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

[FishProf]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

[AvidReader]

I like FishProf's idea because it gives them time to sit down and revise with you available for questions. (although you will get a few "but the file is at home on my Mom's computer!" complaints).

I always require a revision in my writing classes. Students that have already done well choose a new audience and update the original paper so that it works for that new audience (no word counts, but citations if relevant). I like them to see that a piece of writing, once "good enough," can still benefit from revision--and some of the revisions have been fabulously creative: obituaries (not always of people), journalistic writing, brochures or museum captions, a rap, a sonnet, etc. Mine have to include a paragraph explaining the new audience, and detailing why the revision works better for that audience. So if you want the strong students still to do something, this could be a fun option.

AR.

[paddington_bear]

I like Fishprof's idea. I know that some students have already made plans to go home before when our final would be, since we aren't meeting during finals week, they just have to submit their final assignment to the CMS. But I could be available the last week of class. Or cancel the last week of class and have more office hours for conferences. (Optional conferences? Required conferences?)

AvidReader, I've done the same in  a few writing classes I've taught. (This class is an English class that's Gen Ed and can count in the major.  But I have ZERO English majors in this class, so I'm not sure how much I should care that they can't write an essay. :)  )  It does get them thinking about the needs of different audiences I can't decide whether I want the strong students do have a final assignment as well, or just say, "Hurray! You don't have a last assignment in this class!"

[the_geneticist]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

I like FishProf's idea.  It gives everyone the same option.  As long as it's clear that the final exam time is the only chance to rewrite.  You could also say it's a "no penalty rewrite". As in, their grade either stays the same or goes up.  If their revised version is somehow worse than the original (you know you've seen it happen), then their final grade doesn't go down.
I bet you'll have a lot of students happy to take their current grade and walk away.

[paddington_bear]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

I like FishProf's idea.  It gives everyone the same option.  As long as it's clear that the final exam time is the only chance to rewrite.  You could also say it's a "no penalty rewrite". As in, their grade either stays the same or goes up.  If their revised version is somehow worse than the original (you know you've seen it happen), then their final grade doesn't go down.
I bet you'll have a lot of students happy to take their current grade and walk away.

Yes, I'm hoping that some will just accept their current grade. There's no final exam time for this class. I mean, there would be, but I said repeatedly throughout the semester - as people asked b/c they were making transportation arrangements - that we would not be meeting during exam week. So students could have until the final is due to rewrite their paper. Or not. :)

[FishProf]

It is worth thinking about your grading load when determining how long they have to do rewrites. 

[downer]

Rewriting is a great idea for student education, but I would never give it as an option. Far too much work for me.

I do explicitly give the option for students to do drafts and in some classes I don't give a policy, but will comment on drafts if students ask.

I find that not many students give me drafts, so it does not involve much extra work.

[Caracal]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

I like FishProf's idea.  It gives everyone the same option.  As long as it's clear that the final exam time is the only chance to rewrite.  You could also say it's a "no penalty rewrite". As in, their grade either stays the same or goes up.  If their revised version is somehow worse than the original (you know you've seen it happen), then their final grade doesn't go down.
I bet you'll have a lot of students happy to take their current grade and walk away.

Yes, I'm hoping that some will just accept their current grade. There's no final exam time for this class. I mean, there would be, but I said repeatedly throughout the semester - as people asked b/c they were making transportation arrangements - that we would not be meeting during exam week. So students could have until the final is due to rewrite their paper. Or not. :)

If I did this, probably most students wouldn't have anything to gain from revising. We don't have + or - grades though so your mileage may vary. By the end of the semester, however, grades often get pretty stuck. If a student is averaging an 85 and they get an 84 on the draft which is worth 20 percent or something, they aren't going to be able to move that into B+ territory unless the revision moves the paper into the mid to high 90s, which would be pretty unusual.

You probably do have more to gain from this if you got a particularly crummy grade, so this might work quite well for your purposes.

[secundem_artem]

Is it just me, or have all of your students apparently forgotten how to "student"?  The number of class absences is far higher than in previous years.  A few are Covid related but a lot of reasons are pretty vague.

[paddington_bear]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

I like FishProf's idea.  It gives everyone the same option.  As long as it's clear that the final exam time is the only chance to rewrite.  You could also say it's a "no penalty rewrite". As in, their grade either stays the same or goes up.  If their revised version is somehow worse than the original (you know you've seen it happen), then their final grade doesn't go down.
I bet you'll have a lot of students happy to take their current grade and walk away.

Yes, I'm hoping that some will just accept their current grade. There's no final exam time for this class. I mean, there would be, but I said repeatedly throughout the semester - as people asked b/c they were making transportation arrangements - that we would not be meeting during exam week. So students could have until the final is due to rewrite their paper. Or not. :)

If I did this, probably most students wouldn't have anything to gain from revising. We don't have + or - grades though so your mileage may vary. By the end of the semester, however, grades often get pretty stuck. If a student is averaging an 85 and they get an 84 on the draft which is worth 20 percent or something, they aren't going to be able to move that into B+ territory unless the revision moves the paper into the mid to high 90s, which would be pretty unusual.

You probably do have more to gain from this if you got a particularly crummy grade, so this might work quite well for your purposes.

I don't think I'd let students who have a B- or higher in the class have the re-write option -- regardless of the grade they got on their paper -- because it probably wouldn't be of significant help. But I think that a student who has a C or lower in the class AND who received a C or lower on their paper, could potentially improve their class grade by rewriting their paper. I have to give this more thought.

[the_geneticist]

I did this a few times.  Students came to the 3-hour final.  I gave them their rough drafts graded, as if they were final papers, and what grade that gave them in the course.  They could choose to
1) Use the final to revise; or
2) Take the grade they had and go.

Some variation of that might work for you.

I like FishProf's idea.  It gives everyone the same option.  As long as it's clear that the final exam time is the only chance to rewrite.  You could also say it's a "no penalty rewrite". As in, their grade either stays the same or goes up.  If their revised version is somehow worse than the original (you know you've seen it happen), then their final grade doesn't go down.
I bet you'll have a lot of students happy to take their current grade and walk away.

Yes, I'm hoping that some will just accept their current grade. There's no final exam time for this class. I mean, there would be, but I said repeatedly throughout the semester - as people asked b/c they were making transportation arrangements - that we would not be meeting during exam week. So students could have until the final is due to rewrite their paper. Or not. :)

If I did this, probably most students wouldn't have anything to gain from revising. We don't have + or - grades though so your mileage may vary. By the end of the semester, however, grades often get pretty stuck. If a student is averaging an 85 and they get an 84 on the draft which is worth 20 percent or something, they aren't going to be able to move that into B+ territory unless the revision moves the paper into the mid to high 90s, which would be pretty unusual.

You probably do have more to gain from this if you got a particularly crummy grade, so this might work quite well for your purposes.

I don't think I'd let students who have a B- or higher in the class have the re-write option -- regardless of the grade they got on their paper -- because it probably wouldn't be of significant help. But I think that a student who has a C or lower in the class AND who received a C or lower on their paper, could potentially improve their class grade by rewriting their paper. I have to give this more thought.

I'd give EVERYONE the option.  Do you really want to get a grade challenge based on "But if I got 100% on my rewritten paper I could have earned a [fill in higher grade]! Dr. [whoever] is biased and mean and unfair."  The student would win, even if you know that while it's mathematically possible for them to earn a higher grade that they realistically won't.

[FishProf]

I don't think I'd let students who have a B- or higher in the class have the re-write option -- regardless of the grade they got on their paper -- because it probably wouldn't be of significant help. But I think that a student who has a C or lower in the class AND who received a C or lower on their paper, could potentially improve their class grade by rewriting their paper. I have to give this more thought.

I've never understood the logic of this (so please explain it me).  Why are the students who are doing well less deserving of the opportunity to improve?   

[downer]

I don't think I'd let students who have a B- or higher in the class have the re-write option -- regardless of the grade they got on their paper -- because it probably wouldn't be of significant help. But I think that a student who has a C or lower in the class AND who received a C or lower on their paper, could potentially improve their class grade by rewriting their paper. I have to give this more thought.

I've never understood the logic of this (so please explain it me).  Why are the students who are doing well less deserving of the opportunity to improve?

It is very tricky giving opportunities to some students and not others.

I can understand it in terms of time management. Students who do badly generally don't do much to improve their grades, while students who do well still want to improve them. So these offers generally involve little extra work for the instructor.

It can also be a lot more work explaining to a student how to get their paper from a B+ to an A than it is explaining how to get a C paper to a B.

[onthefringe]

I don't think I'd let students who have a B- or higher in the class have the re-write option -- regardless of the grade they got on their paper -- because it probably wouldn't be of significant help. But I think that a student who has a C or lower in the class AND who received a C or lower on their paper, could potentially improve their class grade by rewriting their paper. I have to give this more thought.

I've never understood the logic of this (so please explain it me).  Why are the students who are doing well less deserving of the opportunity to improve?

This. Plus pragmatically my whiniest students are generally B+ students who want an A (not an A-, an A)

[Aster]

I just finished grading a major exam in one of the first classes where our students have returned to campus and enrolled in "regular" classes. For most of the past year, our institution has been mostly closed and/or diverted into online instruction only.

Only 2 students earned passing marks on the latest exam. And both of those students just barely passed.

This is the same basic exam that I've been delivering for over a decade. Same instruction, also. There is no institutional reason why so few students performed adequately on this exam. There should have been a lot more passing scores.