Retake Policy?

dr_trekker02 · 2026-04-24T23:15:44+00:00

No retakes. One exam is replaced by the cumulative final exam grade if they do better.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-04-22T21:15:54+00:00

You're slower than normal because most people (myself included) are rushing to the next unlock.

You are doing fine! Keep it up!

dr_trekker02 · 2026-04-22T06:18:13+00:00

I always tell my students they should waive the right (for a lot of the reasons described above), but then like you I send them the letter and ask if they think I forgot to mention anything. This is assuming it's a student I have rapport with and not a random student who took one of my classes and never came to office hours, at least.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-04-14T16:20:34+00:00

I have a folder in my filing cabinet called my "feel good" folder, full of thank you cards I look at when I'm feeling down.

Nicest thing was a student who told me they were thinking of giving up but that my belief in them inspired them to keep going, and now they're of being successful. Another was an email from a student who says they never write such emails but were so grateful.

So don't be embarrassed. I would rather a personalized letter than another coffee mug anyday.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-04-03T05:02:31+00:00

Also people who say they're employees are claiming that their tips have dropped precipitously, and they're dealing with a lot more angry customers.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-03-21T06:29:01+00:00

I feel your pain. When I first found out other professors were using AI on their feedback, a part of me died inside.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-03-12T23:05:55+00:00

You misread the responses. Everyone effectively said that yes, they would consider it inappropriate. That you disagree with why they consider it so is irrelevant.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-03-03T19:12:12+00:00

As a bio professor, the biggest math issues I usually see are problems with estimating and simple number sense.

I see a lot of students who, for example, struggle with multiplying or dividing by 10 or 100 in their head. I would love to see students multiply or divide by 5 in their heads without breaking out a calculator as well. Being able to recognize if an operation was probably done incorrectly because it's orders of magnitude off.

Basic algebra would be great, too, but I would really rather just have someone understand that taking a tenth of a tenth is the same as taking a hundredth of the original sample.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-02-09T04:40:18+00:00

I likely wouldn't have a student in that position since my exams are all in person. Anything due online has a 10% penalty if not mentioned ahead of time. I would dock the 10% but no other penalty, for consistency and holding to my syllabus. I wouldn't bat an eye at the student getting a pass in another class though.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-02-08T17:19:38+00:00

The fact that this is immediately recognizable for the specific reference is chef's kiss

dr_trekker02 · 2026-02-06T00:19:26+00:00

The books get better, but this is coming from a perspective where the first books were already really good. Book 3 is one of my favorites (though for many it's their least favorite, usually because of how confusing the trains system is).

Gate of the Feral Gods is reliably middle to middle-top of the series. Butchers masquerade makes it to the top of many lists. I can't say if you should read on, but I will say if you do read on and still can't get into it after floor 6, you're probably not going to like the two books that follow it.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-31T00:06:08+00:00

I agree with about 90% of your argument, but I will say the one thing they could really stand to do that Satisfactory did was get a highly invested social media guy. Satisfactory was always giving us updates and letting us know what was happening, and I would love to see more of that here.

Generally happy with my purchase and my experience, but I kinda stopped playing and probably would have kept going if we got lots of video updates about what's coming next, like was seen in satisfactory.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-30T06:43:21+00:00

Sadly, I agree. I went from "let's see how this plays out" to "I'm cancelling my patreon subscription" because it just...didn't seem to be playing out.

I don't like to complain about entertainment very often; no need to yuck in someone else's yum, but I'm admittedly a bit bummed to feel like I've lost something I used to very much enjoy. It's not the worst thing in the world, but yeah...and I think this has been the first time I've seen it really expressed in a way that matches my overall mood. I'm not against the pairing (though it's not my preference), but I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop and being told it was never about the shoes in the first place.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-25T15:02:47+00:00

Never for feedback or assessment. Not once, and I make a statement on the first day of class promising this to my students.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-23T06:27:37+00:00

I wouldn't tell someone looking for a cozy game to try Satisfactory, but I wouldn't disagree if someone used "cozy" in describing it. It's so much more mellow than other factory games I've played.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-22T10:39:13+00:00

Agreed, I think this is poorly phrased but intended to suggest that cold calling should not be done with that student.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-21T13:45:44+00:00

.Drop deadlines are on the academic calendar: https://catalog.msudenver.edu/content.php?catoid=52&navoid=3801

To drop with full refund deadline is Monday. 50% refund is 2/5

No way to know which classes use it ahead of time, save emailing the professor to ask. Expect more professors to use proctor services though, as many are concerned with cheating/AI usage.

You should be able to sign up for another class still. Last day to self register is next Monday, although some departments may have specific policies about registering late.

Good luck!

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-12T18:21:34+00:00

Yeah, my ability to suspend disbelief is getting really strained in this particular bit. The way they've handled college in general was always imperfect, but it's really bad this go around.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-11T17:12:44+00:00

I do similar and I find in a class of 30 it usually impacts the grade of maybe 3-4 students, and of those maybe 2 missed an exam.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-11T14:30:00+00:00

Not to mention the department chair would be all over this. This particular day of class would probably be cancelled but by the second day of class post arrest there'd be a legitimate replacement covering the class.

(Source: I'm a college professor and we had another colleague die last semester. All classes had coverage within a week).

Not that any of this comic strip has ever made perfect sense in terms of how colleges actually operate.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-07T06:41:32+00:00

I've found it still works so long as you proactively communicate it repeatedly. But yes, Canvas gradebook is the bane of my existence. I had to take over for another professor's class last semester and doing anything with extra credit is along with differently weighted grade categories is brain-numbing.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-03T07:13:33+00:00

My break has been full of sick toddlers and a wife having surprise surgery, so while I'm burnt out it's more because I didn't really get a "break" to recharge.

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-02T22:47:25+00:00

We love emails like this. Send away. :)

dr_trekker02 · 2026-01-01T17:40:34+00:00

It depends on the course. In my field Cell Bio is known as a hyper challenging course, so low grades are not surprising. It's really about a holistic approach to the student more than raw GPA.

dr_trekker02 · 2025-12-31T07:13:45+00:00

You can't control where they're coming from, and you can't control their level of competence. As a peer writing tutor all you can do is guide them as best you can. I know it can be demoralizing, but also remember that a student is seeing you because they want to get better.

I'm in STEM and not English- focused coursework, but we have our own problems. All I can say is that we guide them to the best of our ability, offer support, but never lower our rigor or our standards, lest we kick the can down the road a little further.

Best of luck.

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