It's midterm time. At the beginning of each term, I tell my students that this is a fairly intense class with a lot of writing. I discuss the assignments and due dates. I show how the assignments connect, and point out how important it is to stay on top of the work. Of course, they never listen.
About this time, I always get a ton of emails expressing surprise about how much work the class is, and that, gosh, there's a lot of writing. Oh, and is it too late to change the topic, even though the class is already half-way over?
Direct questions I don't mind answering. I love it when I get questions like, "What do you think of my thesis statement?" or "Did I cite this correctly?" I can answer those. There are clear answers.
But I also get shadowy non-questions. "Do you have any tips?" "What is your advice?" "Can you help me?" Um, my tips are to do your work on time, my advice is to do your work on time, and I can help you (maybe) but I need to know what you need help with.
I find that I get far more of these kinds of questions at midterms than during finals week. The gradebook is online, so I guess by the final week everyone can figure out if they're passing or not. At this point in the class, the grade is still somewhat up in the air.
Um, it being December 14, what academic schedule are you on, to be having mid-terms now?
ReplyDeleteI like the tips question. Say, "Don't bet on the Dallas Cowboys and keep your left up."
ReplyDeleteA student recently emailed me an answer that she proposed to use on an essay exam. The students see ten essay topics prior to the exam, and they must then write on five of them IN the exam.
ReplyDeleteShe asked, "Is this what you were looking for?"
My colleague suggested I reply with "Well, it's good, except for the bits that are not good" and leave it at that.
I don't have a problem with questions like these, except when they clog my Inbox. Most can be handled with a quick referral to one's own FAQ page, which could include links to the Study Guides and Strategies web site (www.studygs.net) and an assignment calculator from the University of Michigan (http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/index.phtml).
ReplyDeleteAs for "Is this what you were looking for?" -- again, I think this is part of our job, and the answer doesn't have to take much time. I do make the Little Dears come to my office instead of sending email.
Usually my answer is one of these three:
1. "Yep! Do that for the other questions, and you'll do fine."
2. "It's hard to see your answer in all these words. Can you summarize it for me in one short sentence? [Or which side are you taking?]"
3. "I'll be looking for more details, examples, and use of the course vocabulary. Support your answer with plenty of evidence rather than your beliefs and opinions."
We may think these are no-brainers, but the Little Dears are new to the game.
@Froderick, I teach online, so my schedule does not match a normal school's schedule. Classes are starting all the time.
ReplyDeleteMakes things...interesting.
"Online College: Where it's always September somewhere."
ReplyDeleteYes, precisely Strelnikov. It's always the beginning, middle, and end....a cycle that doesn't actually cycle...
ReplyDeleteSo it's like living in the "hotel room" at the end of "2001: A Space Odyssey" - time does not seem to be passing, but stuff keeps on happening, and you can swear you saw your younger self in the bathroom a second ago....
ReplyDeleteThe tips question is maddening to me, too. I want to say, "Plant your corn early."
ReplyDelete