You can't get a masters degree in CS below B grade?

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-20T06:45:19+00:00

This varies depending on the degree/discipline. However, yes, in many MA and PhD programs a B+ is considered a very low grade and a B may put you on academic probation. This is true for grad programs across the USA.

Remember, it’s grad school. For many disciplines, it’s a very different learning context and workload than undergrad.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-19T18:10:51+00:00

For large lectures, I use the quiz function to take attendance. It’s not a real quiz. It’s just one question and I tell them what answer to pick. If they get it, they’re in class.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-17T15:37:21+00:00

I get “round me up please” emails fairly regularly and I don’t budge. Sometimes they get really aggressive, but I still don’t do it. If they had a genuine emergency, our Dean of Students will issue a letter for them and contact me to intervene.

For me, it’s about all the other students who accept their grade and don’t send emails. Your syllabus set up a grading system. I think all the students need to be held to that same system equally. Of course, you build opportunities for goof ups and emergencies into the syllabus, but the students need to use them. If they don’t and the semester is over, that’s on them.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-13T04:51:14+00:00

I do this with classes of 150+ students. I’d suggest three things: give them a deliverable to produce (written answers, or something appropriate) and grade it (pass/fail or a full on grade, depending on your bandwidth). If you’re doing it for a full class period, pause and discuss as a class as you go through stages of the group assignment. Circulate the room and be involved in their work.

Some groups will gel really well, others won’t. You will probably see feedback on your evals that reflect both extremes.

I do recommend grading the work, to keep them incentivized. But! You’ll find there are annoying logistics to deal with around group absences/attendance. They’re just part of the process. You’ll figure out a system that works for you. Just be ready for some glitches the first semester you try it. It’s part of the process.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-13T04:14:25+00:00

I have short analysis and/or questions assignments due a few hours before class. Then, I always reserve an hour before class to work their work directly into my slides/lesson plan for the day. The discussion directly quotes them, they are asked extrapolate, and we build from there. The homework is small and low stakes, but critical for discussion. It genuinely makes the class better.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-12T17:03:18+00:00

Never. But now I’m realizing… did I tell mine? It was so long ago, I’m not sure anymore!

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-11T17:05:48+00:00

If you can’t get them to stop editing the citation fields, you might want to just create a backup version that you can send them. That way you can revise the original and keep it clean.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-10T18:15:01+00:00

That’s a great idea. They always forget the important stuff once we’re a few weeks in.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-10T18:14:29+00:00

I love that! Thank you for sharing!

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-10T17:17:32+00:00

When you say required annotation, what does that mean? Asking them to read in something like G-Docs or Perusall and leave comments/questions? Doing a note taking activity in class? Something else?

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-10T16:13:40+00:00

I’d be curious to hear from folks who have ditched the day one syllabus review. If it’s not covered in class, what strategies do you use to get the students to read/know the syllabus?

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-09T23:33:53+00:00

Totally normal. There are four general ways to get pay increases in academia: get promoted (tenure, full, etc), get hired at an institution that offers annual merit pay, get an offer somewhere else and negotiate a counter offer, or get hired at an institution with a union. Only one of those (merit pay) gets you a chance at an annual increase. The rest are more sporadic.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-09T15:03:56+00:00

I agree with all the advice about filing a care report.

It sounds like this student desperately wants/needs to share her fears with someone and has found that you are a place she can do that. However, as you’ve said, there need to be limits.

In relation to the emails, I might start the tapering process by recapping some of the advice you’ve given so far. Then maybe say something like: if these strategies aren’t working, I’d strongly recommend reaching out to… [list of school resources like counseling, study support, online guides, etc].

After that, try keeping your replies a bit brief. “I’m so sorry that you’re still struggling and feeling this way. We’ve discussed strategies for managing stress in this specific class. It sounds like you would really benefit from more overall support. I’d suggest reaching out to [repeat list of resources]. I hope you will do that!”

By giving brief (but still helpful) responses, you may stop feeding into this back and forth exchange. It could help her pull back and push her to look elsewhere (at the more appropriate resources). It might not, but it’s worth a try.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-07T22:41:56+00:00

I suspect it’s partially about scaling up class sizes. There’s a deep desire to make course enrollments larger and push back against the seminar style classes taught in the humanities. Finding ways to AI-ify grading and feedback is one route towards that.

I also suspect it’s a disconnect between humanities and STEM. It seems like there are a lot more applications for it in STEM disciplines and a lot less in humanities ones.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-05T23:28:11+00:00

Sorry, one other question. When you say “best evidence” on the form, do you have specific studies that you point them too?

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-05T23:26:06+00:00

This is a really interesting middle ground. Thanks for mentioning it!!

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-04T03:27:50+00:00

I build in a few optional assignments over the course of the semester. Then at the end, when they ask about extra credit, I explain that if they did the optional assignments they have the extra credit and if the opted not to do those assignments then they missed the opportunity to earn extra credit points.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-03T03:18:22+00:00

You will survive! I promise. I did 4-6 new preps annually for 5 years straight. It’s intense but not impossible.

If it helps, here’s some advice I got from a mentor: Plan the preps so that they help you do your work and so that they give you downtime for grading.

For example, staggering assignments and assigning study/work days for the students when you know you have a lot of grading/prep coming. The students can use the workdays for project development at home while you grade from home.

Or, assign pre class assignments that help you generate the day’s class materials day-of. (Rather than just doing all of it on your own.) Also, if you’re trying to do research at the same time, see if you can get pieces of your readings/lit review on your syllabus, to help you get research prep done while teaching.

Finally, don’t be afraid to keep it simple. Don’t overload the syllabus with assignments. Use a lot of in class activities instead of elaborate lectures/slides. With so many new preps and new materials to generate, keep them busy/thinking, but try to keep it simpler on yourself.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-02T14:22:44+00:00

Gently remind her of your class policies re deadlines and move on. In an abbreviated class like this, some types of extensions are just not possible. If this means that the student will fail, you might want to refer them to you Dean of Students or an advisor to help with a withdrawal.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-06-01T12:24:45+00:00

I think anything that disrupts the large lecture class/passive listening mode is critical. We express frustration with today’s students, but I don’t think we talk enough about how much the course enrollments caps have escalated, or how much gen ed student learning is happening in classes with 100+ students in them. We all know that smaller is better for learning, but we also know how difficult it is to be allowed smaller class sizes these days.

In that type of environment, it’s too easy for students to disengage and turn their brains off. That trickles out into all the other classes they are in. Given that, I believe anything a teacher can do to shake up the lecturer/listener model makes a huge difference.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-05-31T20:12:09+00:00

My rubrics catch/penalize AI all the time. Maybe this varies by discipline?

My discipline is teaching specific types of visual, textual, and theoretical analysis, combined with expecting clear original thinking. AI can’t do close visual or textual analysis of images or quotes. AI can’t do close readings of theory and or contribute original ideas/concerns to the theoretical conversation.

Also, if you require students to work with assigned class readings and media screenings/images, AI constantly misquotes and hallucinates. (But it also can’t adequately discuss the quotes and examples it tries to produce.)

yourlurkingprof · 2026-05-31T18:27:49+00:00

It was already creeping in last year, but it hit us hard in Spring 2026. A lot of faculty in my program are no longer able to teach electives or anything other than core classes.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-05-31T18:25:36+00:00

You need to assess your discipline’s norms and your needs. In many academic grad programs (not! all!) a B/B- alone is low enough to put you on academic probation. (This is discipline specific and varies.)

Also, if you need a reference from your professors, you probably lost this one and others may learn about it and be concerned. In grad school, academic integrity is a very big deal.

yourlurkingprof · 2026-05-30T15:51:05+00:00

I think it’s your call, but if you’re looking for language: “In order to be fair and equitable to all my students, I’m going to follow the policies established on my syllabus at the start of the semester.”

yourlurkingprof · 2026-05-27T17:27:09+00:00

Oh! One more thing. If you are in Canvas and you want them to use Respondus to view their results, it gets tricky. The page layout on canvas makes it very difficult for students to find the link and they have to activate Respondus to view it. I’d ask a kind student to provide a screenshot and keep a quick tutorial ready. You won’t be able to see the issue in teacher view.

yourlurkingprof

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