I'm trying to revise my policy on missed tests. I hate makeup tests. They are more work for me and unfair to the students who showed up for the test and took it when they were supposed to. I'd like to come up with a policy of averaging the scores from the other tests if students miss a test, but I'm afraid that students will find a way to abuse this. I can see students taking 1 test, liking the score, and deciding to see if it can count for all of the tests. More realistically perhaps, I can also see students deciding not to take the final if they did well on the other tests.
Q: Any suggestions as to how to implement a policy like this without getting screwed? What other good policies could I implement to combat other favorites like cell phones, laptops, absences, and late attendance?
Does your university require make up tests? If not then do not offer them. Make a No Make Up Test Policy. If you have to offer make up tests I suggest the dreaded essay test only if they have a doctors note proving they were medically unable to come to the first test.
ReplyDeleteIf somebody teaches another section of the same class, borrow their exam. If it's not hard enough, add a few of your exam's questions. I have a "no excuse necessary" policy for missed exams. The student without an excuse has to take it at a time convenient for me. That's usually the very instant they come by my office begging for a make up. They get a harder exam than normal and typically don't do well. They also typically don't try that shit again.
ReplyDelete(I'm not a complete jerk. If the student has a legitimate excuse, I give them a fair exam at a time mutually convenient.)
In the REALLY LARGE classes I teach, I tell the students on Day One that I drop the lowest exam BUT that I don't give make-up exams. I have my students take a quiz via Blackboard on Week One where they become familiar with class policies, like the "no make-up exam/dropping the lowest exam" so that way there is no confusion. For the very few students that fall out of this situation (legitly sick or a documented dead grandmother) I can handle on the side without much trouble. This keeps me from having to write multiple exams.
ReplyDeleteThe students in my 0800 class that show up late OR come by at 0930 with a sob story are usually reminded of the "no make up policy" with a mixture of shock, relief, and/or dismay. Since I have the same class at 1400 on the same day (and the exam days are in synch) I have used the 1400 exam for the 0800 students on a few occasions, but they usually tank the exam anyway and, shocker, this becomes the dropped exam score.
I'm a hard-liner: no make-up tests. I am just as inflexible on shorter/less important assignments (response papers, quizzes, etc.); once students get a zero on one of those (with little or no real effect on their grades), they know I'm serious when it comes time for big exams.
ReplyDeleteIf there's a real emergency, they have to take it up with TPTB and take an Incomplete.
But I'm such a nice person on the inside!
I have adopted a "best of" policy that has worked very well. Three out of four tests will be counted, and if they take all four I drop the lowest one. It works if you don't adopt the "midterm/final" structure. They are tested three times during the semester on three discrete portions of the course, and then the final is cumulative, to assure that no portion of the course material is left "untested". In addition I do a "best of" with regard to homework as well. "Best ten out of thirteen" for a once-a-week course, etc.
ReplyDeleteAs for cell phones and the like, I have a "no electronics" policy in all my classrooms. No texting, no cell phones, no laptops. Period. Anyone seen using any of these devices is marked absent for the day. If a cell phone rings? Absent for the day. Texting under your desk? Absent for the day. That also goes for sleeping. I don't allow them to open laptops at all.
Absences? Well, I have a set amount and after that, they fail the course. Usually that's 25%. Late? They can be late twice during a semester, and after that they get 1 point deducted from their final grade for each additional tardy. If they are more than ten minutes late, they are welcome to come but it counts as an absence.
They hate these policies. I don't give a toss, however. It clears the slackers out almost immediately and I end up with a better classroom environment overall.
And of course I am a full professor with tenure. They know that from the get-go, and know as well that they can't do a fucking thing to me.
So, they hunker down, or they get the hell out.
The score on the cumulative final exam replaces the lowest exam score, zero or not. No need for a make up exam, ever. The students think this is great, but since they typically do much worse on a final due to final exam brain freeze, it rarely gives the student who missed an exam an advantage. Additionally, for the rare student who did buckle down, work hard, and finally understand the material, they have a chance to redeem themselves on the final. A little spreadsheet magic, and it's no extra work for you at all.
ReplyDeleteArrangements must be made for a makeup within 24 hours of the exam. This may be waived if proof that the student was in a coma is provided.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who misses more than one exam gets a makeup exam which is in essay form and is considerably more difficult for the little dears, judging from the grades they get. (I am asking for the same information that my combination multiple choice/short answer/short essay regular exams test, but there are fewer questions and fewer hints.) This tends to discourage abuse of makeup exams.
Oh, and I don't advertise the fact that the makeup exam will not be the same as the original, something which does seem to shock some students when they appear to take the makeup.
ReplyDeleteI don't give make-ups either. I give four regular tests across the semester with a given total (all cumulative). Then I offer a final with points equals to the sum of the regular tests. They keep the higher score--total of regular tests or the final. Works great and gives them a second chance to test well. Most don't take the final and that makes it easy to turn in final grades that day.
ReplyDeleteAhem...
ReplyDeleteI'm almost certain that an attendance grade is illegal in most places.
Please take the time to review your state's educational code. You could probably google it.
Be very careful in this line of work. Not saying this about any of the commentors, but sometimes colleagues will deliberately give you bad advice just because you are "green". Even the most trustworthy colleague may stab you in the back.
Know the law, and definitely know where your administration stands on things like attendance and make-ups.
Now, in a syllabus, wording is very important. An attendance grade may be illegal, but you can easily disguise it as a "participation" grade. In my syllabus, "participation" counts for 5% of their grade, which could mean the difference between a B or a C (or a C and a D). Most of their participation points come from in-class activities. Being absent means that they were unable to earn their participation points. Also, I make it very clear in the syllabus that texting, talking, being rude, disruptive all mean that they are not participating and therefore they do not earn their participation points for the day.
BTW, never ever say that you are taking away their participation points. Say, instead, that said snow-flake did not earn the points. Otherwise, the Dean will get a hard-on...
Are you an adjunct? If so, be a little shrewd (leery) about advice from tenured faculty. They may have excellent advice, but it could get you fired simply for not having tenure (as adjuncts would not have tenure). A tenured faculty member could think they have great advice simply because the Dean supports them in everything they do. But they may be getting that support only because they have tenure.
I'm sleepy...
I rarely give cumulative finals. So, in lieu of a cumulative final, I offer ONE make-up exam, to be offered at final exam time, of usually 10 short-answer essay questions. It's about the same as a regular hour-long exam, so it can be easily given after the final is handed in.
ReplyDeleteThis worked out VERY well one semester when Absentee Abby showed up for the midterm expecting to be excused from it because she was sick the week before. And yet, there she was. She even took a copy of the exam. And then whined how she wasn't ready. Well, she wasn't ready for the essay make-up exam that was pretty much 80% of that midterm exam she wasn't ready for either. Easy F for that student.
@EMH:
ReplyDeleteYou're right--which is why the vast majority of adjuncts should be replaced with tenure lines. Adjuncts quake in their boots because they're dependent upon how much they are liked by students. Tenured profs have the leeway not to have to worry about that, because they are freer to act on the knowledge that being liked is not the equivalent of being a good teacher.
Even grad students are far less vulnerable than adjuncts, because they usually have promises of funding, often years in advance, and their progress towards graduation rarely hinges on how they are doing in the classroom.
Adjuncts are very vulnerable, and very cheap, which is why they are so valued by colleges everywhere. It's disgusting. It won't stop, but it's disgusting, and students and adjuncts are suffering as a result.
All exams are cumulative; all exams are the same length; all exams are weighted the same. One exam is dropped. No makeups.
ReplyDeleteThat way, they get to have one bad exam day. Or a missed exam. If they like their grade going into the last exam (final exam period), they don't have to take it.
In courses in which I need 'em to take the final seriously, I drop ½ of each of their two lowest exams; missing an exam means nothing is dropped.
But, especially for adjuncts like EMH, you need to be sure your institution will support your policies.
Trying to write the ultimate syllabus is like trying to get your dirt out of the boss man's yard. Make a list of a dozen or so binary-option policies you could potentially include on it. Pick at random. Make a chart and track which policies bit you in the ass. Reverse them all the following semester and track again - you'll be just as fucked as you were before.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/images/large/coolhand.jpg
Thanks for the responses! For what it's worth, I am a contingent faculty member at a small school. There are no sections of my courses other than the ones I'm offering (and I'm not even doing 2 sections of the same course this fall).
ReplyDeleteMy policies are generally pretty harsh despite my lack of tenure prospects (and the fact that student evaluations play a large part of my performance evaluations). Historically, my makeup tests were comprehensive essay tests, but this has always turned out to be a giant pain in my ass. I allow late work, but it loses 1/2 its value with each passing day. I quit calculating participation points because students viewed them as "gimme" points that they were entitled to if that appeared and had a pulse. Trying to track attendance and who stayed awake was tedious too.
I just want to teach. It's such crap that we have to create policies to try to force the little bastards to learn.
Thanks, again, for the words of wisdom. Please keep them coming.
My students always have a hard time reading me, as I'm plastered with a Katie-like smile. Homesick froshflakes seem to think my maternal squishiness will guarantee a pass. There is always one sacrificial lamb that will be my example. Then the whining and begging stops.
ReplyDeleteOur department has a harsh attendance policy (more than 2, you are dropped). I would rather eat my box of chalk (I guess there is a show for people like that), than take attendance at 7:45 in the morning. I'm also an adjunct, where no one really cares to back me up one way or another. So I just do my own thing (within reason), and if they don't like it, who cares.
I'll throw them a pop quiz now and then. I'll collect their homework. I'll do something to generate a daily score, in which absentees get a zero. Changes were made on an assignment in class. There was an important handout. If you weren't here, you didn't catch it, sorry. Absentees easily flunk themselves out. Coupled with my stodgy "No Late Work, No Make Up Quizzes," and Make Up Tests THE NEXT DAY at 6:30am office hours. I'm thinking the test at 7:45 doesn't seem so hard. I also drop lowest test score, so they have one chance to screw up.
As long as I'm consistent and upfront about it, there are never any complaints.
"Adjuncts are very vulnerable, and very cheap, which is why they are so valued by colleges everywhere. It's disgusting. It won't stop, but it's disgusting, and students and adjuncts are suffering as a result."
ReplyDeleteIt will stop when enough of us quit. I'm preparing to do my part. Those who cry "uncle" last may be left with a decent job in 30 years or so.
Makeups only if there is a valid reason (ie, car accident on the way to class).
ReplyDeleteAnd for me, makeups involve an alternative. I usually have them write an essay on the material we covered.
I'm almost certain that an attendance grade is illegal in most places.
ReplyDeleteI am mostly quite certain that this is not illegal in almost many places, if not mostly all.
@ Lex,
ReplyDeleteYer prolly rite.
Deans have always told me that grading attendance is illegal. It wouldn't surprise me if they have been lying to me this entire time.
No scores dropped. Makeups only if:
ReplyDelete1. Student phones or sends email on same day or prior to exams.
2. Student's reason for missing exam is out of student's control (court date, jury duty, birth of child, funeral, hospitalization, auto accident).
3. Student provides documentation of #2.
Then the makeup test will be during finals week and 100% essay.
Serious students with legitimate reasons can thus show they learned the material. Most of the others drop before the final, so I have fewer makeups to grade!