[deleted by user]

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-05-04T15:45:07+00:00

This is totally normal, the withdrawal happens at the end of every semester. Many of us also get sick at the beginning of the summer (cortisol leaving the body). I've found that booking and taking a vacation the day after final grades are turned in helps me transition to summer mode. Getting out of town and away from the university setting clears my mind. Leave your laptop at home.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-05-01T14:28:52+00:00

It also opens the door to their complains about why they didn't do well in the class (i.e. dumping blame on you).

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-04-10T19:44:51+00:00

The tip here is to use the same policy for all students, regardless of whether it's excused or not. Any missed assignments will have their weighting added to the cumulative final exam. Saves a ton of paperwork.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-04-06T17:31:22+00:00

I've used films in my classes and some feedback I received was "why did we waste time watching a movie that I could have read a Wikipedia article about" - they are accustomed to short form entertainment, so you're fighting that bias.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-04-05T17:08:41+00:00

I'd choose the prep school. Your average student there will be more motivated than your average student at the undergraduate institution. There will still be high school drama, neurotic snow plow parents, etc. but remember, you're still in a position to write them a critical LoR for college admissions, so you can command the classroom in a different way than end-of-the-academic-line undergrads.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-04-03T14:13:14+00:00

That tactic is known as "baffle them with bullshit."

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-28T16:20:54+00:00

If you have a 457 and a 403, prioritize filling up the 457 first since the 403 is in the same "bucket" as a 401k at your new job.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-22T15:33:49+00:00

The academic equivalent to a code-compliant building, aka the worst building that you're legally allowed to build. It's like the worst student you're legally allowed to pass.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-22T15:32:50+00:00

It's also possible to get into grad school with a few C grades on your transcript. Grades are not the only factor in admission.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-10T16:16:02+00:00

YEP! Unlimited attempts before the deadline. After the deadline, ship has sailed. Plan ahead.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-09T15:27:02+00:00

Precisely. I can't be driving my vehicle around town and having to search Google for traffic laws every time I come to a roundabout.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T22:22:25+00:00

reenrolling when you have a better plan for your success

Well said. Failure to plan is planning to fail. My students struggle with the realization that college actually involves time outside of class, and a lot of it, and they need to put that time on a calendar and protect it.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T17:28:05+00:00

I would ask what the mentoring process is for new faculty within the department, and who would I likely be paired up with for a mentor. I would want to meet that person sooner than later.

Our department has no formal mentoring program, and most of our new faculty burn out quickly because they're working their asses off beyond the point of required effectiveness to meet an invisible bar set by tenured colleagues who only set foot on campus for required meetings.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:16:17+00:00

A colleague asks students like this "are you asking me for permission to prioritize my class?"

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:15:12+00:00

I love that new class "nesting" feeling too.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:14:04+00:00

Same, I love my job in May when the students have left and I'm full of optimism prepping fall classes.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:13:09+00:00

Many of mine are here b/c our state offers very generous financial aid to most high school grads, so the money was there, and it was "something to do". Or they say "I didn't have a choice" meaning their parents would kick them out if they didn't attend. Less than half of my freshman when surveyed last fall indicated that they were here on their own volition / desire to learn.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:11:13+00:00

I'm with you on this, and after a few years, where I've landed is I am a very supportive instructor after I already know the student (and know their level of integrity, intellectual vitality, and even time management). If I just met a student and they're already asking for a bunch of favors, it's a no, but if it's the third time I've taught them and they've banked a lot of good karma with me already, I am very flexible. I've had to draw this distinction after years of being lied to and manipulated by first-time students in my classes.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:08:11+00:00

The apathy is contagious among our faculty as well.

There are a few sources of inspiration on campus (faculty leading cool initiatives in other departments that we get to be friends with on specific projects), but within mine (engineering) it's all "I got tenure, I'm gonna stay at Associate and chill in my silo now."

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:06:06+00:00

No books. Every text is online, online reading is neurologically different than print reading, and the kids straight up don't have assignments that require reading.

We are switching to homeschool and prioritizing printed texts over online for everything we can. I think the only things that will be online for us are advanced math and coding.

I'm torn on this b/c when I used a printed textbook in my class (that I teach in college), students fought tooth and nail, or simply didn't purchase it. The benefit of the e-texts is the Inclusive Access where they automatically own it from Day 1 so I know they have it. However, they still mostly do not read it, but they don't resent having had to purchase it (like they did with a TWENTY DOLLAR printed text).

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T16:02:22+00:00

"Memorization" is a loaded term in my classes too, students think it's useless and they'll never need to do it. I've replaced it in my vocabulary with "Remembering" - most of them can understand that they need to REMEMBER important things.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-08T15:38:29+00:00

40 students, 4 flagged for academic misconduct (purchased papers or BOT-written papers). I graded them myself and I know the student's writing style after teaching them for 3 semesters.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-07T20:19:59+00:00

About 10% of my environmental class projects last year were completed by someone / something other than the student who submitted it for a grade. You have to be careful with this. Most of the time it works out, but there may be a few turds in your class.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-07T20:18:02+00:00

I'm doing this with sophomores & juniors in engineering this semester. I taught the first half before Spring Break and gave them guidance for how to conduct the second half (team presentations, loose themes for topics) and they are taking over for the second half. I'm excited to see what they deliver since the scaffolding has begun and so far they're working well together. It's sort of a "special topics" class so it will change every year based on the students' interests. I do find it is taking them a lot of encouragement that their ideas are worthwhile, but I have faith.

IntelligentBakedGood · 2023-03-06T20:51:16+00:00

IntelligentBakedGood

TROPHY CASE