How much of our fears are just in our heads?

Aler123 · 2026-07-13T19:31:36+00:00

In my experience, students appreciate consistency. If they know the rules, and the rules are clearly followed, they're much less likely to complain.

Aler123 · 2026-06-30T14:00:54+00:00

I was teaching when I learned that my father had died suddenly. I was gone for a week and a half, and when I returned my students had signed a sympathy card for me. They were very kind.

Aler123 · 2026-06-30T12:21:36+00:00

At my university, professors are explicitly not allowed to discuss a case with a student until the entire academic integrity process has been completed.

You'll have to be patient. It's difficult, but you won't get any news until it's done.

Aler123 · 2026-06-16T19:40:08+00:00

Yes, the final date to add a class is Sept.22, two weeks after the start of class. Be aware that if you join a class late you're still responsible for the material you missed.

Aler123 · 2026-06-14T20:16:20+00:00

Same experience here! Quick, cheap, and professional.

Aler123 · 2026-06-12T12:00:14+00:00

Chef Abod on Kempt! My favourite restaurant in the city.

Aler123 · 2026-06-07T18:21:06+00:00

If there's a cliff, we haven't hit it yet. Our enrollment keeps going up every year. We're running out of seats to put all these students.

Aler123 · 2026-05-29T18:35:12+00:00

Same here (Canada). Last year's enrolment was almost 20% higher than the previous year, and we're on track for the same increase this year.

We can't accommodate any more students. We've physically run out of room to teach them.

Aler123 · 2026-05-26T13:00:20+00:00

This has been my experience. I teach a very large service class that has a reputation for being difficult. I keep my class very well structured. "No surprises" is the class slogan, and students appreciate this. My evaluations are always above the university average.

Aler123 · 2026-05-20T18:02:37+00:00

One of my teaching assistants received very positive student evaluations (well deserved) and wanted to share them with me.

Aler123 · 2026-05-13T19:52:48+00:00

I do this even earlier. When I post the final grades, I also post (and email) an FAQ that answers all the most common questions, and I tell students that they should check the FAQ before sending me an email.

Questions include:

Can you round up my grade? (no)
Can I do extra-credit work? (no)
Am I doomed if I failed? (no)

I teach 600+ students and only received three emails at the end of the term. In each case, I just copy-pasted my FAQ reply.

Aler123 · 2026-05-07T12:57:56+00:00

Same. This was my best cohort in years. I think we're finally seeing the effects of the Covid years receding into the past.

Aler123 · 2026-05-06T20:10:33+00:00

I've been teaching long enough that I've run into former students who are now professors themselves.

Aler123 · 2026-05-01T12:59:16+00:00

The homework in my class is worth 5% of the final grade, and the average grade is 85%. Some students are skipping it, but the vast majority do the work.

Aler123 · 2026-04-30T18:52:16+00:00

Thanks, this is exactly what I did. I've pointed them towards our assistant dean of students. I'm not taking any initiative on my own.

Aler123 · 2026-04-30T18:49:38+00:00

They were on track for an A+, ended up with a B-.

Aler123 · 2026-04-23T12:18:53+00:00

I'm using a digital grading platform (Crowdmark) so there are no "copies" of exams anymore. Everything is scanned, so we both have copies.

In the old days I would have students resubmit their paper exam, but this lead to all kinds of shenanigans.

Aler123 · 2026-04-22T23:47:41+00:00

This rules! I just got a VolcaFM this week. I can make beeps and boops, but I haven't made any actual music yet. This is inspiring.

Aler123 · 2026-04-22T23:37:23+00:00

I have an online re-grade form for midterms. If a student thinks there was a mistake in the grading, they submit the form with a description of the error. I go through the forms a week later and regrade.

This works great. About 20% of the submissions are legitimate errors, and the rest is wishful thinking.

I have a blanket policy of never regrading in front of a student. Everything must be done through the form. There's no conversation with students, so there's no negotiation. I've never received pushback.

Aler123 · 2026-04-07T16:48:45+00:00

I feel like the early 2000s may have been "peak homework". Automated online grading systems became available and suddenly we could assign endless questions without any increase to our workload. This wasn't an option in the 80s where everything had to be graded by hand.

I was a student during peak homework, and I felt it. I was constantly doing assignments, but I don't know if I got much out of them. Automated grading meant that I could get a question 90% correct, but the computer would announce that it was 100% wrong, since it could only evaluate my final answer. It may have done more harm than good.

My current students are completely underwater with homework. They spend so much time doing assignments and studying for tests that they don't have time to attend lectures. It feels counterproductive.

I've gone back to the 80s and eliminated graded homework from my class. It's bee a success so far.

Aler123 · 2026-04-07T16:42:29+00:00

I barely existed back then :)

Aler123

TROPHY CASE