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

[EdnaMode]

Had my first "What do I need to do to pass?" student of the semester come by office hours yesterday. This is a major course that students must earn a C in. I told Stu that if they earned 100% on everything for the rest of the semester, their grade would be 70.06% and that that wasn't realistic and they should talk to their advisor about the consequences of dropping the course now and focusing on the rest of their courses, or staying in to at least get a look at all the course content and trying again next semester, etc. Stu said, "You mean I can still earn a C, right?" I said, "Mathematically yes, realistically, no." Stu said, "I can do it!" Then didn't show up for yesterday afternoon's lab. **sigh**

[marshwiggle]

Had my first "What do I need to do to pass?" student of the semester come by office hours yesterday. This is a major course that students must earn a C in. I told Stu that if they earned 100% on everything for the rest of the semester, their grade would be 70.06% and that that wasn't realistic and they should talk to their advisor about the consequences of dropping the course now and focusing on the rest of their courses, or staying in to at least get a look at all the course content and trying again next semester, etc. Stu said, "You mean I can still earn a C, right?" I said, "Mathematically yes, realistically, no." Stu said, "I can do it!" Then didn't show up for yesterday afternoon's lab. **sigh**

I'm pretty sure Stu couldn't do the math either.

[FishProf]

I do an online lecture on logical fallacies that is in need of updating (When Bush the Younger is the President in your examples, it is time).  I gave it to my experimental design class to watch and then they needed to come up with a NEW and CURRENT example for each of the fallacies.  In the 'Correlation does not Equal Causation' slide, I refer to the real, but meaningless correlation between sunspot activity and the fashionable length of skirts.  Like - REALLY obviously unrelated.  Student wrote this:

"a) Original Example: "There is a correlation between sunspot activity and skirt length in America. They are not casual. Both fashion and sunspots follow a roughly 11 year cycle."

b) Updated Example: This example for causation and correlation should be updated because mentioning skirt length creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience.

Instead, suggest the popular example of ice cream sales and shark attacks. There is a strong correlation between increasing ice cream sales and shark attacks at beaches, however these two variables do not cause one another to occur."

Shark attacks on people don't make people uncomfortable, but mentioning skirts does?

[Puget]

Had my first "What do I need to do to pass?" student of the semester come by office hours yesterday. This is a major course that students must earn a C in. I told Stu that if they earned 100% on everything for the rest of the semester, their grade would be 70.06% and that that wasn't realistic and they should talk to their advisor about the consequences of dropping the course now and focusing on the rest of their courses, or staying in to at least get a look at all the course content and trying again next semester, etc. Stu said, "You mean I can still earn a C, right?" I said, "Mathematically yes, realistically, no." Stu said, "I can do it!" Then didn't show up for yesterday afternoon's lab. **sigh**

I have one of these-- every time I or her advisor meets with her, she has a "solid plan to turn things around starting today". Then nothing changes. I had a final heart to heart with her last week in which we both agreed that if nothing had changed by the drop deadline on the 11th, she needs to drop. So far, nothing has changed. At least she isn't blaming anyone but herself for this.

[marshwiggle]

I do an online lecture on logical fallacies that is in need of updating (When Bush the Younger is the President in your examples, it is time).  I gave it to my experimental design class to watch and then they needed to come up with a NEW and CURRENT example for each of the fallacies.  In the 'Correlation does not Equal Causation' slide, I refer to the real, but meaningless correlation between sunspot activity and the fashionable length of skirts.  Like - REALLY obviously unrelated.  Student wrote this:

"a) Original Example: "There is a correlation between sunspot activity and skirt length in America. They are not casual. Both fashion and sunspots follow a roughly 11 year cycle."

b) Updated Example: This example for causation and correlation should be updated because mentioning skirt length creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience.

Instead, suggest the popular example of ice cream sales and shark attacks. There is a strong correlation between increasing ice cream sales and shark attacks at beaches, however these two variables do not cause one another to occur."

Shark attacks on people don't make people uncomfortable, but mentioning skirts does?

The "New Victorians" our society is producing clutch their pearls over virtually anything.

[EdnaMode]

Had my first "What do I need to do to pass?" student of the semester come by office hours yesterday. This is a major course that students must earn a C in. I told Stu that if they earned 100% on everything for the rest of the semester, their grade would be 70.06% and that that wasn't realistic and they should talk to their advisor about the consequences of dropping the course now and focusing on the rest of their courses, or staying in to at least get a look at all the course content and trying again next semester, etc. Stu said, "You mean I can still earn a C, right?" I said, "Mathematically yes, realistically, no." Stu said, "I can do it!" Then didn't show up for yesterday afternoon's lab. **sigh**

I have one of these-- every time I or her advisor meets with her, she has a "solid plan to turn things around starting today". Then nothing changes. I had a final heart to heart with her last week in which we both agreed that if nothing had changed by the drop deadline on the 11th, she needs to drop. So far, nothing has changed. At least she isn't blaming anyone but herself for this.

Thankfully this student also isn't blaming anyone but himself, but I do worry that students like this, who seem to be living in their own fantasy land where things always turn out well. Some I see again in a future semester and they've turned things around, focus on their work, and pass. Some just drift away never to be seen again. I think this student just lacks the maturity to be at university right now.

[Istiblennius]

Not really related to the topic at hand, but I saw this on a Scientific Sampler pinterest board the other day and truly loved it.

Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there.

[ergative]

Not really related to the topic at hand, but I saw this on a Scientific Sampler pinterest board the other day and truly loved it.

Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there.

I've seen that one. I quite like it.

[FishProf]

Teaching "correlation does not imply causation" has led some of my students to conclude that things that cause something ARE NOT correlated with it. 

Oddly, telling them it is a non-reciprocal syllogism doesn't seem to help.

[Puget]

Teaching "correlation does not imply causation" has led some of my students to conclude that things that cause something ARE NOT correlated with it. 

Oddly, telling them it is a non-reciprocal syllogism doesn't seem to help.

It apparently also causes my students to say that you can't draw causal conclusions from *an experimental design* even when they correctly tell me they should randomly assign participants to conditions. A large percentage of them just got that one wrong on my exam. I'm beginning to think we've gone a bit overboard in getting students to be skeptical of research findings-- some skepticism is good of course, but you don't want them to start thinking things like that RCTs don't demonstrate causal effects. . .

[the_geneticist]

I spent a LOT of my time collecting, inventorying, and organizing [basket making supplies] for your class [basketweaving project].  You had over 150 [types of supplies].  The idea was that each team would use a DIFFERENT set of [supplies].  Why on earth didn't you USE THEM?
TAs, this is YOUR fault.  You were tasked with distributing the supplies. 
Congratulations TAs, that means you are going to sit through some even more repetitive than usual student presentations on "here is my [basket]".

[onthefringe]

Teaching "correlation does not imply causation" has led some of my students to conclude that things that cause something ARE NOT correlated with it. 

Oddly, telling them it is a non-reciprocal syllogism doesn't seem to help.

It apparently also causes my students to say that you can't draw causal conclusions from *an experimental design* even when they correctly tell me they should randomly assign participants to conditions. A large percentage of them just got that one wrong on my exam. I'm beginning to think we've gone a bit overboard in getting students to be skeptical of research findings-- some skepticism is good of course, but you don't want them to start thinking things like that RCTs don't demonstrate causal effects. . .

You should send them this article and this one and confuse them even more!

[Anon1787]

How can students manage to write nothing at all in response to an essay question that is open book/note? I guess it's better than plagiarizing from an online source.

[ergative]

Read your email. Read your email. Read your email. You know those weekly emails I send around, with all the information about what's coming up, deadlines to remember, details about class meetings?

It really, really grinds my gears every time this happens:

Me, on Friday: 'Dear class, happy Friday! Remember X for next week.'

Stu, on Monday: 'Hey there, is X this week?'

It's not quite late enough in the semester to respond to queries with 'See Friday email'. But it is late enough for me to start being quite curt:

'Dear Stu, Yes. See Friday email. Regards, Dr. Ergative'

Most of the time I sign my emails with my first name. You only get 'Dr Ergative' in the signature if you really pissed me off.

[FishProf]

It's not quite late enough in the semester to respond to queries with 'See Friday email'.

Why?  I start those responses in week 1.