the due date time. Sigh.

[the_geneticist]

Next semester, I am putting something in my syllabi that basically state that I am not answering any questions the day something is due. I have been receiving just an amazing amount of email today about a lab that is due tonight. Judging by some of the emails, they are JUST starting the lab.

Banging head.

That's why I never have late night or evening due dates.  I'm not going to spend my weekend answering work emails or staying up late just in case they might have a question.  But I've taken over a course that has assignments due at midnight on Saturdays [bang! bang! bang!].

Our department has 'encouraged' us to have 11:59pm as the due date time. Sigh.

I put a line in the syllabus about how I do not answers emails after 4:00pm or on weekends.  My thought is, if the students want to procrastinate, then me not being available to answer questions at the stroke of midnight is the price they are willing to pay.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Next semester, I am putting something in my syllabi that basically state that I am not answering any questions the day something is due. I have been receiving just an amazing amount of email today about a lab that is due tonight. Judging by some of the emails, they are JUST starting the lab.

Banging head.

That's why I never have late night or evening due dates.  I'm not going to spend my weekend answering work emails or staying up late just in case they might have a question.  But I've taken over a course that has assignments due at midnight on Saturdays [bang! bang! bang!].

Our department has 'encouraged' us to have 11:59pm as the due date time. Sigh.

I put a line in the syllabus about how I do not answers emails after 4:00pm or on weekends.  My thought is, if the students want to procrastinate, then me not being available to answer questions at the stroke of midnight is the price they are willing to pay.

This is what I will start putting in my syllabus. I already have a statement about not answering email on weekends.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Student contacts me TODAY and wants to make up THREE tests for the summer semester. Insert any and all excuses, which may or may not be true. I have sympathy, but I looked and the student has been accessing the course throughout the entire semester, so I'm not sure about the 'broken computer' excuse.

Finals start next week. It's a little late to ask me about making up three tests and homework that occurred last month.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

[the_geneticist]

Student contacts me TODAY and wants to make up THREE tests for the summer semester. Insert any and all excuses, which may or may not be true. I have sympathy, but I looked and the student has been accessing the course throughout the entire semester, so I'm not sure about the 'broken computer' excuse.

Finals start next week. It's a little late to ask me about making up three tests and homework that occurred last month.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

We have a LOT of students taking their online classes entirely on their smartphones.  Not ideal, but sometimes a phone is the only internet access that is entirely theirs (e.g. one computer in the household is shared with working parents and/or homeschooled siblings).  Does your school rent or loan computers?  If so, it's a kindness to tell the student.

As for making up work more than a month late, that's entirely your call (I'd say "no", but that's because my syllabus says late assignments earn a 0).

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Student contacts me TODAY and wants to make up THREE tests for the summer semester. Insert any and all excuses, which may or may not be true. I have sympathy, but I looked and the student has been accessing the course throughout the entire semester, so I'm not sure about the 'broken computer' excuse.

Finals start next week. It's a little late to ask me about making up three tests and homework that occurred last month.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

We have a LOT of students taking their online classes entirely on their smartphones.  Not ideal, but sometimes a phone is the only internet access that is entirely theirs (e.g. one computer in the household is shared with working parents and/or homeschooled siblings).  Does your school rent or loan computers?  If so, it's a kindness to tell the student.

As for making up work more than a month late, that's entirely your call (I'd say "no", but that's because my syllabus says late assignments earn a 0).

I'm aware of this; however, we use Respondus and webcams for tests and I saw this student on the first test using a laptop. Yes, it could have broken in that time, but this is the first I am hearing about it. I'm sympathetic, but since the end of the semester is right around the corner, there really isn't anything I can do that doesn't go against my syllabus policies and the Department policies.

I suggested that the student investigate a hardship withdrawal.