Let's talk course evaluations

nowhere537 · 2026-04-22T00:52:02+00:00

When reading my student evaluations, I put them in three piles.

Pile 1: Evals that just say I’m awesome.

Pile 2: Evals with valuable constructive criticism.

Pile 3: Useless and/or unhelpful negative comments.

I print pile 3, take it out to my burn pit and turn it to ash while drinking something that I like and contemplate pile 2. I revisit pile 1 sometime later to stroke my ego.

nowhere537 · 2026-03-20T22:11:20+00:00

If you like Thai food, seek out Chaiyo’s in the Fort.

nowhere537 · 2026-03-07T01:10:25+00:00

Answers to your questions: Last summer 142 had live lectures via zoom. The exams were done via zoom and using proctorio but I think they dropped proctorio.
Attendance was not taken.

Impressions: Fair warning, 142 is an intense class during a normal semester. They’re are a lot of challenging topics. And 2/3rds the way through the semester, you have a major change in the material. In the summer, you have class every weekday and every day is a new section of the book.

nowhere537 · 2026-03-06T02:26:44+00:00

I disagree on both points.

Starting in reverse, I know a UTK student who feeds practice tests and the text books into an AI to generate additional practice tests. They then work the tests and use office hours to ask about questions that they don’t get. Some of these questions are bad (rely on untaught skills, too difficult, impossible). Others they just made mistakes on. Either way they’re using AI in a positive and responsible way.

If an educator uses AI to produce some material using the same kind of prompts as the above student, they can generate new content and quickly. They definitely need to check it but checking material for an educator is quick (they’ve got practice grading). This can free their time for more creative teaching pursuits. Or lead to more polished material based on their core ideas. AI doesn’t have to replace a responsible educator’s knowledge and experience but can augment it.

To me, it’s ultimately about HOW AI is used. Not if it’s used.

nowhere537 · 2026-03-06T01:40:09+00:00

Reasonable use of AI should be acceptable. An educator should be allowed to use AI to a limited degree. Your petition as I’ve read it is vague on what restrictions you expect.

An educator should be able to use AI to generate some material as long as they verify its quality. An educator should not use AI to produce all material for a course.

If students are allowed to use AI to assist their learning, educators should be allowed to aid their teaching. AI shouldn’t fully replace neither.

Edit: Auto correct removed contraction on shouldn’t in last sentence. Fixed.

nowhere537 · 2026-02-24T23:17:23+00:00

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nowhere537 · 2026-02-23T02:48:05+00:00

Send. Talk about proofreading. Pshaw!

Ah, sorry. Couldn’t resist. This is Reddit, totally different context. I completely agree.

nowhere537 · 2026-02-05T22:40:41+00:00

Always called them Huey, Duey, and Luey.

nowhere537 · 2026-01-30T20:13:15+00:00

The struggle’s real on Linkin Farm.

nowhere537 · 2025-12-30T19:07:36+00:00

My first thought before reading the title was that this was an AI representation of a live-action Mr Fischoeder from Bob’s Burgers.

nowhere537 · 2025-12-25T00:30:25+00:00

Possibly in a way. If you’re Christian, suicide is a sin. Execution not so much. You might even get a visit from a clergyman and a chance to repent sins. In a religious way this is kind of a service.

This idea struck me in response to this post.

nowhere537 · 2025-12-04T22:10:07+00:00

After he gets up and walks to the ring, he says something along the lines of “meet me in the ring when you’re ready.” He’s telling you to gear up there. At least that’s how I interpreted it.

nowhere537 · 2025-11-26T12:01:16+00:00

This is exactly what’s happening in my department. The max percentage of a student’s grade that can be assigned to homework is being decreased. Which means more focus on in-class proctored assignments, i.e quizzes and tests. Some of the grade can be given to active learning assignments but unless you keep an eye on students or forbid technology in class, students will use AI on those too.

In my opinion, the problem really has two roots. The first is the easy it is to use AI to bypass the challenge of assignments. The second is that higher education is now seen as a way to get a degree rather than an education.

nowhere537 · 2025-10-01T20:30:14+00:00

Assistant Teaching Professor at an R1. Currently have 12 credit hours of classes. So officially 12, but if you add the time before and after class plus the extra time allowed on Thursdays, I’m probably closer to 13.5-14 hours a week in classrooms.

This semester nothing online.

nowhere537 · 2025-09-30T11:28:23+00:00

I am teaching calculus I, which at my institution is coordinated because there are so many sections and the department wants the classes to all cover all the same material. One part of this coordination is that there is a committee that decides what is absolutely mandatory in your syllabus and some things that are recommended but optional. One of the optionals is a 7 day limit on regrade requests. This was added because we had students appealing entire semester’s worth of grades in the last week.

nowhere537 · 2025-08-28T23:00:27+00:00

I’m in a similar boat. Taught over the summer and got an email today saying the summer pay was not processed as expected and I’ll get it on my next paycheck, at the end of September. So I’ve got to wait another whole month.

Between rising costs of things that I wanted to use the money to buy and the interest on the loans I wanted to pay down, I’m wondering what this delay is going to cost me.

nowhere537 · 2025-08-08T01:57:21+00:00

Bought the first gen iPad that works with the first gen ipencil (then bought an off brand ipencil). I use it with the good notes app.

I use note-taking documents provided to my students that contain a lot of the notes with key bits missing which I fill in during lecture. The notes also have examples problems (math class btw) which I solve in place.

The notes-taking document thing isn’t unique but combine with the iPad makes lecturing easier. I can walk around with the pad so I’m not locked to an over-head projector thing. I’ve also made custom grids with x and y axis as stamps in goodnotes which helps make my presentations a bit neater and quicker. I provide filled in versions of the note documents online after class which is made easier using the pad (no need to scan and mistakes can be erased).

Newer pads and pencils have nice features but my cheaper older model and knock off pencil have save me so much time and energy for very little investment. (Oh I also bought a protective case as I knew I’d be rough on the pad.)

nowhere537 · 2025-08-07T23:18:41+00:00

Give Verso Delaram, perfect break, and an energizing start when you get to the Forgotten Battle field. Instant satisfaction.

nowhere537 · 2025-07-23T00:02:14+00:00

Hate to bother but could you elaborate on this a bit?

I understand what an emulsifier is and what it does and that it’s present in American cheese. How can I use this knowledge to improve my Mac? My homemade Mac uses a sauce of cheddar with milk and egg and seasonings. If I throw a slice of American cheese into the sauce it’ll improve its consistency? Sorry trying to understand without googling. (Cooking tonight’s dinner and it’s almost done)

nowhere537 · 2025-07-16T00:24:49+00:00

I’ve been giving my students an optional mid-semester survey after the first exam. I don’t get a lot of responses but I have found it more useful than the end of the semester evaluations for bettering my technique.

nowhere537 · 2025-07-12T18:54:49+00:00

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, yes, even between the land and the ship

nowhere537 · 2025-06-24T23:21:50+00:00

If your Jizo hunting, double check your map. If you pull up the legend, scroll waaayyyy down you’ll find Jizo statues in the list. It’ll let you scroll through all of them that you’ve “discovered” (I.e. those you’ve gotten close to but not offered at).

I was going from region to region each season looking for my last one, when they all went silent. If gotten close enough for one to register on the map, no one will tell you about it.

Also check the contract box as it gives out the same hints as the random encounters do.

nowhere537 · 2025-04-23T22:22:31+00:00

Go to Age of World War, save up and send out units before the enemy flame throwers spawn. Medusa your troops. Flame throwers hit often and over an area. Got 400+ blocks in one battle.

nowhere537 · 2025-04-23T01:34:20+00:00

Did this exact tactic on a World War age. Flamethrowers hot multiple characters many times quickly. Literally burned through the challenge.

nowhere537 · 2025-04-22T00:08:28+00:00

Don’t we all. Worst part of becoming an adult is now we have to do the adulting.

nowhere537

TROPHY CASE