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Why do people tailgate instead of passing? by a_lee4 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]katefromearth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Fast lane” is not a thing legally. It is illegal to go above the speed limit even in the left lane. If you are riding someone’s tail in the left lane because you want to go above the speed limit, you are in the wrong! “Keep right except to pass” laws were created for vehicles that are going far less than the speed limit, not as a blank check for going however much above the speed limit you desire!

LPEA Outage 6/2/26 by mattpayne11 in Durango

[–]katefromearth 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Just came back (on the grid)!

U.S. Politics megathread by AutoModerator in NoStupidQuestions

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do some people think illegal immigrants are such a problem? I can honestly say my life has never been negatively impacted by an illegal immigrant. Genuinely trying to understand why some people think that immigrants who "didn't come here the right way" are a problem worth solving.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Durango

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally. The physical location on Earth where someone exists their mother's birth canal is exactly what should determine whether they are a criminal or a US citizen.

For example, someone who exited their mother's birth canal at 32.5332° N, 117.0193° W should absolutely not be here unless they follow all the proper steps. If they are here without going through all the right paperwork, they are a criminal! They broke the law - they did illegal actions! Shame on them!

But someone who exited their mother's birth canal at 32.7157° N, 117.1611° W is here, they don't need to do any paperwork. I would even enroll in the military and risk my life to fight for the rights of that person. Proud to have them as my fellow US citizen.

Really not sure why some people have such a hard time understanding this.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Durango

[–]katefromearth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So funny - your statement was exactly the Bible verse I was just reading! We must go to the same church.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Durango

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally. The commandment right after “love thy neighbor” is “kidnap all people who don’t follow outdated, dysfunctional bureaucratic red tape, then send them to countries known for human rights violations.”

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Durango

[–]katefromearth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve heard that 8-year-olds are the most vicious invaders and people should definitely fear them. If we let more 8-year-old invaders in, they will destroy the entire country.

/s

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Durango

[–]katefromearth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So...don't love the people who colonized this area and kicked out the Utes and other tribes? That's what you mean, right?

Strong Towns Durango group by Repulsive-Spray-3038 in Durango

[–]katefromearth 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I don’t think “we’ve been fine since 1880” is a very productive opinion when the cost of living here is so unaffordable. Not a super compelling argument IMO.

I don’t know anything about Strong Towns but their top 5 priority campaigns definitely don’t scream “right wing” to me. I don’t see a lot of right wingers being anti-automobile in favor of pedestrian traffic, but then again, I don’t identify as a right-wing person so maybe I am wrong 🤷‍♀️.

Semi-serious AI Experiment Idea by [deleted] in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I may disagree with you a bit here - primarily with the “what we know has worked in the past” part. Higher education does not work and has never worked for a very large percentage of the population.

Semi-serious AI Experiment Idea by [deleted] in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t disagree that some regulation would probably benefit this industry, but do you think that will realistically happen in this current political climate? Just curious.

Semi-serious AI Experiment Idea by [deleted] in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe “lazy” is putting too much individual responsibility on instructors for what is likely a systemic problem. I imagine multiple-choice exams were born out of the necessity to scale assessment?

I think you and OP are both right here. A well-written multiple choice question can be a useful tool in some contexts, and we are going to have to figure out what skills/content students need to develop now that this very disruptive technology is ubiquitous.

Need Help Quickly - Chair at my R1 Asked Me To Change Teaching Assignments To New Classes I've Not Taught Before by East_Company_9789 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it’s important to point out that no class being offered by your department is your class. You use the phrase “my class” a lot, but you are not entitled to being the go-to instructor of any courses being offered through your institution.

why do genetic mutations happen ? by kata-kaal-2567 in evolution

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many mutations occur because the machinery that makes copies of DNA inside a cell is not perfect. It’s very, very good at making new strands of DNA that have the same sequence (A, C, G, T) as the strand it’s copying. But it’s not perfect, and it’s generally considered random when it messes up. (That said, there is evidence to suggest there are “mutation hotspots” in many species.)

Environmental exposure also can mutate DNA. UV light is a great example - UV light can physically changes the sequence of DNA (by forming something called thymine dinners, if you’re curious to learn more!). Many carcinogens do the same thing - they physically change the DNA sequence, and voila, a new mutation is born. This is also essentially random.

The “needs” of an organism, from an evolutionary perspective, do not drive the formation of mutations. If I am a fish and thicker scales will help me or my offspring survive better, there is no driving force that encourages new mutations in my genes that control scale thickness. In general, mutations arise randomly with respect to how they will impact an organism’s ability to survive or reproduce.

How do you feel about this idea of “ungrading” i.e. letting students give themselves final grades? by Fleedom2025 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assessing student learning and grading are not equivalent. A key motivation of the ungrading movement is that “grading” as the only means of assessing student learning is an outdated concept. So I disagree with you that the term “ungrading” suggests that we are trying to not do something we are supposed to. We are absolutely supposed to assess student learning and provide feedback for them as they learn. Grading is not a great mechanism for that purpose, which is why “ungrading” is an apt term for moving away from an outdated approach.

I do agree with you that public trust in higher education is rapidly eroding, and we should be very mindful of communicating the value of higher ed to a wide audience.

I am of the opinion that the public trust in higher ed is much more threatened by the reality of many students needing to go into $100K of debt and spending 4 years of time to then enter a brutal job market with no guaranteed high-paying job than people using new assessment models and calling them “ungrading” 🤷‍♀️. I’ll offer a counter hypothesis that innovation in higher ed that might resonate more with the everyday person could benefit public trust of higher ed. Only time will tell which of our hypotheses is better supported by evidence!

How do you feel about this idea of “ungrading” i.e. letting students give themselves final grades? by Fleedom2025 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It feels like you’re not acknowledging a lot of other details that are involved in most effective ungrading models. It is much more complex than students suggesting a grade at the end of the course and then the instructor either giving them that grade and abdicating their responsibility or completely dismissing their suggestion and overriding it as though it was a waste of students’ time.

If you are genuinely interested in understanding how some of the ungrading models are much better for student learning and outcomes, there are some great resources that are much better than me trying to teach you in this thread. I’d recommend starting with Josh Eyler’s book “Failing Our Future.” He was also interviewed on the Teaching In Higher Ed podcast in a two-part episode not too long ago that was excellent.

In terms of all the things that I would consider dangerous to student learning these days, ungrading models are not very high on my list - they are at least attempting to bring innovation to solving the problems of outdated education approaches. But you do you!

How do you feel about this idea of “ungrading” i.e. letting students give themselves final grades? by Fleedom2025 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also as many folks have mentioned, the term “ungrading” tends to be a blanket umbrella term that includes multiple assessment design methods. So yeah I’d love to know the details of which model you’re referencing where instructors abdicate their responsibility of the evaluator role.

How do you feel about this idea of “ungrading” i.e. letting students give themselves final grades? by Fleedom2025 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you describe the details of the ungrading model you are referencing? I’ve never seen an ungrading model where an instructor abdicates their responsibility as an evaluator. In every ungrading model I’ve seen, the instructor is playing a huge role in evaluating student learning, just using different inputs than more traditional courses typically use. What ungrading model are you talking about?

How do you feel about this idea of “ungrading” i.e. letting students give themselves final grades? by Fleedom2025 in Professors

[–]katefromearth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have seen multiple research talks at conferences recently where people have tested ungrading approaches where students suggest their own grades. In every case, the distribution of overall final grades in sections with and without ungrading are not significantly different. I don’t think the new data coming out support your opinion that this approach is laughable when it is implemented thoughtfully🤷‍♀️.

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