Input on Teaching

[AcronymAllergy]

Thanks, cara. I look forward to reading it???

Oh, sorry for the confusion, Ollie. I didn't mean CC students who transfer to four year schools. I'm talking about what I hear from my friends who teach or adjunct at CCs.

My four year folks think they can take exams at will or turn in papers at their own convenience (mostly unstapled).

There can definitely be a sense of entitlement at the four-year undergrad level. I saw it more with Freshmen than upper-level undergrads for the most part, but even my junior/senior-level classes exhibited it sometimes. And yeah, then there are all the lovely, "so honestly, do I really need to buy the book?" questions.

I do agree with Pragma's point about giving respect in order to receive it, though. You (general you, not anyone specifically) definitely don't want to come across as though you're talking at/down to your students. And I also agree that just your general presence and presentation sets the tone of interactions between you and students much more so than whatever title you decide to use (if any). Regarding that latter point, I'd say it's mostly just a matter of finding your own personal comfort zone.

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[wigflip]

I will admit, with SOME (not all) students (AND patients), I clearly have scored points because of being a man before I have even opened my mouth.

Wow. Interesting to hear someone admit this. I don't doubt you, but I'd love to hear what makes you feel that this was true.

 

[Pragma]

Wow. Interesting to hear someone admit this. I don't doubt you, but I'd love to hear what makes you feel that this was true.

Oh there are boatloads. More obvious in clinical settings. I've gone in to see patients with my female supervisors before where they have called me "Dr." but refused to call my female superiors "Dr." I have had both male and female patients clearly listen to me more intently than my female boss during clinical interviews. At my internship site, my fellow female intern and I alternated rotations. The male supervisor of the rotation clearly favored me. The other intern and I would compare notes, and there were times it appeared that when we behaved similarly, different supervision outcomes occurred. I had similar experiences earlier in graduate school with a female supervisor.

With students I suppose it is harder to make comparisons, but I suppose the fact that I have never felt uncomfortable or like my opinion was being disrespected in class is probably evidence enough.

 

[cara susanna]

I can verify the attitude that you see at CCs, as I currently adjunct at one. There seems to be less interest and less effort at CCs. My colleagues who have also taught at both four-year universities and CCs have mentioned it as well.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Oh there are boatloads. More obvious in clinical settings. I've gone in to see patients with my female supervisors before where they have called me "Dr." but refused to call my female superiors "Dr." I have had both male and female patients clearly listen to me more intently than my female boss during clinical interviews. At my internship site, my fellow female intern and I alternated rotations. The male supervisor of the rotation clearly favored me. The other intern and I would compare notes, and there were times it appeared that when we behaved similarly, different supervision outcomes occurred. I had similar experiences earlier in graduate school with a female supervisor.

With students I suppose it is harder to make comparisons, but I suppose the fact that I have never felt uncomfortable or like my opinion was being disrespected in class is probably evidence enough.

I can vouch for some of the same types of experiences Pragma mentioned re: clinical settings, although mine were (perhaps thankfully?) limited to support staff rather than supervisors. Multiple times when approaching staff with questions and requests, the staff would look at me when providing the answer and asking any follow-up questions, even when my female peer had voiced the initial question/request. And I definitely noticed in multiple settings that my female peers would receive "chillier" receptions from (predominantly female) staff members than did I.

As for client interactions, I honestly don't know, as I've only very rarely worked side-by-side with a female supervisor or peer. I've definitely had clients who've said that they were either more comfortable with seeing a male therapist, or were uncomfortable working with a male, but beyond that, not sure.

And re: students, I also never felt as though I was blatantly and openly disrespected, although I tend to have a rather nonchalant attitude toward this coupled with a somewhat high interpersonal frustration tolerance (except when I'm driving...), so I might've just not paid it much attention.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I can verify the attitude that you see at CCs, as I currently adjunct at one. There seems to be less interest and less effort at CCs. My colleagues who have also taught at both four-year universities and CCs have mentioned it as well.

I actually attended a community college many years back to knock out a few pre-reqs while I was working full-time in between four-year university transfers. I had a faculty member pull me aside after class one time and ask, "why are you here?" So in my personal anecdotal experience, I'd take that to mean she'd seen her fair share of less-than-motivated students.

Edit: and to that CC's credit, they had some truly amazing instructors there.

 

[wigflip]

Pragma and Acronym, thanks for sharing those anecdotes. Good to see men taking notice of gender inequality in the workplace.

 

[Pragma]

Pragma and Acronym, thanks for sharing those anecdotes. Good to see men taking notice of gender inequality in the workplace.

Because I can't help myself, I have to say this is a female-dominated field. I also notice differences in expectations between me and female counterparts. I had a female boss that frequently demanded I work more hours than a female in my same position. When I tried to point out the inequity (which was greater than a 20 hour per week difference) and discuss how the expectations seemed different, I was told to "toughen up" by my female boss. Also, there is rarely a day that goes by that I don't hear about how horrible men in administration are as leaders.

So I acknowledge that there is inequity, historically and currently, against women in most professional situations. But I can't say that all of the professional women in power that I have known have handled it any better than the men have.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Because I can't help myself, I have to say this is a female-dominated field. I also notice differences in expectations between me and female counterparts. I had a female boss that frequently demanded I work more hours than a female in my same position. When I tried to point out the inequity (which was greater than a 20 hour per week difference) and discuss how the expectations seemed different, I was told to "toughen up" by my female boss. Also, there is rarely a day that goes by that I don't hear about how horrible men in administration are as leaders.

So I acknowledge that there is inequity, historically and currently, against women in most professional situations. But I can't say that all of the professional women in power that I have known have handled it any better than the men have.

Reading stories like these (and others) on SDN has made me come to the conclusion that I must be a seriously lucky SOB. Across all of my grad school and internship placements, I have yet to experience anything even close to the above, and it's truly unfortunate that such stories seem to be so widespread (perhaps not commonplace, but not uncommon, either).

Sure, there have been the occasional spats between faculty members/supervisors, but I've barely ever heard about them myself, let alone been dragged into any directly. I've never had any of my supervisors attempt to overwork me, belittle or insult me (directly or indirectly), or really behave in any significantly inappropriate way toward me. I will say that I have heard small handfuls of students complain about a few of my supervisors in the past, so perhaps it's a mix of those students looking for something to complain about and me possibly not noticing and/or complaining as much as I should. But I'm being dead honest in saying that when I got the infamous, "tell me about a negative experience or interaction you've had with a supervisor and how you handled it" question on internship interviews, I didn't really have any "good" examples from which to choose.

Most of my supervisors have been men, so that might have something to do with it (e.g., male supervisors treating male students differently than female students). But I don't have any complaints about the female supervisors I've worked with, either. Most of the issues I've come across, as I mentioned above, related to support staff at the various facilities for which I've worked. And that, I can say with a fair amount of confidence, has a significant regional culture component. But even then, it's never been anything that's made me feel uncomfortable or devalued as a person.

 

[Pragma]

Reading stories like these (and others) on SDN has made me come to the conclusion that I must be a seriously lucky SOB. Across all of my grad school and internship placements, I have yet to experience anything even close to the above, and it's truly unfortunate that such stories seem to be so widespread (perhaps not commonplace, but not uncommon, either).

Sure, there have been the occasional spats between faculty members/supervisors, but I've barely ever heard about them myself, let alone been dragged into any directly. I've never had any of my supervisors attempt to overwork me, belittle or insult me (directly or indirectly), or really behave in any significantly inappropriate way toward me. I will say that I have heard small handfuls of students complain about a few of my supervisors in the past, so perhaps it's a mix of those students looking for something to complain about and me possibly not noticing and/or complaining as much as I should. But I'm being dead honest in saying that when I got the infamous, "tell me about a negative experience or interaction you've had with a supervisor and how you handled it" question on internship interviews, I didn't really have any "good" examples from which to choose.

Most of my supervisors have been men, so that might have something to do with it (e.g., male supervisors treating male students differently than female students). But I don't have any complaints about the female supervisors I've worked with, either. Most of the issues I've come across, as I mentioned above, related to support staff at the various facilities for which I've worked. And that, I can say with a fair amount of confidence, has a significant regional culture component. But even then, it's never been anything that's made me feel uncomfortable or devalued as a person.

I know I sort of moved it off-topic with that comment, but to respond: Most of my supervisors have been just fine. Most have been women. I am happy that I learned from some amazing women, because I think I learned a lot about being a better professional by having role models of a different gender.

Some were a little more traditional, and after all of this diversity-training, "don't hold the door for women" discussions, and discussion of inequity, they still expect me to carry heavy things for them and hold the door. That isn't really a big deal and it never bothered me much. Those things are less relevant than major issues like pay differential or sexual harassment.

The case I brought up was a more extreme case of this, which was not embellished. I doubt it happens all of the time, but chauvenism runs both ways. I found it sickening that someone could be treated so generously by comparison and that my supervisor's response to a kind, assertive inquiry about fairness was to invoke the threat of demasculinization. Seemed quite at odds with "equality."

As for the OP's comments about teaching, this is one issue that can come up in just about any professional context. But if you are a woman, it is good to be prepared if you are about to TA or be the instructor of record, some of the previous comments about sexism could quite likely be issues with your students. Of course, that could be true of most professional settings.

 

[paramour]

Am I the only one who likes teaching?

Its an obscene amount of work, but I do genuinely enjoy it. Still undecided whether I want it to be a substantive part of my career since I still prefer research, but I have actually really enjoyed it. Yes, evals do always contain weird/insane things but you learn not to take them too seriously. I was at the NITOP (National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology) conference and they actually have a reading of outlandishly weird teaching evals. I figure if the folks attending a conference like NITOP, many of whom have won local, national, and international teaching awards get comments like "You are the devil incarnate", I have no reason to get bitter about the comparatively tame complaints I have gotten (e.g. "You don't care about students and are completely unavailable to help students because you spend too much time on research") during a semester when I had a small class and never (not once) turned down an offer to meet a student outside office hours.

One of my female friends had a student respond to "What characteristics of the instructor were most helpful?" with "Boobs ". Such is the life of the college instructor - and men definitely get inappropriate (sometimes vulgar) and appearance-focused comments as well. Haven't done a comparison so I can't compare the frequency, but I'd wager they are closer than many realize.

RE: utility of evaluations, I just look for broad themes in the content, and actually have derived some useful information. For example, assignments that I thought were clear but students did not helped me expand upon my original "assignment page". Sure, some won't be happy unless I hold their hand every step of the way, but I can meet them in the middle. 90% of it is useless, but there is usually something I can pull from it.

Some of this may depend on subject though. I've only taught upper level seminars so they've already made it through some things, my grade distributions shift slightly higher (mid-upper 70's), etc. Ironically, I seem to get applied classes (i.e. taught behavior mod despite not remotely considering myself a behaviorist) which allows me a bit more freedom for activities rather than just lecture. I would love, love, love to teach stats which is the last course most people want (particularly here due to some weird systemic issues with the university that lead to many people taking it who shouldn't). Even some of our "Good" students get nauseous at the idea that they may be expected to do basic math they should have learned when they were 11, yet still somehow think they can go to grad school in psych. I have some ideas for how I'd do it though, that might turn out well or might be disastrous, but I kinda want to find out

I love teaching. It drives me absolutely batty every now & again, but I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it.

Off-topic: Good to see ToP mentioned. Most folks look at me like I'm clueless when I bring them up. Of course, maybe I only know about them because I have a pub there.

Ah, that wouldn't fly in my program, where the professors encourage even the UGs to call them by their first names. I've never heard of a TA using a title before, but as you suggest, it may be regional. But I like the ring of that, "You may call me Ms. Wigflip. And keep me the hell outta your wank bank."

Interestingly, I've found my lower division students to be more respectful. A few of them actually appear to still be interested in learning. The third, fourth, and fifth year students mostly appear to be interested in gaming the system, conning me, or bargaining. Watching some of them go into this whining, wheedling routine is bizarre to say the least. The really overestimate their charm. I'm always tempted to ask them, "Does that really work on your parents?"

I also hear that the students are less skilled, but more respectful at community colleges. A generalization I hope proves true (at least the latter part).

wig - I'd heard somewhat the opposite of the CCs here. Our students who come from CCs are used to being able to "Get away" with things since they tend to cater to populations for whom academics is not a priority (generalizing of course). People think they can take exams when they want, the rules don't apply, etc. Now they may not be outright disrespectful (i.e. calling you out in class), but at least many of the CC transfers I've taught seem to have (surprisingly) very little understanding of how things work in the real world, and that I'm not willing to bend over backwards to accommodate them.

Thanks, cara. I look forward to reading it???

Oh, sorry for the confusion, Ollie. I didn't mean CC students who transfer to four year schools. I'm talking about what I hear from my friends who teach or adjunct at CCs.

My four year folks think they can take exams at will or turn in papers at their own convenience (mostly unstapled).

In my experience, I would say that my CC students are a "bit" worse than my university students skill-wise, but I'm not sure I would say significantly (but then again the previous trad'l university where I taught was very non-traditional and attracted similar students to CC's up here). There were just a handful of "better" students. Otherwise, my grade distribution between the two are basically on-par with one another.

As for disrespect, I've had a few issues with both the university and the CC setting, but a heck of a lot fewer at the CC. Overall, I perceive less of a sense of entitlement with most of my CC folks and fewer students attempting to bend the rules, but I also have some CC students who think that I'll make that exception just for them (and then still try to get around it when I correct them of that notion). Buut no where on the level I did with the univ-setting.

I also have several students who submit papers without stapling them. Perhaps I'll add something to my next syllabus about stapling.

 

[Pragma]

I love teaching. It drives me absolutely batty every now & again, but I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it.

Off-topic: Good to see ToP mentioned. Most folks look at me like I'm clueless when I bring them up. Of course, maybe I only know about them because I have a pub there.









In my experience, I would say that my CC students are a "bit" worse than my university students skill-wise, but I'm not sure I would say significantly (but then again the previous trad'l university where I taught was very non-traditional and attracted similar students to CC's up here). There were just a handful of "better" students. Otherwise, my grade distribution between the two are basically on-par with one another.

As for disrespect, I've had a few issues with both the university and the CC setting, but a heck of a lot fewer at the CC. Overall, I perceive less of a sense of entitlement with most of my CC folks and fewer students attempting to bend the rules, but I also have some CC students who think that I'll make that exception just for them (and then still try to get around it when I correct them of that notion). Buut no where on the level I did with the univ-setting.

I also have several students who submit papers without stapling them. Perhaps I'll add something to my next syllabus about stapling.

There is a good video about "Generation Me" that is fun to show college students. I tried it one time with a mostly freshman course and we had an awesome discussion/debate about it. Of course, my ulterior motive was to engage the students in a discussion about entitlement among students in their demographic. Not surprisingly, self-monitoring of entitlement behavior seemed to increase (fewer headaches later in the semester).

 

[wigflip]

The case I brought up was a more extreme case of this, which was not embellished. I doubt it happens all of the time, but chauvenism runs both ways. I found it sickening that someone could be treated so generously by comparison and that my supervisor's response to a kind, assertive inquiry about fairness was to invoke the threat of demasculinization.

Sorry to hear that, Pragma.

I'm too tired/lazy to figure out how use the multiquote thingy right now, but paramour: I'd say that anywhere between 1/3 and a full half of my students don't staple. And re: deadlines: it's probably my bat**** crazy disciplines and department, but profs really encourage TAs to embrace "yes." This encouragement is often tacit, but it's clear that saying "Yes" to any and all student demands means less complaints and hassles for profs. I counted, and during the second to last class I TAed a full 25% of students had deadlines flexed at a time. It's easy to say that you should develop firm boundaries, but if the profs don't back you up, you're screwed!

 

[wigflip]

Oh, and regarding the gender inequality issue:

Has anyone read about how/whether the glass escalator applies in the various mental health fields? (My old social work preceptor was the only man in the department, had graduated from the least prestigious school, and hadn't been there the longest, yet he was heading things up. Perhaps he had amazing clinical skills that surpassed everyone else...?)

 

[paramour]

There is a good video about "Generation Me" that is fun to show college students. I tried it one time with a mostly freshman course and we had an awesome discussion/debate about it. Of course, my ulterior motive was to engage the students in a discussion about entitlement among students in their demographic. Not surprisingly, self-monitoring of entitlement behavior seemed to increase (fewer headaches later in the semester).

Oooh, good idea! I'll have to see what I can find.

Sorry to hear that, Pragma.

I'm too tired/lazy to figure out how use the multiquote thingy right now, but paramour: I'd say that anywhere between 1/3 and a full half of my students don't staple. And re: deadlines: it's probably my bat**** crazy disciplines and department, but profs really encourage TAs to embrace "yes." This encouragement is often tacit, but it's clear that saying "Yes" to any and all student demands means less complaints and hassles for profs. I counted, and during the second to last class I TAed a full 25% of students had deadlines flexed at a time. It's easy to say that you should develop firm boundaries, but if the profs don't back you up, you're screwed!

That sounds about right with the stapling. I've (thankfully) been given leniency by all my depts thus far. I can basically do anything I wish (er, within reason), as long as it's spelled out in the syllabus. And it is.

Due to the structure of my class, I refuse to accept late assignments under any circumstances. They know this, and they know why. There are more assignments available throughout the semester than necessary for that segment of their grade. They are not required to complete all of them, only enough to earn the grade they wish to receive (and only up to the maximum number of points for that portion of their grade). So, if they miss one, then there's another assignment that they can submit somewhere along the way (in addition to points from reviews, etc.).

Make-up exams? Sure! Feel free for any reason, no documentation required, but all make-up exams are given the last day of class, so I hope it's not a frequent occurrence for a student.

Miss class? Go ahead. Notes are posted online, although my lectures aren't spelled out word for word there and they sometimes don't overlap with the readings. And you miss the opportunity to receive those random attendance points to be added to the next exam that the rest of the class earns (on a variable rate schedule).

I tell students 'no' quite frequently and refer them back to their syllabus if they have any questions. It keeps (most) complaints and exception requests to a minimum, although, again, there are always those few that seem to believe they are entitled to do whatever they wish. See the syllabus works well enough for me.

The only time that I had a potential issue was with a student who decided that he was going to complain because he was not allowed to make up a missed quiz. He informed me that the athletic dept required that I allow him to make up any assignments he may have missed and required that I give him a passing grade. He stormed out of class after being informed that the athletic dept did not dictate my grading procedures/policies and that both he & the athletic dept could refer to his syllabus for the course if they had any questions. My chair backed me. No problem. (And my syllabus covered my arse!)

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Oh, and regarding the gender inequality issue:

Has anyone read about how/whether the glass escalator applies in the various mental health fields? (My old social work preceptor was the only man in the department, had graduated from the least prestigious school, and hadn't been there the longest, yet he was heading things up. Perhaps he had amazing clinical skills that surpassed everyone else...?)

I'm honestly not sure, although I might look into it at this point; thus, the following is just random conjecture. It's definitely a bit eyebrow-raising if the only male in the department was the chair, but was it perhaps due to factors other than sex directly, such as personal and interpersonal characteristics? Were other faculty unhappy with him getting that position, or had they all never directly voiced interest themselves while he did so?

As for general "rigidity" about deadlines--I agree that it's very, very tough to stick to your guns about much of anything if your department and/or school won't back you on it. We were lucky in that our faculty teaching advisor was 100% supportive. And our program and school generally took the view that if it's in your syllabus, and it isn't directly against university policy, then you can set whatever rules you'd like.

We did generally have to make exceptions if the individual had a university-excused absence (which included a variety of unique accommodations for student-athletes). But outside of that, we actually had a decent amount of free reign and support.

 

[Pragma]

I'm honestly not sure, although I might look into it at this point; thus, the following is just random conjecture. It's definitely a bit eyebrow-raising if the only male in the department was the chair, but was it perhaps due to factors other than sex directly, such as personal and interpersonal characteristics? Were other faculty unhappy with him getting that position, or had they all never directly voiced interest themselves while he did so?

As for general "rigidity" about deadlines--I agree that it's very, very tough to stick to your guns about much of anything if your department and/or school won't back you on it. We were lucky in that our faculty teaching advisor was 100% supportive. And our program and school generally took the view that if it's in your syllabus, and it isn't directly against university policy, then you can set whatever rules you'd like.

We did generally have to make exceptions if the individual had a university-excused absence (which included a variety of unique accommodations for student-athletes). But outside of that, we actually had a decent amount of free reign and support.

"Department Chair" is considered a crappy obligation in some departments. Some places even make relatively newer faculty take turns doing it since they don't want the administrative burden. Obviously every places is different, but the "Chair" seemed to be a hot potato where I came from.

But obviously, if the only man in a Department is given (actual) authority over most folks, it is more than eyebrow-raising.

 

[wigflip]

(My old social work preceptor was the only man in the department, had graduated from the least prestigious school, and hadn't been there the longest, yet he was heading things up. Perhaps he had amazing clinical skills that surpassed everyone else...?)

Sorry for the lack of clarity. What I was trying to convey was that my social work practicum preceptor, also the head of the social work department at my placement, was the only man. Not a faculty member or academic department chair. It was him plus 4 women, plus interns or whatever we were called. Not an outlandish ratio, but noticeable given that he wasn't the oldest hire and didn't come from the "best" school, or even one that was known as having a particularly strong clinical focus.

I have to say that I've sat in on a lot of the discussions which touch on "politics of location" (race/gender/body weight,etc.) on this forum over the course of the last year and a half, and this is by far the most civilized, pleasant, engaging.

 

[wigflip]

This sounds great. Sorry paramour, but I can't recall--does this reflect your teaching experience at a four-year school? My friends who teach at CCs don't have that kind of freedom, and I know TAs at my four year don't. I haven't had the opportunity to serve as instructor of record at my four year, but based on past experience, I don't think my department would back those kinds of policies for an adjunct/grad student instructor.

Oooh, good idea! I'll have to see what I can find.




That sounds about right with the stapling. I've (thankfully) been given leniency by all my depts thus far. I can basically do anything I wish (er, within reason), as long as it's spelled out in the syllabus. And it is.

Due to the structure of my class, I refuse to accept late assignments under any circumstances. They know this, and they know why. There are more assignments available throughout the semester than necessary for that segment of their grade. They are not required to complete all of them, only enough to earn the grade they wish to receive (and only up to the maximum number of points for that portion of their grade). So, if they miss one, then there's another assignment that they can submit somewhere along the way (in addition to points from reviews, etc.).

Make-up exams? Sure! Feel free for any reason, no documentation required, but all make-up exams are given the last day of class, so I hope it's not a frequent occurrence for a student.

Miss class? Go ahead. Notes are posted online, although my lectures aren't spelled out word for word there and they sometimes don't overlap with the readings. And you miss the opportunity to receive those random attendance points to be added to the next exam that the rest of the class earns (on a variable rate schedule).

I tell students 'no' quite frequently and refer them back to their syllabus if they have any questions. It keeps (most) complaints and exception requests to a minimum, although, again, there are always those few that seem to believe they are entitled to do whatever they wish. See the syllabus works well enough for me.

The only time that I had a potential issue was with a student who decided that he was going to complain because he was not allowed to make up a missed quiz. He informed me that the athletic dept required that I allow him to make up any assignments he may have missed and required that I give him a passing grade. He stormed out of class after being informed that the athletic dept did not dictate my grading procedures/policies and that both he & the athletic dept could refer to his syllabus for the course if they had any questions. My chair backed me. No problem. (And my syllabus covered my arse!)

 

[Pragma]

This sounds great. Sorry paramour, but I can't recall--does this reflect your teaching experience at a four-year school? My friends who teach at CCs don't have that kind of freedom, and I know TAs at my four year don't. I haven't had the opportunity to serve as instructor of record at my four year, but based on past experience, I don't think my department would back those kinds of policies for an adjunct/grad student instructor.

They ought to back them up, particularly if you sought any mentorship when you created the policies.

I hear about departments not backing people up, but I have never known anyone where this actually happened. I would imagine a well-crafted syllabus, approved by a Departmental faculty member (since you are new as an instructor), coupled with decent rapport with the students should prevent these issues from escalating to the "I'll talk to the Dean" level.

I am knocking on wood right now because the last thing I want to do for the first time is have to talk to the Dean about a student's war against my policies!

 

[wigflip]

They ought to back them up, particularly if you sought any mentorship when you created the policies.

I hear about departments not backing people up, but I have never known anyone where this actually happened.

Unfortunately, I do, though I'd prefer not to go into detail here. I know, it's one of those things where logic doesn't prevail, but it happens. What I was really talking about though, is that there can be a departmental culture where enforcing firm boundaries (or even setting them in the first place) isn't appreciated. The departments I've worked for are like that. It's a tacit (or sometimes not so tacit) understanding that the syllabus is a harsh fallback that won't be strictly enforced, or will only be enforced on a case by case basis. An attorney pal once hinted that that is a liability nightmare.

One of my best undergrad courses had weekly objective quizzes. Each class would begin with either a quiz (say each Weds) or going over the previous quiz (Mons), then a quickie recap of the previous day's lecture, then new material. The format was really strict and it was one of the best classes I ever took as an UG.

 

[Ya Ya]

Oooh, good idea! I'll have to see what I can find.




That sounds about right with the stapling. I've (thankfully) been given leniency by all my depts thus far. I can basically do anything I wish (er, within reason), as long as it's spelled out in the syllabus. And it is.

Due to the structure of my class, I refuse to accept late assignments under any circumstances. They know this, and they know why. There are more assignments available throughout the semester than necessary for that segment of their grade. They are not required to complete all of them, only enough to earn the grade they wish to receive (and only up to the maximum number of points for that portion of their grade). So, if they miss one, then there's another assignment that they can submit somewhere along the way (in addition to points from reviews, etc.).

Make-up exams? Sure! Feel free for any reason, no documentation required, but all make-up exams are given the last day of class, so I hope it's not a frequent occurrence for a student.

Miss class? Go ahead. Notes are posted online, although my lectures aren't spelled out word for word there and they sometimes don't overlap with the readings. And you miss the
opportunity to receive those random attendance points to be added to the next exam that the rest of the class earns (on a variable rate schedule).

I tell students 'no' quite frequently and refer them back to their syllabus if they have any
questions. It keeps (most) complaints and exception requests to a minimum, although, again, there are always those few that seem to believe they are entitled to do whatever they wish. See the syllabus works well enough for me.

The only time that I had a potential issue was with a student who decided that he was going to complain because he was not allowed to make up a missed quiz. He informed me that the athletic dept required that I allow him to make up any assignments he may
have missed and required that I give him a passing grade. He stormed out of class after being informed that the athletic dept did not dictate my grading
procedures/policies and that both he & the athletic dept could refer to his syllabus for the
course if they had any questions. My chair backed me. No problem. (And my syllabus
covered my arse!)

One thing that was recommended to me by a friend was to have students read over the syllabus and sign it. So when there is a dispute about things like attendance or grading/late work you can direct them to the syllabus they signed. I'm in my first year so I haven't tested it out yet but I think it'll be something I'll implement next year.

 

[wigflip]

One thing that was recommended to me by a friend was to have students read over the syllabus and sign it. So when there is a dispute about things like attendance or grading/late work you can direct them to the syllabus they signed. I'm in my first year so I haven't tested it out yet but I think it'll be something I'll implement next year.

For what it's worth:
I had to do this once or twice as an undergrad. It left a bad taste in my mouth because it felt to me as though we (UGs) were being treated right off the bat as though we were going to be a problem, and I knew I wasn't in that category.

 

[Pragma]

For what it's worth:
I had to do this once or twice as an undergrad. It left a bad taste in my mouth because it felt to me as though we (UGs) were being treated right off the bat as though we were going to be a problem, and I knew I wasn't in that category.

I think this brings up a larger point about teaching in general, which I certainly haven't figured out.

Do we run the risk of infantilizing these college kids when we focus too much on the minor policies? Not that they aren't important and that they reflect what jobs will be like for them later, but I guess my point is that it can become easy for an instructor to become almost "defensive" behind their policies to the point that having a mature relationship with students is more difficult. I think when this happens, college just becomes an extension of high school, which it shouldn't be.

I tend to shy away from doing things like having them sign a syllabus for this reason. i sort of go the opposite route, where I explain how I don't anticipate problems with them since they are grown-ups. When issues do come up then, they don't have a policy to point to that is unfair or a negative attitude towards the instruction from the outset, but have to be accountable themselves.

It is tough to quantify something like that, but I guess I try to demonstrate trust and respect up front. Having them sign a syllabus (IMO) would be detrimental to that.

 

[psychRA]

I do like teaching, overall, though it's definitely a HUGE time suck, especially if it's your first time teaching the course.

Pros: If you enjoy the material, it really can be fun to share it with students. And if giving talks makes you nervous, there's no better way to rip off that proverbial bandaid than by giving a couple of lectures every week.

Cons: Dealing with problem students. I make my syllabus airtight so that all of the policies are clear from day one, but students will still manage to come up with ways to test the boundaries. I'm not super strict, but I really dislike it when students try to lie ("I turned in my paper, I swear!" when they clearly didn't) or put one over on me. I've also learned that 1) no matter how easy you make the exams, a few students will manage to bomb them and 2) even if you try to cut students a break by rounding their grades up/grading relatively easily, they will still whine and complain if they don't get an A. I've gotten way more skilled at being firm and setting limits!

 

[paramour]

This sounds great. Sorry paramour, but I can't recall--does this reflect your teaching experience at a four-year school? My friends who teach at CCs don't have that kind of freedom, and I know TAs at my four year don't. I haven't had the opportunity to serve as instructor of record at my four year, but based on past experience, I don't think my department would back those kinds of policies for an adjunct/grad student instructor.

I've taught at a 4-year in the past, and I'm currently teaching at a CC. I've had the same policies at both. And I checked with the higher-ups re: my "freedoms" before implementing anything with the current gig not knowing what their restrictions might look like. Seems to be heavily dependent upon the faculty member around here, with some more lenient than others. I was basically told as long as it's in my syllabus, then I'm okay. My syllabus was approved during my evaluation and noted as one of the best ones they'd seen. Not sure why, but apparently many around here don't put much thought or consideration into them.

One thing that was recommended to me by a friend was to have students read over the syllabus and sign it. So when there is a dispute about things like attendance or grading/late work you can direct them to the syllabus they signed. I'm in my first year so I haven't tested it out yet but I think it'll be something I'll implement next year.

Yeah, I've seen this done by some other folks (as well as those who give quizzes over their syllabi), and I briefly considered it, but for reasons both wig & pragma brought up, I eventually opted against it. I review my syllabus the first day of class with everyone. They're expected to abide by the syllabus, which is distributed to them and posted online if they conveniently lose/misplace it. Otherwise, students are expected to abide by the syllabus regardless of whether or not they sign it. I direct them back to their syllabus on a routine basis whenever there are disputes as is, and I've yet to have someone tell me, "but you didn't have me sign it." They are adults, and I have no desire to treat them like my court-mandated clients who I get to sit down with and have them sign each program rule line by line (which I also think is ridiculous).

The only time I've personally signed a syllabus was during a grad school class in which the professor was concerned re: matters of confidentiality, so she had everyone basically sign a confidentiality statement.