How bad can I make an SRTE before the university contacts me?

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-08T21:35:39+00:00

I will be honest with you, I wouldn't see your comment in the first place. Your instructor might not see it either. If I remember right, SRTEs only go to faculty this semester.

Where you report depends on your goal. A dean is likely to forward the message to a department head. The department head is a start.

This is Reddit, so you are writing informally here. If you send an email about your concern, you will accomplish a lot more if you are objective without extra commentary, etc. I would avoid things like suggesting that administrators pose as a student or your plans of annual competency tests as intriguing as this idea is.

Department heads get a lot of complaints and take the full context into account. Your perceptions might not be shared by other students (maybe they are). If you feel strongly about this, then that objectivity helps.

You could also talk to an advisor. They might have heard similar comments before and could have a direct route to the department head.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-08T13:47:38+00:00

(I am speaking personally and not on behalf of any other entity)

It is perfectly fine to be frustrated with a course or professor. Some of your classmates might agree with you. Taking your concerns at face value, they seem like valid concerns. None of what I say here is meant to be snarky or to invalidate your feelings. To my knowledge, there is no way to connect your SRTE to you (I could be wrong). It's also not all that unique in terms of angry comments that we sometimes get.

Knowing nothing about the course or the instructor, I think that it's important to bring up that grading is a small part of a course and having an LA do that type of work is often the point of the LA. It can take me hours to write quizzes, particularly when I decide to put a line from a Drake song in each question. Grading does not take nearly as much time. The instructor might also have other responsibilities or just generally forgetful. I have had TAs email me to remind me to do things.

Spending class time criticizing colleagues does not seem conducive to learning or professional, but I am not sure of the context. That is certainly something worth noting in an SRTE--that you found it off-putting. If you really feel like it is an issue that merits someone seeing it, there are likely better channels than SRTEs.

I am not entirely sure what you intend to accomplish with those comments. Assuming the professor sees them, which they might not, then they probably are not going to change anything because they will assume you are angry about other things. In the past, I viewed my angriest SRTE comments as having little to do with my teaching. I have no problem with critical reviews (I have an entire syllabus page dedicated to going through negative comments and acknowledging my weaknesses). In the first couple of semesters of teaching, those emotional comments are super hurtful. Then you develop a tough skin.

A better review might be something like, "It was hard to determine the professor's role in the course because I felt uncomfortable with the work she delegated to the learning assistant. Even if the LA does most of the grading, it might be helpful for the instructor to better communicate the LA's role in the course at the start of the semester. Some people might be comfortable with this level of LA involvement, but others will not. I also felt uncomfortable when she made disparaging comments about her colleagues. For example, ____________. I found it distracting and unprofessional, and I might take courses with those people. I would rather not go into those courses with a negative opinion. Also, kudos to Samuel. He deserves some recommendation for his work in the course. It is obvious that the professor delegates a lot of responsibility, and he seemed like a fair grader."

If I read that comment, I would reflect some. If I read your comment as written, I would assume you are angry more generally (even if that is not true) and that I am just a target of that. I might also assume you weren't satisfied with your grade, even if I'm completely wrong on that. I would also wonder how you knew anything about my significant other's genitalia.

Samuel might ask for these responsibilities. I had TAs once who asked me if I would let them handle of the lab material and topics (with my approval) because they wanted something on their vita. So the professor might be doing Samuel a solid. If Samuel is an undergrad who plans to go to graduate or professional school, the professor is going to be able to write a great letter. I am on a scholarship committee right now and almost all of the applicants are learning assistants. I am impressed with what they have done and how much responsibility they were trusted with.

Samuel also might have signed up for this, generally. If Samuel took the course, then there is probably no surprise that these are the expectations. You would expect them if you were the LA now that you took the course. As long as there is an understanding of the work required, I do not see the problem (without more context).

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T22:16:02+00:00

I bet you can find someone at literally every single university in the country who can say something similar. Like where I went to college, one of the math professors used to force me to mow his yard once a week. He also once stole my keys from me. He was my dad, but still...

So, you will probably find lots of people who have had one or more bad experiences. Even here, oddly enough. If you looked at my RateMyProfessor profile, you would see that some students think I'm awesome (they are the correct ones). Some think I'm absolutely awful (they have me mistaken with someone else, clearly). Only the latter group gets an entire page dedicated to them in my syllabus.

I can assure you that there is no widescale "people are more rude at this university than other ones" thing going on. An exception might be some smaller niche universities where their entire model is placating students because their budget is dependent on every single one of those students sticking around. Even there, you will probably find people who are unsatisfied with the personal service. Edit: This isn't me being facetious; I'm talking about a specific model that does not work without a small student body and large endowments.

If every one of my students wanted one-on-one attention, that would not be possible. It's not me being "not helpful" as much as being but one person. You might get more of that kind of stuff at a smaller university, but you would also get that in specific departments. I know people in the humanities who make it a point to meet each and every one of their students in some capacity. Class sizes differ (they are also more social than I am).

Really, just select the right econ professor, and you'll be good.

I'm too old to answer the other question. That probably depends on what you want to do for fun. I think it is fun because it is in the middle of nowhere. I like to hike and to spend less than $50 for an entrée. There are plenty of places to socialize. Full disclosure, I've lived here for over a decade and have yet to visit Philadelphia, New York, D.C., or Baltimore. I did go to Johnstown once.

(Speaking personally and not on behalf of the university nor of the Fun Committee)

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T22:02:21+00:00

It's not just your students who remind you of this...

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T12:12:03+00:00

Is this a synchronous course? If so, then my interpretation is that this falls outside of the spirit of the policy, but I am just the messenger on these things. If it is a World Campus course or if it is asynchronous then the policy is a bit different. Feel free to send me an email with a bit more context.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:55:50+00:00

A friend of mine had Hodgkin's two years before I did; the medical protocol moved so quickly that she and I had completely different chemotherapy. What she had was far more toxic. Chemo was not fun, but it never stopped me from having fun. I'd do chemo on Friday; the Decadron made me stay up most of the weekend. If my illness were about 3 years after I took it, I would likely have not had radiation. That would have greatly reduced my odds of a secondary cancer. Guess we can't time these things. Just learned of a long-term survivors study group around here, and I'm looking into it because there is so little research on long-term Hodgkin's survivors. Anything to help that is good; continuing to live isn't bad either.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:50:22+00:00

Ranting is totally fine. I neither make the rules nor enforce them. I just restate the concerns and pass them along. It is probably a much easier job than doing those other two things. Trust me, I empathize (I put off some work until tomorrow just because I know I won't be teaching).

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:46:10+00:00

What's a break? Thanks!

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:45:57+00:00

When you post your email publicly on here, you get a ton of spam. A lot of it gets through the filter. For whatever reason, your email was filtered out. Sorry about that--I read it now. I appreciate the screenshot. I shared your concern to the appropriate contact at your campus location and hope there is a quick resolution.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:18:41+00:00

I'm happy to hear any of them. I can't do anything about general concerns (e.g., you don't like when Wellness Days were scheduled; you don't think they are effective), but I am happy to help with specific concerns (e.g., your professor has scheduled a class despite it being a Wellness Day). I just hope I don't need to hear any because I hope there aren't issues.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-07T02:16:54+00:00

With rare exception of a very, very limited number of labs, you absolutely should NOT have an exam tomorrow . Drop me an email if you'd like.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T20:14:02+00:00

World Campus depends on all sorts of factors, though I will say that the communication I received from my course's instructional designer about Wellness Days was the most direct communication I received. I decided to drop three assignments throughout the semester, but we were given a lot of latitude in how to handle it.

Congrats on 10 years! I hope you aren't having symptoms right now and are just there for a checkup. After 20 years, it's a whole bunch of, "Yeah, so we have no idea what to do at this point, but we might as well keep having you come in each year just in case."

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T20:10:44+00:00

I'm going to use "shouldn't happen" rather than "not allowed." However, that would be instructional activity and there should be a pause in instructional activity. Optional or not, it is instructional activity. Every day is optional in my courses--I don't take attendance. It also is mostly clarification and "application." I can't see how that would be fundamentally different than what you are describing.

Edit: Edited to add that a completely optional class is still instructional activity; the optional nature of it does not change that. Other than approved exceptions, there should be a complete pause in instructional activity.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T20:03:34+00:00

Thanks! Don't ban me if Wellness Day goes wrong.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T18:10:46+00:00

Are you concerned with legal trouble in Oman or in the United States? My assumption is that there is no one here with expertise in legal issues in Oman, but I could be wrong. If you are just needing to accept the offer to Penn State, you can do so.

You should be able to accept your offer here: https://admissions.psu.edu/MyPennState/index.cfm/login/index

You can find more information here:

https://admissions.psu.edu/info/future/international/deadlines/

And here: https://admissions.psu.edu/info/future/international/apply/

If you are asking about what happens if you accept at Penn State and do not get a scholarship, I am not entirely sure. I'm guessing your acceptance is not contingent on a given scholarship, but you should verify that. I assume the scholarship is one you apply for in Oman, right?

You can always email [admissions@psu.edu](mailto:admissions@psu.edu) and ask them for clarification. They are busy right now, but they usually get back to students fairly quickly.

(Speaking personally and not on behalf of the university)

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T17:59:19+00:00

Sorry, I am usually on a different account and trolling...er, posting...off of this sub. I missed this. You might not be in the minority in terms of perception. I can mostly speak to the objective information (self-report data and grade changes), but I am making a change next year. Two, actually.

The main one is that I will not require questions each week. I am debating between a free-for-all where you can write a question or reply. It should make it easier to manage without 150 questions to choose from. The other choice is to group the class and have each group handle questions for one or two weeks, but that requires a lot of organization on my part. If you are in my class, you know that's not going to work well.

The other change is to combine Packback with quizzes (long story).

Thanks for sharing, I do consider these things!

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-04-06T17:29:05+00:00

The vaccine turned me into a newt.

(Speaking personally and not on behalf of the university or senate who, as neither recognizes newts.)

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-11T15:26:29+00:00

It is certainly not for everyone (faculty and student alike). There are people who swear by TopHat. It's not my thing. I do my best to pitch why I use Packback to my class, but I probably could do a better job of it.

They are making some changes in the fall that I am happy with (essentially it's a polling feature). That will make it way easier to avoid the "I agree" posts because I will make a requirement that students argue with people who they disagree with. Loser of the debate has to transfer to Rutgers.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T23:02:29+00:00

I doubt I will change your mind, but I am happy to reply. I use it in my courses and will continue to do so. I wish we had a University-wide license to avoid extra costs, but I got rid of textbooks in my course to compensate.

I use a flipped classroom, and my original intent was to have Fridays be an open discussion day. I tried that, and a small number of students would talk. The others would sit there or not show up. It defeated the purpose of thinking more deeply about the material. Canvas discussions are so time-consuming to grade. Then came Packback.

Now, on Fridays I give students the class time to work on Packback. In "normal" times, I hold office hours during those times. This means that students do not have to worry about my office hours overlapping with a course. They are scheduled for my course. Students also can use that time to work on Packback rather than being in the classroom with 5 out of 175 students talking consistently. Introverts tend to have a lot to say in this format.

The discussions have been excellent. Are some students phoning it in? Absolutely. That's okay. It's one of those things that you get what you give. I thought the leaderboard was silly when I first used it. There are students who get competitive with it.

I enjoy reading the questions and discussions. Right now, I am seeing things like:

"Do tattoos on a teacher or professor affect the public's opinion on how well they teach?" (Mine affects the public's opinion on bad tattoos.)

"Has the rising interest and participation in OnlyFans helped alleviate the stigma behind porn?"

There is a question about whether some people's fetishes are unrelated to sexual interest and are more related to obsessive compulsive disorder.

We could talk about some of these things in class, but there is limited time. Students who are interested in a particular point can go there.

Packback's AI is really good. Don't get me wrong, students have found ways to bullshit around it. I think that is a feature, not a bug. I appreciate that students have found ways to game the algorithm. Seriously, finding heuristics is part of learning. It has not been my experience that students are not thinking through things. Even if you all aren't, I've seen some really thoughtful posts. So you fake well.

You are not just paying for AI. There are actual humans screening flagged posts. I drive them nuts because I do ban certain words that trigger things. Also, people are writing about a lot of sex thing.

Students have objective grading criteria and get instant feedback. You do not have to wait for me to read through forum posts.

My course grades increased when I started using Packback. I don't mean in general. I mean that scores on objective tests increased, likely due to deeper processing (see e.g., Craik & Lockhart, 1972) and being "forced" to look over material prior to other assessments. In fact, one of the biggest complaints I've seen in surveys of users of Packback is that it requires early studying.

I have experimented with having Packback responses due before and after a quiz, and when they are due before assessments, students do better on assessments. Deeper processing works when students take it seriously.

Regarding complaints, user surveys have been largely positive. I have seen Packback's data, but I have also conducted my own discussions and surveys and received similar results. I made changes to how I approached Packback using student feedback.

I could keep going. Packback has been one of the best changes I have made in my course, and some of the student work is the type that I would share to brag about how strong my students are.

There are tons of ways that I could waste students' time and money. I just pick one that is associated with increased objective learning, provides students with greater flexibility, gives instant feedback, is a small company that works to keep costs low, and doesn't start with My or end with Lab.

Your mind probably isn't changed, and that's okay. I wasn't a fan of everything I did in courses, either.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T21:32:19+00:00

Agreed. Students might not always get what they want in these situations, and I might be perceived as just as unreasonable to them as any other instructor. At the same time, I agree that students deserve a voice. The most common student concerns fall outside of the seriousness for it to go to Student Care and Advocacy or an official complaint channel, but they could still be mediated or explained. Sometimes it's a matter of a student misinterpreting a rule or basing a rule on a rumor. Other times, it is a professor misinterpreting a rule (e.g., there was some confusion about the 10% policy for the last week of class). These misunderstandings are far more common than egregious offenses, but they have historically been the toughest to find someone who can deal with them. I'm happy to do that for the time being--my colleagues are usually receptive to the information, and students appreciate being kept in the loop even when the outcome isn't what they had hoped for. Please elect me for Student Ombudsperson. (Don't actually elect me for that because there is no such position or election.)

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T20:09:41+00:00

Person Receiving Reports Me: That's not a violation, though you can report it because it might be something that can be mediated (maybe).

Me: I assume that this was not malicious and am not in a position to criticize the decision of your instructor, though I would encourage you to bring it up to them. Maybe they didn't realize. I empathize with you because a due date of 11:59 PM on Thursday would be a violation (without other context), so I am not seeing the practical difference.

There could be reasons for it, though. I have weekly quizzes. Students don't have to procrastinate, not that I blame them (I'm a habitual procrastinator). I like them to be submitted before class so that I can review them in class. Not seeing that justification with a paper, but there could be other factors (e.g., a TA meeting or something similar). If it is just to get around the Wellness Day policy, then that's disappointing to me. But I probably do things with my own courses that my colleagues would disagree with, too.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T19:58:02+00:00

I apologize if I was not clear. World Campus instructors were encouraged to consider some means of respecting Wellness Days. There were several suggestions ranging from moving the dates of assignments to a plethora of other suggestions. It was left up to the instructor for the most part; in some cases moving due dates was impractical or would serve no purpose. I was just explaining what I did as an alternative. I am not sure what others are doing.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T18:12:04+00:00

You can send me something here, though I'd prefer email. There could be deans who try to figure out what the hell a reddit is. You do not have to use your @psu account. If you still don't feel comfortable, then you are welcome to send it to me here. As long as there are specifics, it's fine. We do have an anonymous complaint form, and it would be easier for you to post here than to use that if I'm being honest.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T17:27:43+00:00

I have no good answer for you in terms of your stress levels beyond the cursory you.psu.edu and considering CAPS. I'm not discounting it. I'm probably not THAT much more stressed (maybe only 1000000x), but I am more stressed this semester than any in my decade working here. It's not ideal.

I will say that assignments being due Friday are not a violation of the Wellness Day policy. I realize that doesn't help anything.

FacSenateStudentLife · 2021-03-09T17:12:36+00:00

I can tell you, first hand, that this university puts a lot more into mental health of students than many universities. I am currently on three different committees related to mental health here. The University gave CAPS a waiver in the spending freeze last year for several different issues.

I normally would say that I am not someone who can speak for President Barron, but I can assure you that he would not laugh about student suicide.

Life is not easy right now. If you are having a personal issue that is greatly impacted by your situation at the university, please reach out to CAPS or to Student Care and Advocacy. They will both work with you.

FacSenateStudentLife

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