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

[mamselle]

On of my bright, geeky music students, who also takes music theory with me, is starting to figure out how to use online systems to create soundtracks.

He's fairly random about it, so his pieces have so far been, um, thick, dense, and interesting, but not quite yet coherent.

I suggested we take just four counts and pull apart the three lines that were sounding simultaneously, and try to make some sense out of them. I mentioned that one of them basically had an F Major chord, and if he wanted to apply the notes F, A, and C to the rhythms he had in the other lines, it might be one way to introduce some communicative integration into the piece.

"But see," he said, "that's the trouble. This stuff we learn in theory, I can't use it here. Take these parallel octaves, for example....I need to fix them..."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Parallel octaves? Where? How do you know about parallel octaves?"

"Uh--we covered them in...."

Silence. I waited it out. Finally, light dawns on marble head.

"Oh."

"So what do you do to fix them."

He did it.

"So, tell me again about music theory not being very useful in this environment....?"

He was gracious enough to admit that maybe, just maybe, there was a point to all that 'stuff' we'd been doing...

M.

[dr_evil]

On of my bright, geeky music students, who also takes music theory with me, is starting to figure out how to use online systems to create soundtracks.

He's fairly random about it, so his pieces have so far been, um, thick, dense, and interesting, but not quite yet coherent.

I suggested we take just four counts and pull apart the three lines that were sounding simultaneously, and try to make some sense out of them. I mentioned that one of them basically had an F Major chord, and if he wanted to apply the notes F, A, and C to the rhythms he had in the other lines, it might be one way to introduce some communicative integration into the piece.

"But see," he said, "that's the trouble. This stuff we learn in theory, I can't use it here. Take these parallel octaves, for example....I need to fix them..."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Parallel octaves? Where? How do you know about parallel octaves?"

"Uh--we covered them in...."

Silence. I waited it out. Finally, light dawns on marble head.

"Oh."

"So what do you do to fix them."

He did it.

"So, tell me again about music theory not being very useful in this environment....?"

He was gracious enough to admit that maybe, just maybe, there was a point to all that 'stuff' we'd been doing...

M.

Well, he did eventually get it, so I might consider that a win.

Yesterday we were covering a topic that students tend to struggle with. I had some people catch on with a few tips, but some others I would try to find a bunch of different ways to say the same thing and they were still lost. The most frustrating ones though were the ones in lab that didn't seem to trust what they were observing and wanted me to tell them what their observations should be.

[mamselle]

You're right, and he always admits his errors with a good will and fixes them, so it really was a win.

It was just that the timing was so funny...

I'm still chuckling over the sort-of-silent "bad-a-ching!"

M.

[secundem_artem]

On of my bright, geeky music students, who also takes music theory with me, is starting to figure out how to use online systems to create soundtracks.

He's fairly random about it, so his pieces have so far been, um, thick, dense, and interesting, but not quite yet coherent.

I suggested we take just four counts and pull apart the three lines that were sounding simultaneously, and try to make some sense out of them. I mentioned that one of them basically had an F Major chord, and if he wanted to apply the notes F, A, and C to the rhythms he had in the other lines, it might be one way to introduce some communicative integration into the piece.

"But see," he said, "that's the trouble. This stuff we learn in theory, I can't use it here. Take these parallel octaves, for example....I need to fix them..."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Parallel octaves? Where? How do you know about parallel octaves?"

"Uh--we covered them in...."

Silence. I waited it out. Finally, light dawns on marble head.

"Oh."

"So what do you do to fix them."

He did it.

"So, tell me again about music theory not being very useful in this environment....?"

He was gracious enough to admit that maybe, just maybe, there was a point to all that 'stuff' we'd been doing...

M.

A few years ago, I was working with some students to create public health service announcements that would be played on radio stations in my fieldwork site in Central America.  I contacted a faculty member in music and asked if she had any students who may be interested.

The one who showed up was, I strongly suspect, somewhere on the autism spectrum.  We discussed what I needed -short, catchy jingles in a major key to which I could add the information.  What I got were a half dozen compositions, each 15 minutes long, of beat heavy electronica.  Too much Daft Punk for your average Mayan villager to process.    I also told him I could pay $10 and hour to a maximum of $100.  I think he invoiced me for something like 30 hours.  Unlike your young lad, mine never quite understood the brief.

[mamselle]

Oh, dear.

Sort of like milking the goose that laid the golden egg.

On the other hand, the student understood the need to be a good musical agent for oneself in billing one's hours...!

M.

[the_geneticist]

Arghh!!
I have a TA that has good intentions (be supportive! help the students!), but really bad instincts.

Me: put students in their presentation teams this week.  They have time in lab to work on their presentation.
TA: Do I form the teams or do they pick the teams?
Me: Either is fine.  Your choice.
TA: Hey students!  Email me by [several days after lab] to let me know who you'd like to work with!  I'll put you in teams [blah blah]

Me: give students back their exam in lab this week.  They need it for their reflection assignment due next week.
TA: Oh, I didn't have time to go through all the questions with them so I didn't give them back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

[arcturus]

So, the main point of scaffolding assignments in my class is to encourage students to spread the work out over the entire semester, and also to give me an opportunity to provide early feedback on some of their work related to the final project. One aspect of these scaffolding assignments is a timeline that shows when the work will be completed, so that students can monitor their own progress. While I realize that for most students the actual timeline is something along the lines of "24 hours before it is due, I will start the project", I maintain hope that the timeline requirement will give them ideas of how to be more responsible in the future. However, when a student submits a timeline with dates *after* the project is due to complete the work (and I do not accept late work in this class...), I am tempted to bang. bang. bang.

[mamselle]

I inherited a class that had been set up with scaffolding (I was an adjunct teaching art history, and the architecture history prof was sent to long-term bedrest with serious mono....).

After the abysmal response to the 1st assignment, I stripped all the scaffolding out--I was already teaching 4 other courses (2 of Modern Art, 1 at night, one daytime, with only a dozen students each, so I'd accepted it as do-able, but the Intro classes and the now-added Arch. Hx. class were surveys with 25-50 each, and both were full, so the grading was very hard).

I didn't need the added grading and feedback, and figured they could structure things for themselves: I didn't have the bandwidth (I left the suggestion to meet the projected dates up to the students: i.e., if they wanted to do their bibs, intros, etc. as originally booked, I'd look at them and give feedback--1 or 2 did, but that was all.)

Got the same grade distributions, roughly, as I might have expected with all the hand-holding, the same strong students did the work, the same late-workers didn't.

So I decided I wasn't a fan of scaffolding until grad student levels made it likely they'd actually make use of the system as it was meant to be used.

And from what I gather, even that doesn't always work, so...cui bono?

M.

[marshwiggle]

Got the same grade distributions, roughly, as I might have expected with all the hand-holding, the same strong students did the work, the same late-workers didn't.

So I decided I wasn't a fan of scaffolding until grad student levels made it likely they'd actually make use of the system as it was meant to be used.

And from what I gather, even that doesn't always work, so...cui bono?

M.

I think most interventions have the biggest effect in the middle; as you say, the pro-active ones will do fine regardless, and the total slackers won't benefit. However, the ones who have moderate ability and motivation will get some benefit from having more feedback. (Even still, the effect will be relatively modest.)

That's my experience.

[the_geneticist]

I have a student who is on a sports team who has been, shall we say, really trying to stretch the limit of "work with their instructors for how to make up missing work".
The final exam is online.  It's open note.  It's available ALL DAY.  Your coach agreed that yes, you would have access to a quiet room with good internet and a table to sit at with your notes.
No, you cannot take it another day.  I do not care that you would prefer next week Tuesday.  I know you have finals in other classes.  This is not up for negotiation. 
Stop.
Emailing.
Me.

[AvidReader]

I have a student who is on a sports team who has been, shall we say, really trying to stretch the limit of "work with their instructors for how to make up missing work".
The final exam is online.  It's open note.  It's available ALL DAY.  Your coach agreed that yes, you would have access to a quiet room with good internet and a table to sit at with your notes.

Last year I had a student athlete who needed to take a final exam (online) on the same day as a regional track meet. Student was super proactive and confirmed things with me ahead of time; I was able to see the student log in to the exam at the appropriate time and all seemed to be going well.

Because all exams were online, I was available on Zoom for the entire exam period. Student logged in to ask a question towards the end of the exam period. Stu's camera was on. Stu was sitting on the ground behind a barn using a phone as a hot spot. It was windy, so Stu was using sticks and small rocks to keep stu's papers from flying away. I said, "You should have told me the conditions were so poor! We could have arranged another time." Stu said, "I just wanted to finish strong."

Sounds like your student athlete needs a little of my student athlete's grit.

AR.

[the_geneticist]

Online exam has started.  It's open note, any resources from the class website are allowed and they have 3 hours once they start.
I have students who are earning really low scores and finishing in less than an hour. 
I just don't understand their mindset.  The questions appear all at once, they can change answers before submitting, they can email me if they are confused or have questions.  This is honestly the lowest stakes way I've ever offered a final exam.  Why the rush?
Do they have other more urgent things to do? Probably not
Is this a case of "meh, no point stressing when a C is good enough"? Doubtful
"There is no way I'll learn all of this in 3 hours so I may as well just turn it in"?  Maybe?

These students did the same thing for an in person exam earlier this quarter.  They finished in like 20 minutes even though they had an hour.  But then a whole bunch said that they didn't read carefully or really think about the questions.  Argh!!

Students finish exams WAY faster online compared to in person.  Does the exam not feel as "real" if it's online?  Does bubbling in answers on paper really slow them down that much?  Is offering an "open note" exam making students feel like they don't need to prepare?
I feel like there is a fundable study to get at these questions, but it's outside my area of expertise.

[Puget]

Online exam has started.  It's open note, any resources from the class website are allowed and they have 3 hours once they start.
I have students who are earning really low scores and finishing in less than an hour. 
I just don't understand their mindset.  The questions appear all at once, they can change answers before submitting, they can email me if they are confused or have questions.  This is honestly the lowest stakes way I've ever offered a final exam.  Why the rush?
Do they have other more urgent things to do? Probably not
Is this a case of "meh, no point stressing when a C is good enough"? Doubtful
"There is no way I'll learn all of this in 3 hours so I may as well just turn it in"?  Maybe?

These students did the same thing for an in person exam earlier this quarter.  They finished in like 20 minutes even though they had an hour.  But then a whole bunch said that they didn't read carefully or really think about the questions.  Argh!!

Students finish exams WAY faster online compared to in person.  Does the exam not feel as "real" if it's online?  Does bubbling in answers on paper really slow them down that much?  Is offering an "open note" exam making students feel like they don't need to prepare?
I feel like there is a fundable study to get at these questions, but it's outside my area of expertise.

We have the opposite students apparently. I give a non-cumulative regular third exam, the same length as the other 80 min. exams, during the 3-hour final exam block. A sizable number of students stay for the whole 3 hours. It is closed materials and proctored, so it's not as if they are looking things up. What are they doing for all that time?  From observation, staring blankly at the paper hoping something will magically come to them, or triple checking things obsessively.

[kiana]

Students finish exams WAY faster online compared to in person.  Does the exam not feel as "real" if it's online?  Does bubbling in answers on paper really slow them down that much?  Is offering an "open note" exam making students feel like they don't need to prepare?
I feel like there is a fundable study to get at these questions, but it's outside my area of expertise.

I wonder how much of this is also attributable to "ooh the other kids haven't left yet I should still be working"?

[the_geneticist]

Online exam has started.  It's open note, any resources from the class website are allowed and they have 3 hours once they start.
I have students who are earning really low scores and finishing in less than an hour. 
I just don't understand their mindset.  The questions appear all at once, they can change answers before submitting, they can email me if they are confused or have questions.  This is honestly the lowest stakes way I've ever offered a final exam.  Why the rush?
Do they have other more urgent things to do? Probably not
Is this a case of "meh, no point stressing when a C is good enough"? Doubtful
"There is no way I'll learn all of this in 3 hours so I may as well just turn it in"?  Maybe?

These students did the same thing for an in person exam earlier this quarter.  They finished in like 20 minutes even though they had an hour.  But then a whole bunch said that they didn't read carefully or really think about the questions.  Argh!!

Students finish exams WAY faster online compared to in person.  Does the exam not feel as "real" if it's online?  Does bubbling in answers on paper really slow them down that much?  Is offering an "open note" exam making students feel like they don't need to prepare?
I feel like there is a fundable study to get at these questions, but it's outside my area of expertise.

We have the opposite students apparently. I give a non-cumulative regular third exam, the same length as the other 80 min. exams, during the 3-hour final exam block. A sizable number of students stay for the whole 3 hours. It is closed materials and proctored, so it's not as if they are looking things up. What are they doing for all that time?  From observation, staring blankly at the paper hoping something will magically come to them, or triple checking things obsessively.

Hoping for a blessing of divine inspiration from the gods of science?  Like Darwin is going to speak directly to their brain or something.
Don't forget the endless foot tapping, nose rubbing, and shifting in the uncomfortable seats. 
I've also seen students TAKE A NAP during the final.  I ask TAs to gently wake them up to see if they are OK.  They say they are fine, just needed a quick nap.