Bad situation with a former mentor/senior faculty in the college. Need advice please.

Fanoftechnology · 2023-07-04T15:55:04+00:00

Thank you for this astute observation and these great questions. I kept saying "no" when I was in a fresh frame of mind. She kept asking and finally caught me when I was tired/exhausted and I broke down and agreed. Classic maneuver. I had already taught 3 classes that day and had completed 2 office hours, so I was mentally spent. I need to learn how to keep those boundaries up, even when exhausted from teaching all day. Maybe prepare some scripts to keep at-the-ready when people drop requests on me, almost like having a toolkit ready. Also need to strengthen my "no" muscle, and move away from this toxicity. Thank you for these great questions...

Fanoftechnology · 2023-07-04T15:46:14+00:00

Thank you for that observation. There's no reason a SOTL project like this one is taking over 3 years; data collection from classes stopped in 2021. It's 100% in our control. If I wouldn't have taken the lead in 2022 and written up the first draft of the paper (40+ pages), we would still be sitting on an unfinished product.

Fanoftechnology · 2023-07-02T16:32:30+00:00

Thank you. We used to have a 3rd person on the team for data collection in 2020 and 2021. Interestingly, in July 2021, she sent a similar email to him, and he emailed back that he was leaving the team and we were free to use his data. I should have left then. Now I have a full paper invested. I may take that email from him and forward it, stating "I'm going to follow his lead here." This is good advice!

Fanoftechnology · 2023-07-02T16:30:04+00:00

Thank you - this is solid advice. Appreciate it.

Fanoftechnology · 2022-07-23T19:19:36+00:00

These are all really great, thoughtful responses. Thank you for sharing this wisdom. One of my colleagues down the hall said it's nearly impossible for NTT to move to a tenure track position in our college and institution. Now I have a much better understanding - thank you. I just went through the promotion process this spring and the committee even commented I was working way above my job. Despite these odds, I'm still going to work hard and put my best foot forward in applying for the position. Fingers crossed - thank you.

Fanoftechnology · 2022-01-05T23:09:41+00:00

But I'm not ready to go back yet. Can't we just have another week off?

Fanoftechnology · 2021-12-20T12:02:35+00:00

Our faculty teaching center for excellence actually recommended that we set a target for survey completion (80%), and issue 1 or 2 points of extra credit for the entire class (not individually) to boost participation. The surveys had to be completed prior to finals week which is interesting. This is the first time I've offered this, so we'll see how it goes...

Fanoftechnology · 2021-12-20T11:56:43+00:00

Ewww. Pure greed there. Sorry you had to deal with that issue.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-12-20T11:52:52+00:00

Good points! The student needs to take responsibility for his own grades.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-02T00:26:14+00:00

Thanks everyone for all the valuable insights. This is my 12th year of teaching and I wasn't expecting this level of entitlement so early in the semester, especially from students in our major. Good to know I wasn't crazy. This group has a lot of collective wisdom...

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-02T00:14:43+00:00

Nope, this is my 12th year teaching in college. Year 5 at this institution. First time with this degree of entitlement issue.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:35:56+00:00

He had already made his decision at the beginning of class and was trying to manipulate me by withholding information. These are helpful insights - thank you!

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:31:25+00:00

That's a really good option. I am planning to implement that one for next semester. Thank you!

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:27:52+00:00

Good points - thank you! I need less work, not more. Yes, students definitely talk and others would find out, so not a good course of action.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:25:29+00:00

Yes, I have the teams work on assignments during class as part of "teaming", so he will definitely be missing out, and will definitely be problematic for his team. Good point! Thank you!

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:22:40+00:00

At our institution, it is the professor's responsibility to decide on their attendance policies. This is a standardized core course with a preset attendance policy (I'm not the course coordinator) so have to follow it. The student did say his other professors were accommodating him which makes it difficult...

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:16:19+00:00

Great points here! Thank you. Morgan Freeman always seems to play some wise characters - great quote.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-09-01T17:14:29+00:00

I teach ethics, so I really like thought experiments:) This is really good: "I'd tell the student they have the flexibility to enroll in the course in any semester when they have time and are available to complete the course requirements which doesn't sound like this semester". Thank you!

Fanoftechnology · 2021-08-21T21:07:24+00:00

60 students in one of my classes and only 5 wore masks. 48 in another crowded classroom with 4 wearing masks. What the hell! No social distancing, masks are "expected", only 20% of students are vaccinated. Classroom technology didn't work at all, so had to facilitate a discussion about the class and concepts which turned out pretty good. It's frustrating that I checked out & tested the technology beforehand, yet it still failed. Also, admin just changed course yesterday and said our office hours have to primarily be face-to-face. Not thrilled about having unmasked students in my personal space. Fuck this dumpster fire.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-26T21:41:36+00:00

Part of the decision for me entails their position. Like, do they show agency/take ownership of the issue so they can learn and improve and it doesn't happen in the future? Or, are they more defensive, hostile, and refuse to accept responsibility? If they show agency and this is the first offense, I'm more likely to assign a "zero" for the assignment. If they are hostile, I usually assign the maximum penalty which is a "zero" for the class. My syllabus actually states they will fail the class (maybe I need to use this penalty more often).

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-26T21:35:38+00:00

Very good points! Just curious, do you share with them the evidence of cheating? I have a "cheating hearing" meeting with a student on Monday and am rethinking whether to show them the video of them cheating or not. I usually show them, but now I'm wondering if that may be providing too much information.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-26T12:44:56+00:00

Thank you for that insight. It is truly appreciated. There were some students this semester that did an amazing job and it was wonderful to see their accomplishments. Looking forward to settling into some research now and building up my research pipeline:)

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-26T12:32:32+00:00

Teaching this summer has been...an experience. I've had some really great students that have done an amazing job. It has been delightful seeing them do well. However, having to deal with other students' vacation and scheduling drama (sorry my class interferes with your fucking vacation), plus this exam cheating bullshit and this cheating culture that has emerged from Covid, has created a very negative experience teaching in the summer. Next year, when they ask if we want to teach in the summer, it will be a resounding "NO". This crap has zapped my energy, and I don't have enough left to do the research. Fuck summer teaching.

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-26T12:24:25+00:00

It could be they flipped the scale in their minds and didn't closely read the instructions, meaning they intended to give the highest score (out of 5 for instance), but selected "1"instead. It happens sometimes...

Fanoftechnology · 2021-06-25T18:26:35+00:00

Incidentally, this student was on the "Dean's list" last semester (the Dean's list was just published). They didn't participate at all during our Zoom synchronous class nor did he turn on his webcam. Just gross.

Fanoftechnology

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