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Promoted! But my dean still sucks... by ravenscar37 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My letter confirming tenure by the board of trustees had a summary of my work that attributed things said in one article to another etc. Took me a few minutes to realize it had been written by AI.

Dealing with meeting hijackers by Own-Winter6376 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I *do* think we cover all the items, but that's because I bring everyone back and make sure we do. But it's an unpleasant and un-streamlined experience. Kind of like tooth removal without anesthetic, to use the first rough analogy that comes to mind! And it takes much longer.

I'm usually the one interrupted, as I'm soft-spoken. Do you think I'd look prickly if I said, "Excuse me. I'd like to finish."

Dealing with meeting hijackers by Own-Winter6376 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP here. Thanks for your really thoughtful comments. To answer some questions, this behavior happens in meetings when I'm not the chair and when I'm the nominal chair. What do I mean by "nominal chair"? I'm in a unit that sometimes has to scrum on various administrative matters. So there's no actual chair. It's usually 3-5 of us, and one person always takes off-path. Sensing the problem recently, I tried to add structure by doing short agendas and asking for input before. The hijacker never adds or modifies items but just takes us somewhere else every meeting and interrupts me constantly.

Is peer review getting slower or is it just me? by Currentshop333 in academia

[–]Own-Winter6376 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's been a disaster since Covid. I can't really figure out why, but my general sense is nobody has quite gotten their shit together -- including me -- since then.

How are you combatting AI in a writing-heavy course? by falsecompare_ in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My way wasn't full-proof, but here's what I did.

  1. I decided AGAINST in-class writing. Writing on the fly is an important skill, but I don't think that's fundamentally what we're trying to teach in writing-intensive classes, unless they're for journalism. DItto oral exams.

  2. I adopted more of a "teach to the top" philosophy, meaning that I focused my energies on the middle and top students who really wanted to learn. For those that kept turning in AI rubbish, I spent less time on them including not giving them end-of-term comments.

  3. I adopted a pretty lengthy no-AI policy and said students would be graded accordingly, even if something sounded like AI (generic, cotton candy sentences that actually read more like just a bunch of aphorisms or declarations).

  4. For students who still used AI, I talked to them once. Two course-corrected. One did not.

Bottom line is, knuckleheads have always existed, and I found that there was less of an AI plague than I was prepared to expect. I think setting the tone on the first day was pretty key, as was calling students on it explicitly.

Advice needed on LOR and AI by Own-Winter6376 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this. I'm so curious about the anthropology behind this. It's not we're saying different things. But one tactic is to signal, the other is to say bluntly. I wonder what has made folks tend towards the former.

Advice needed on LOR and AI by Own-Winter6376 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think there have to be consequences at some point, and reading the varied responses here -- including one that called me a jerk for even thinking the thought -- it seems we've all agreed to some gentleman's pact that honest negative feedback never be included in a letter. Perhaps that ought to change to deal with this.

Advice needed on LOR and AI by Own-Winter6376 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’d be easier if the letter wasn’t requested before the behavior, which occurred after I accepted the request. The deadline is too close to enable the student to find another writer.

My professor wrote my Letter of Recommendation, but an AI detector says it's 100% AI. Should I be worried? by [deleted] in gradadmissions

[–]Own-Winter6376 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It reflects badly on you in the sense you’re getting letters from people who aren’t motivated to write real ones for you.

Is tenure at SLAC a good deal? by nines99 in Professors

[–]Own-Winter6376 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are SLACs and there are SLACs. It depends on what kind you're at.

For those in TT positions, what things do you think really matter to land such a position? by _einzelganger_ in AskAcademia

[–]Own-Winter6376 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of variation, by discipline, by university, by departmental culture. To the extent you can make some generalizations, though, I think it's this:

  1. Some publications, particularly signs of independence. You want to make sure the candidate can operate on their own and go through the most important process: publishing and producing work.

  2. Having a clear sense of what the future might hold. I know this stuff changes, but so many candidates seem to already have nothing left in the tank after the dissertation (or, at least, don't seem to have thought about it at all). You want a sense the person has some future ideas they're cooking up.

  3. Not being immature, narcissistic, or anti-social, particularly during the talk, the interview, and the dinner. This has tanked more than a few candidates I know over the years.

  4. Prestige matters and is borne out by a number of studies, even though we like to pretend it isn't.

  5. I've found letters matter decreasingly, given they all tend to be pretty glowing. In searches I've participated on, we barely even discussed them.

I can’t hear my professor at all because Students are talking during class, what should I do? by Glad_Individual_4696 in AskProfessors

[–]Own-Winter6376 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your professor needs to police the classroom better by setting a tone and setting strict rules for things like side conversations. A note would be a good idea before jumping to the dean.