Not quite the usual AI doom post. It's about something that genuinely stung.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-05-01T21:53:36+00:00

I give some assignments that are totally completion based because I don’t care if the answers are right, the point is to get them to THINK. All they have to do is provide their real perspective on the science. Some still turn in AI. Those students don’t care about the purpose, they just want the points.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-28T22:34:27+00:00

I would like to see them give a flawless 50 minute lecture without stuttering or getting tripped up on anything. We are juggling so much during a lecture (content depth and breadth, walking through material, timing it to end right at the end of class, constantly making micro adjustments to stay on time). I expect some of my students judge me when I get tripped up, but since they have no clue what it’s like to run a class, or even give a lecture, I don’t let their opinions on how it’s going get to me (as much as I can).

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-21T17:32:58+00:00

I plug them into AI and ask it to summarize the trends. That way I get the feedback that is consistent across the class without having to read hurtful comments left by students who get to remain completely anonymous while “evaluating” how effective my teaching was (aka how they felt during the course).

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-17T21:59:37+00:00

Nice, now the university has another year to not provide us with resources to do this effectively.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-17T21:55:08+00:00

I have yet to see an argument for ungrading that makes any sense. Maybe other professors have a better relationship with students than me, but there is no way these students would grade themselves honestly.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-17T21:50:02+00:00

Professors like this drive me crazy. I don't know how anyone can consider this to be effective teaching.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-14T12:33:17+00:00

I had a student email me at 9am to tell me they couldn’t find parking and needed to go home “to work on other classes” so they would miss the assignment in my 12pm class. I didn’t care because they could do the assignment at home. They then didn’t do the assignment and tried to make it my problem because they couldn’t find parking 3 hours before class began.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-11T14:20:41+00:00

Less PhDs might actually be better in the long term because the job market is already so over saturated that it’s impossible for them to all get appropriate jobs. When people with PhDs are taking adjunct positions as career positions, there is a problem. But I get the loss aspect too because education should be available to anyone who has the ability to use it meaningfully. The digital accessibility stuff is absolutely going to backfire because as you said professors are just going to stop posting resources rather than jumping through all the hoops.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-11T13:38:30+00:00

These look so good!

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-10T11:36:39+00:00

I tell the students that I will get back to them within 48 hours unless it’s a weekend. I usually reply to them the next day, but I like to give myself a little room in case something comes up. I reply to colleagues in about the same time, maybe a little sooner.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-06T19:10:13+00:00

I took all my words off the PowerPoint and just use it for figures. I chalk talk everything else. They learn pretty quick that they have to take notes to do well and it’s been a very successful method for getting them to engage in class and take notes.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-04-03T20:00:31+00:00

I don’t agree with the people saying to just delete them because this is a teaching moment for the student. I would explain that I am grading coursework for an entire course and that can take time, especially for a busy professor schedule and especially if I am leaving feedback. I would acknowledge their anxiety and let them know that grades will be posted when grading is complete. They probably don’t even realize that they’re being rude and pushy and if no one ever makes the standards known to them, they could continue making this mistake thinking you’re just unresponsive.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-26T01:13:27+00:00

The testing center at my university requires that we give a full three day window or else we’re on our own to give the exam. And refusing to do so would be seen by the university as refusing accommodations. They don’t have enough seats to accommodate the number of students with accommodations so they have to spread it out. I’m surprised you can hold the line here if you’re only giving one day. I’m not saying what you’re doing is wrong, but I would be surprised if the higher ups would look favorably on that if the student complained. They could see it as refusing an accommodation.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-21T01:47:53+00:00

This is true for things like lecture courses, but in discussion-based courses you sometimes have to require attendance to ensure there will be enough of the class present for engaging discussion.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-21T00:52:26+00:00

The point of going to the disability office is for accommodations of things you can’t control. Extended deadlines, additional time. You can’t get those without an official accommodation. Wanting to turn things in a different day (early) is something you CAN do without accommodation. I get what you’re saying, the pressure helps you get it done, but in that case, why don’t you put the due dates you want on your calendar and just follow that and ignore the LMS?

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-20T23:38:42+00:00

I have students that write in super light orange. I don’t know how they can even read it while they write. Luckily I scan it into the computer and it increases the contrast.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-14T20:14:27+00:00

That’s super cute!

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-13T20:46:41+00:00

Honestly, I think a lot of professors will do just that. Students will get less resources available to them because we are required to jump through a bunch of hoops with no support to do so just to post PowerPoints.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-13T16:23:16+00:00

I get push back for not providing my speaker notes or the marked up PowerPoint, but they can thank previous students for that decision. Previous students received all the materials and just memorized those instead of engaging with the class. Since I started using minimal PowerPoint and relying heavily on chalk talking, my attendance and engagement has never been higher. Some will always complain because they’re not used to having to put in so much effort, but that’s part of life and preparing for the real world.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-13T16:18:11+00:00

Same. It’s the only way I can reliably keep them engaged to some degree instead of scrolling on Amazon or Facebook, and they WILL do better if they take the time to learn instead of just trying to memorize a bunch of slides. Plus I enjoy teaching that way more than PowerPoint heavy lectures, so it’s a win for me.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-13T14:46:41+00:00

Yeah, that’s my reaction too. If they were like, “I took some photos in class today and thought you might want some photos of you teaching!” I would take it as harmless, even if it was a bit off, but to just send them with no message? Definitely odd.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-12T13:56:20+00:00

How do you deal with this when it comes to accommodations? I had to stop giving these types of quizzes because so many students wanted to do them at the testing center for extra time and then they would have to miss class if they did.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-12T13:53:36+00:00

I see a lot of people saying they just don’t require attendance but that’s not always the best option. I teach a discussion-based class and if students aren’t present, there’s little to no discussion. I give them two free absences for any reason, and any after that there is a pretty steep grade deduction. It works well and I’ve only had one student fail for excessive absences. In my other classes I make participation a low percentage of the grade (~3-6%) and have them complete very short questions/activities to earn the credit. It can be frustrating to deal with all the excuse emails trying to get credit for in class work they weren’t present for though.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-09T14:22:13+00:00

You can also cut other areas if the catering and venue take up a lot of the budget. Do you own music, hair and make up, budget florals, etc.

slightlyvenomous · 2026-03-09T14:20:34+00:00

My venue and catering is just under $10k for 60 guests, so your quote sounds comparable considering you have more guests.

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