Ask-Dr-Kirk

Using Wikipedia As The Teaching Assignment

I've posted earlier on whether professors should allow the use of Wikipedia as a research source and if so, what guidance should be given students.  Professor Martha Groom (University of Washington at Bothell) is using Wikipedia as the outlet for her students' term papers.   As she notes, "Term papers are intended for an extremely limited audience" [the teacher]...while online websites such as Wikipedia have a much larger audience.  She goes on to note that the possibility that many others are reading their work motivates students to write better and to make sure that they don't plagiarize copyrighted material as this would be caught by the readers.

Teaching Tips In Today's Chronicle Of Higher Education Work For Professors At All Levels

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a series of articles for community college teachers in today's edition.  In one titled, "A Dozen Teaching Tips for Diverse Classrooms," Piper Fogg notes that, "Community-college students require teachers who are engaging, creative, responsive, and energetic — and who understand their students' needs. Professors have to be up on the latest teaching methods, know which of them work for their students, and be flexible enough to change when something isn't working." 

Obviously, that's true of four year college professors also.  I was asked to contribute tips for the article and Piper included this one:

While setting realistic expectations is important, you must also share them with your students.  If you are a stickler for grammar, let it be known on Day 1, advises Delaney J. Kirk, a professor of management at the University of South Florida at Sarasota-Manatee. Tell students if you give grace periods for assignments or if you will not tolerate tardiness. "Have a rationale so the policy is seen as reasonable," says Kirk, the author of Taking Back the Classroom: Tips for the College Professor on Becoming a More Effective Teacher (Tiberius Publications, 2005). After explaining your philosophy, take time to learn what students expect of you as well: Teaching is a two-way street.

I like to explain to my students that just as I expect them to come to class on time, turn off their cell phones and turn in their assignments when due, they can have similar expectations of me.  Thus, I promise to:

Be fully prepared for class (including all handouts and Blackboard up and running) and ready to start the class on time. 

Turn off my cell phone and make sure that I make the class time valuable to the students who attend.

Grade quizzes, papers, and exams promptly with the goal of returning these to the students by the next class period.

Encourage students to ask questions during class, by email, or during my office hours and responding to these quickly and completely.

Treat all students with respect.

I find that by spelling out both sets of expectations, the students are more willing to be professional in their approach to my classes.

What If I Don't Know The Answer To A Student's Question?

Dear Dr. Kirk:

I am fairly new to teaching and occasionally I will have a student ask me a question in class and I don't know the answer.  Should I (a) fake it, (b) request that the student research the question and bring the information back to the class, or (c) admit to the student that I don't know?

Not Really Clueless, Just Don't Know Everything

Dear Not Clueless:

Let's look at your options:  Faking the answer won't work in today's high tech world...I've had students google the answer on their laptop while in class.  Assigning the student the task of finding out the answer sounds good but will feel more like punishment and discourage other students from asking questions.  The right answer is (c) admit you don't know but that you will find out and get back to them.  Students don't really expect you to know everything and will appreciate that you are honest enough to admit that you don't.  You gain points with them, however, if you find out and share the answer with them the next class period.

Video On Finding and Sharing Information

Check out this video that looks at how we find and share information today compared to the past.  As noted by Professor Michael Wesch (Kansas State University), "This video was created as a conversation starter, and works especially well when brainstorming with people about the near future and the skills needed in order to harness, evaluate, and create information effectively."

I'm going to use it in my Management class while discussing the chapter on communication.

Getting Quiet Students To Talk In Class

Dear Dr. Kirk:

I teach a Masters level class at X University with 23 students.  I cannot get them to speak, answer questions, or participate in any way.  What can I do to engage them?

Dear Professor of Quiet Students:

As a former manager and someone who teaches management, I can tell you that you get what you reward.  Are you rewarding for participation?  You could build in points for this in the course or even give extra credit points.  First of all, be sure to tell them your expectations that they will speak up in class.  Perhaps explain WHY you want them to talk (because will have to in their careers?  So that you can see if they understand the material?  So they can learn from each other?)  Also make it easy for them to begin.  Put the students into small groups (3-4) and assign them a task where they have to write down answers.  Then tell them to pick a spokesperson to report back to the class.  You will need to build a “new culture” for your classroom where students talk.  (another hint:  don’t ask IF they have questions, ask WHAT questions they have).  Good luck.  Let me know how it works out.

Dress Codes For Students

In a recent post, I brought up the issue of what faculty should do if a student is dressed inappropriately in the classroom.  Now Universities and Deans are starting to examine the issue of student dress.  The University of West Alabama has published "a set of guideliness on what students can't wear and in what situations they should dress more formally."  As noted by their President, Richard Holland, in response to complaints by interviewers at on-campus career fairs, "I don't think [the students] know how to dress..."

Paul Quinn College and Illinois State University's  College of Business have also instituted dress codes this fall.  I think more schools will adopt dress guidelines in the future...

Should Professors Be Friends With Their Students?

An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the issue of whether professors can and should be friends with their students.  I agree with the author's statement that "Students learn professionalism from us."  I think this is especially true with undergraduates who need our guidance and modeling of what it means to be an adult in the work world.  When I teach my students management tools, one thing I stress is how difficult it is to do performance appraisals and make tough decisions about someone who is your friend.

I believe we can create a culture in the classroom where students feel free to ask questions or bring career issues to us.  However, it's very easy to cross that line between being their teacher and mentor and being their friend.  They have friends.  We shouldn't be on Facebook or hanging out every week at student bars doing shots (yes, one of my former colleagues was doing just that.  Note the word, "former").  This is not the type of role model I want to be for my students.

Other advice in the article?

If students come to your office hours, do you keep the door open? (Most faculty members do.)

If students want to talk about their personal tragedies, should you try to solve their problems? (Probably not, but offer sympathy and the name of a good counselor.)

If students send you very passionate or suicidal e-mail messages, what do you do? (Tell someone, quickly.)

The author ends with the note to "Be friendly, but be a grown-up."  I agree.  On the other hand, I do have a number of former students that keep in touch and let me know how they are doing now that they have graduated.

Should We Be The Fashion Police In Our Classrooms?

Southwest Airlines has been in the news recently for objecting to how their customers were dressed.  On September 30, a man was told to change his t-shirt that was described as being obscene and in very poor taste.  In another case, a young woman was told to cover up her mini skirt and skimpy top.  In both cases, Southwest later apologized and employees were informed that the airline does not have a dress code.  However, according to one article, Southwest "has language in its contract of carriage [that] it reserves the right to deny service to customers who are abusive or threatening, or whose clothing is "lewd, obscene or patently offensive" and they were considering "giving employees more specific examples of offensive and allowable dress."

I was thinking about this in connection to how students dress for class.  Back in the early 90's I had a male student in the classroom who wore a t-shirt with the F-word on the front of it.  I didn't know how to handle the situation and ended up ignoring both him and the shirt.  Since then I have had to talk to students (mostly female) about inappropriate clothing worn during formal presentations...skirts too short, midriff showing, even one woman with a see-through top.

Part of our job as professors is to teach our students how to be successful in the workplace.  I'm curious if others say anything to students who come to class dressed inappropriately...

Lecture Of A Lifetime

If you haven't had a chance to see this, click here to read about the last lecture given by Dr. Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor.  Dr. Pausch has end-stage cancer and his lecture addressed the issue:  "What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?"

Some of his advice: 

"Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things."  (in response to numerous rejection letters he's received over the years).

He also encouraged faculty to be patient with their students. "Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you."

He ended by noting that he believed that "helping others fulfill their dreams is even more fun than achieving your own."

What piece of advice would you give if it were your last lecture?