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

[Caracal]

We are working on increasing collaboration with another department and the possibility of dual-degree programs, so we have been exchanging current syllabi.   The one I looked at today explicitly stated that "[Course] has been designed with the assumption that you are our customer."
Are faculty actually required to put this on syllabi now?

That must come from some sort of for profit model, right?

[OneMoreYear]

We are working on increasing collaboration with another department and the possibility of dual-degree programs, so we have been exchanging current syllabi.   The one I looked at today explicitly stated that "[Course] has been designed with the assumption that you are our customer."
Are faculty actually required to put this on syllabi now?

Haha, that's great. There is no way I would let that be in my syllabus, I would go find another job first. I can't imagine how that statement would help anything.

I don't know what they think it's helping. I'm in an applied field, and we never use that language in our department.  I'm hoping this one is an aberration for the other department, but I'm concerned it's not.

That must come from some sort of for profit model, right?

It may come for a for-profit model, but I'm working at a public university (and other department is at the same university).

[RatGuy]

We are working on increasing collaboration with another department and the possibility of dual-degree programs, so we have been exchanging current syllabi.   The one I looked at today explicitly stated that "[Course] has been designed with the assumption that you are our customer."
Are faculty actually required to put this on syllabi now?

Haha, that's great. There is no way I would let that be in my syllabus, I would go find another job first. I can't imagine how that statement would help anything.

I don't know what they think it's helping. I'm in an applied field, and we never use that language in our department.  I'm hoping this one is an aberration for the other department, but I'm concerned it's not.

That must come from some sort of for profit model, right?

It may come for a for-profit model, but I'm working at a public university (and other department is at the same university).

Not to derail this too much, but I fear something similar as we undergo an overhaul of our gen-ed requirements. Currently there's a plan for a faculty senate vote to approve new curricula that would allow for the thematizing of students' courses of study. So they might take a history, philosophy, or English courses in "environmental sustainability" or "social justice" or whatever. Admin is selling this as a way for students to have agency over their educations. Students like it because they feel like customers getting their money's worth. And faculty have been told that faculty senate will be the final vote -- the full voting faculty won't weigh in.

I have a bad feeling about this.

[mamselle]

I "thematized" my undergraduate course of study--it was called a "Personalized Study Program," and my committee made it quite rigorous.

Which was fine with me, they required three added art history courses, one in aesthetics, and some other stuff, all of which I continue to be grateful for.

So focused, individualized work is not automatically the 'get out of jail free' card you fear it could be.

It's just different.

M.

[FishProf]

It's not automatically rigorous either. 

The Devil is in the details.

[RatGuy]

I "thematized" my undergraduate course of study--it was called a "Personalized Study Program," and my committee made it quite rigorous.

Which was fine with me, they required three added art history courses, one in aesthetics, and some other stuff, all of which I continue to be grateful for.

So focused, individualized work is not automatically the 'get out of jail free' card you fear it could be.

It's just different.

M.

I think the concern is that the students are deciding what themes get chosen, even if its through an administrative fiat. "We polled students and x% want to take the history of Wall Street and another y% don't want to take literature. Due to low enrollment, faculty lines in English have been cut, and the rest now grade for the new Business Writing course."

[dismalist]

We are working on increasing collaboration with another department and the possibility of dual-degree programs, so we have been exchanging current syllabi.   The one I looked at today explicitly stated that "[Course] has been designed with the assumption that you are our customer."
Are faculty actually required to put this on syllabi now?

Haha, that's great. There is no way I would let that be in my syllabus, I would go find another job first. I can't imagine how that statement would help anything.

I don't know what they think it's helping. I'm in an applied field, and we never use that language in our department.  I'm hoping this one is an aberration for the other department, but I'm concerned it's not.

That must come from some sort of for profit model, right?

It may come for a for-profit model, but I'm working at a public university (and other department is at the same university).

Not to derail this too much, but I fear something similar as we undergo an overhaul of our gen-ed requirements. Currently there's a plan for a faculty senate vote to approve new curricula that would allow for the thematizing of students' courses of study. So they might take a history, philosophy, or English courses in "environmental sustainability" or "social justice" or whatever. Admin is selling this as a way for students to have agency over their educations. Students like it because they feel like customers getting their money's worth. And faculty have been told that faculty senate will be the final vote -- the full voting faculty won't weigh in.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Ah, Brown University comes to the masses!

[Biologist_]

We use Canvas for our LMS and its "Inbox" provides name of student and course as the title of the email sent to my regular email account and the course is attached to the student's name in the "Inbox" itself. I insist that all students communicate with us using thie Canvas tool. This not only makes it easier to identify relevant course, but also to share emails and responses with the other instructors involved in the course.

I tend to prefer a regular email to an email that comes through the LMS.

If the student sends a regular email, they usually include a useful subject header. If the student sends a message through the LMS, the subject header is "Student name (class number - class name) just sent you a message in LMS" which doesn't tell me anything about what the content of the message or the action that will be required when I open it. I don't see the topic until I open the email.

Perhaps this difference in preference reflects well on the students at my institution and their typical email habits, or perhaps it shows that I avoid the LMS inbox and rely on my email interface to read and answer messages.

[Anon1787]

Five weeks into the semester and less than 2 hours before the exam, a student (who claims economic hardship) informs me that Stu does not have the textbook. I'm not a wizard who can waive a magic wand or Dr. Evil with many minions at my beck and call to provide you with the textbook on such short notice (even if you happen to be a speed reader).

[mamselle]

Right.

What ever happened to minions?

We used to have several. Did they all graduate, or levitate, or whatever it is minions do for advancement?

(Or did they just not make it past the Great Divide Between the Fora?)

Or...maybe Dr. Evil could lend you a couple on a short-term contract?

M.

[ciao_yall]

Yeah... we're in Week 6 of 18 and a student just asked me how he could read the e-book that he bought from the bookstore.

[apl68]

Right.

What ever happened to minions?

We used to have several. Did they all graduate, or levitate, or whatever it is minions do for advancement?

(Or did they just not make it past the Great Divide Between the Fora?)

Or...maybe Dr. Evil could lend you a couple on a short-term contract?

M.

As a library director I have several of them.  Handy to have, but they do create...issues that have to be dealt with.  It took a long, long time to assemble a fairly good team of them from the random assortment of applicants on offer.

[the_geneticist]

I've had to gently shoo away packs of students hanging out near the lab doors.  The doors all say "Labs start the week of September 27-30", but the students "aren't sure if maybe they have lab".
The door is locked.  The room is empty.  The sign says your lab starts next week.

I suppose I should be glad that they have found the room, but they need to trust the information in the syllabus (and emails and announcements).

[apl68]

I've had to gently shoo away packs of students hanging out near the lab doors.  The doors all say "Labs start the week of September 27-30", but the students "aren't sure if maybe they have lab".
The door is locked.  The room is empty.  The sign says your lab starts next week.

I suppose I should be glad that they have found the room, but they need to trust the information in the syllabus (and emails and announcements).

Sounds like a lot of worry and insecurity in that group of students.  At least they're not just complacently blowing off their work.

[OneMoreYear]

Ugh. Had the worst class I've taught in a while. The students were brain dead. I was brain dead. I handed out the wrong assignment information. I couldn't get things back on track.  I need a do-over.