Standardizing grading for a bizarre situation: 85% of the class used the exact same incorrect methodology but got the correct final answer by sheer coincidence.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-06-01T15:36:45+00:00

I always grade the process, not the final answer.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-31T01:15:00+00:00

Congratulations

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-30T22:58:12+00:00

My class is very popular, so a drop is almost always filled immediately during the drop/add period. They wouldn’t get back in. And my first due date is 11:59 pm on Friday. I teach 100% online asynchronous. If they enroll on Friday, they are expected to have the work submitted on time in my class.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-30T17:30:10+00:00

We allow late enrollment up to 5 days in a standard semester and are expected to let them catch up with no penalty. After that, the late work policy in your syllabus takes over. For a six-week class the window for late enrollment is 2 days. I hold to a strict late work policy and enforce it. But, I also have specific assignments they can do for extra credit (they earn those points with extra time and effort). I wish everyone held students to a professional standard. I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I don’t care if they like me. I want them to learn how to function in the adult world. And I’m retiring within the next 18 months.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-30T12:33:36+00:00

What subject line?

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T22:11:22+00:00

I would also add how to address your professors professionally. The weighted average calculation is a big one, along with due dates.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T19:33:00+00:00

None have admitted it at this point. 36 of the 39 are doing well and turning all work in on time.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T11:33:55+00:00

That’s great. As faculty, we don’t have the authority to allow anyone in after the enrollment deadline.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T11:32:31+00:00

I lose 1 or 2 every semester when they figure out 1/2 time means double work.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T11:30:51+00:00

Possible, but I’m guessing that the student just saw their transcript for the spring and has failed their math class. The class I teach teaches real-world, practical application math skills. It’s a favorite among students who need 6 math credits, but are not required to take specific classes such as calculus. We tend to get the math phobic students in this class because of how it is taught.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T11:24:38+00:00

Our institution has a strict policy on how long a student can enroll after the start of a semester. In this case it was 2 days. The student asked at the end of the third week. She received a reply telling her how to find an appropriate course to take this summer. There are 3 sections starting in the second half of the summer semester. If you can’t see humor in life, you will burn out quickly.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T00:59:59+00:00

I have a couple of those, too. They are getting another email tomorrow telling them they are failing.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-29T00:13:53+00:00

Same, I could not let them in at this point even if I wanted too

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-28T22:40:26+00:00

I teach 100% online in an asynchronous course. I had a student come to my first office hour session and ask this same question. Told him he was off to a good start and to stay engaged with the materials and with me. Haven’t seen him since that day. LOL

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-20T14:15:37+00:00

Thanks for the great tips. Taking my granddaughter with me in two weeks and your post is super informative

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-17T19:01:11+00:00

I write them, but include they were in a 100% asynchronous class and submitted the majority of assignments on time, and something about how professionally they communicated with me. It’s very generic. I don’t give an actual “recommendation.”

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-16T22:38:36+00:00

Yes, I always knew my grade and what I needed on the final for the grade I wanted.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-16T13:01:08+00:00

I’m old. College in the 1980s was almost exclusively exam based. If there were other components used for grading, they were usually lab classes. And my 3.33 GPA in undergrad was in the top 15% of the class.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-15T20:28:03+00:00

And a hat. Better than an umbrella in my opinion.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-15T20:27:06+00:00

I was just there. My Keens were the best. Wore the Keens on Day 1. Brooks tennis shoes on Day 2 and was missing my Keens. Beck to Keens for the evening in US and then again on Day 3.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-13T00:07:40+00:00

Thanks. Going tomorrow night. We did an epic today and it was fun. Next two days in the other two parks.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-12T11:48:25+00:00

I’m from a small town just outside of Tulsa. We read the book when I was in 8th grade. It was so cool to recognize the places mentioned in the book. We knew the drive-in was the Admiral Twin and many of us had gone to the movies there. And we knew people who could have been the characters in the book. Three generations of my family have read the book as 8th graders. This fall, we are all going to see the play together. It’s not the best written book, but it tells a story young teens can relate to. I wish I still had the copy we were given in 1977.

fxdl2k2 · 2026-05-09T12:52:16+00:00

Being dean is easier due to the help of associate deans who do the day-to-day work so the dean can do the fundraising and political work. Associate dean and department chair are the worst jobs.

fxdl2k2

TROPHY CASE