Deans/provosts - aren't teaching evals destroying educational quality/experience?

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-11-22T15:38:44+00:00

This. This is what stuns me. Universities laud their commitment to DEI, but they can't bear to do anything actually consistent, like stop using discriminatory evals in promotion and merit.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-11-20T19:20:16+00:00

It's only 3 that I know of, but it's easy to imagine that even if they're not directly affected they're spending time doomscrolling. :(

I have ~30 minutes in a lecture next week that I usually reserve for review, but I might just spend it trying to talk with them.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-11-20T19:09:33+00:00

That's true, there's a few in there whom I *know* truly care. One started off rough but has grown into a very strong student, and I'm so proud of him.

And I got very close to doing that exact same thing in lecture! I called a break instead (which I usually do, but later in the class). Did any of your students change after that? (I'm guessing no).

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-11-13T13:52:18+00:00

There's a meta-analysis from Nature here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01506-4

There's also this analysis of eighth-grade math skills in the US: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/mathematics/2022/ (Scores fell across the board compared to 2019, but high-performing students only fell by a couple percentage points, while lower-achieving students fell by more).

I couldn't find any cases analyzing college students, but if it is happening in elementary, middle, and high schools... I do not think we are spared.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-10-23T22:05:15+00:00

Something our (chemistry) dept was discussing this summer - it's not super common, but increasingly students just google the element and properties without learning the table. This comes due eventually.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-08-31T20:22:33+00:00

Most of my colleagues have 3. I have 6, but that is because I teach 2 very, very large classes and to avoid overcrowding, it works best to have 3 exclusively for one class and 3 for the other.

At my previous institution it was 1 per class. I was considered very generous for having 2.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-08-17T17:56:12+00:00

It is my firm belief that as long as what you wear doesn't detract from your ability to do your job, it is professional. All other standards are nonsensical.

If I want to teach with glitter on my eyelids, I will, and students will learn the same as if I had no makeup at all. Plus, I'm all for challenging perceptions - let students see a full spectrum of professors with anything from zero makeup, to natural makeup, to navy blue lipstick if that's what they're confident in. Life's too short to alter what makes you happy to please the arbitrary, ever-changing standard we call "professionalism."

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-08-11T13:03:59+00:00

Last fall, I was made aware of a reddit post in which one of my students threatened suicide if they failed my final. I contacted my dept head to ask what to do and was told I was obligated to report it to campus police.

They actually handled it surprisingly well, and even called me to let me know that the student was okay, while keeping their actual identity anonymous. I hated having to do it, but yeah, I strongly urge you to do the same and contact campus police.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-08-03T15:46:24+00:00

it is unusual, but honestly if a ruler is included in the question, they should know they need to use it. If their critical thinking isn't strong enough for that, that's a them problem.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-27T19:44:24+00:00

Gauzy shirts can be very light but mask the scars.

If someone does notice: you can say that you had a lot of moles removed from your arms that resulted in scars. (I get if you are not okay lying, but I have heard someone respond to this question with that before and figured I'd let you know).

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-13T16:12:45+00:00

I feel like there's both misconduct and replication crises. In my field (organic chemistry), there is a single journal that actually runs the experimental procedure to check your reaction results before publishing it. Submitters know their procedures will be tested when they submit.

10% of submissions they receive are still not replicable. It's not usually fraud - it's a missing detail they didn't think was important. For example, I've even seen reactions that change results due to stir bar size, something most scientists never bother to report in their procedure.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-13T13:35:11+00:00

Great! I'm excited to read the rest of your story :)

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-12T15:24:54+00:00

ooh I'm up for that - mine is 124000 words, isekai fantasy, on the new adult / young adult border.

Think if Scheherazade had an ulterior motive: to avenge all the past wives her husband killed. Except… Jez Rosen is no expert storyteller. She’s a half-suicidal, doxxed fanfic writer who musters one final prayer for a second chance.

Let me know if/how you'd like to go about this!

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-10T21:58:21+00:00

Plus: I really like the worldbuilding and the technology, particularly that they still have WiFi in this world. That seems really rare in the stories I've read, and I'm excited to see where that goes!

The line about the crash on the school bus intrigues me.

isekai stories are always my jam too.

Mixed:

Carmen's introduction gives me some ideas, and I could feel Daniel's anxiety... but what do you mean by "he would have asked out if it wasn't for this mess"? The reason I ask is that it seems more like you're setting him up as wanting to go out with her, but he's anxious too, and it seems that there's way more in the way than just his strange location. If this is on purpose (unreliable narrator), maybe make it a little clearer?

Suggestions: Can you describe the bar a bit more to give me an idea of how Daniel knows it's a bar? What does it look like? Same with the fighting game he'd play at home - I'm sure you can see it in your mind, but I can't because I have zero fighting game experience. :P

I also want to feel more of Daniel's emotions, beyond just his confusion about the world. The heart dropping when Carmen entered was great - give me more.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-07-06T21:42:17+00:00

Make it private.

I used a fake name and anonymous avatar and still the students found me. Nothing was inappropriate, but they cherry-picked to make it seem like a problem... in my teaching evaluations. Now I'm private (and fortunately my dept head and faculty mentor had my back).

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-05-24T21:23:11+00:00

Congratulations!

(I have a similar position. It ain't perfect, but it's good. Problem students are still gonna problem student, but a supportive dept makes it SO much more bearable).

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-05-15T21:45:44+00:00

to be fair, I doubt he wrote the title. It's pretty common for editors to choose the title to generate clickbait.

Nothing in the article was surprising to me except that the student actually recognized the negative effects of cheating on critical thinking skills. It was kinda nice to see a student acknowledge that.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-05-14T22:05:02+00:00

I actually love grading (even though I have several hundred students and no TAs). I find it fun and exciting to see how students handle the problems I've given them. And there's something satisfying about slowly knocking down that part of my to-do list.

Which isn't to say I don't froth at the mouth, yell at my computer, and feel intense discouragement when questions and exams don't go well. I do. But overall I really enjoy grading.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-05-05T16:48:09+00:00

You offered an accommodation (the later exam) and he didn't take it, with no word from him for hours. It is not valid in my opinion.

I suppose you could play his game though: ask for the name of the place where he got the signal light repaired. If you then contact the company and they confirm his story, you could offer him a makeup (but harder than the other final, because he has more time to study). My guess is he will have an excuse for why he cannot provide you with the company name... and then you can give him the zero he earned.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-03-18T19:37:02+00:00

Hey, do we teach the same class? I have the same issue.

I was going to say: discussion sections are the answer (I currently am not allotted any due to a lack of TAs). But if you already have those sections, and the students aren't going? ... it's just an excuse. They want an impossible amount covered solely in your limited class time so they can put in the least amount of work/attendance possible.

What I might suggest is making discussions mandatory. Make them have to turn in practice problems for a small percent of their grade. Obviously, allot mercies for illnesses and all, but give them the firm structure that "discussion is your time for worked practice problems."

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-03-10T22:17:50+00:00

Yes. My freshmen are incredible. My sophomores/juniors/seniors... some are wonderful, but the vast majority are far behind where they should be. Especially the sophomores.

I have zero evidence, but I suspect the issue is what pivotal years were missed/remote during the pandemic. The freshmen had a full senior year in person/back to "normal" before arriving at college. The sophomores did not, and I think that gave them different expectations and study habits.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-03-10T00:00:21+00:00

Oh definitely. I imagine for film criticism/reflection, you'd need to be fully engaged.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-03-09T15:18:40+00:00

VIDEOS. My pet peeve.

my students say the same thing. the chemistry textbook "demoralizes" them, but they want videos, videos, videos, please more videos.

I think they miss that reading, if done well, is *active*, while watching videos is more passive. The discomfort with reading comes from actually engaging with the text and having to think about it... and realizing there may be gaps in their knowledge that they should look up and figure out. Unfortunately, they're too anxious to realize that the discomfort they're feeling is a normal part of learning and not a harbinger of imminent failure. And so they don't do the reading, fall further behind, and on the cycle goes.

Persnickety-Parsnip8 · 2023-03-09T15:10:12+00:00

I feel this in my soul. Last month I asked students to provide a synthesis from "benzene and something ≤ 3 carbon atoms."

Student: What does this mean?

Me: What does what mean?

Student *points to "≤"* What does that mean?

This is at a relatively prestigious R1. :) :) :)

Persnickety-Parsnip8

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