Ask-Dr-Kirk

Tips On Making Grading Manageable

Dear Dr. Kirk:

I hate grading.  I tend to put it off as long as possible and my students get upset because they don't get prompt feedback.  Any suggestions?

Not Really a Procrastinator But....

Dear Not a Procrastinator:

There are several things you can do to make the grading more manageable.  First of all, be proactive--lay out your assignment schedule so you're not giving tests and papers all the same day.  Try to schedule the due dates toward the end of week so you have the weekend to grade.  Be sure and look at your family and personal obligations in determining when these deadlines and exam dates should be.

Also, set expectations with your students.  If taking up papers to grade, give them a date you will have these back to them so they won't expect instant feedback.  Explain that you want to take your time in order to do a good job.  I aim at the next class period to give back exams and two weeks for feedback on papers.

My best advice is to start your grading right after class.  I gave an exam to 43 students last Monday in a class that ended at 6pm.  Afterwards, I drove to a local restaurant, ordered dinner, and graded tests for three hours giving me a big jump on getting these done.  It made it much easier to come back to the grading the next day.

Giving prompt feedback to your students will help them improve on future assignments as well as make them see you as organized and professional.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kirk

Book Tag

Angela Maiers of Maiers Educational Services, Inc. has tagged me with the following questions:

Last book read: 

• The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs

Last book bought:

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

5 meaningful books (I chose my favorites on teaching):

• Classroom Assessment Techniques by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross
• What The Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain
• McKeachie's Teaching Tips by Wilbert J. McKeachie
• Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis
• Tips & Thoughts on Improving the Teaching Process in College by Joe Ben Hoyle (free ebook)

Can I include my own book on teaching?  Taking Back the Classroom: Tips for the College Professor on Becoming a More Effective Teacher

I'm tagging Timothy Johnson, Vicki A. Davis, Tammy Lenski, Liz Strauss (all people involved in educating others)

Are Students Customers?

Edward A. Snyder, Dean of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, disagrees with the current trend of treating students as customers.  As he notes, "Do we really want to tell them that they are customers―and that they are always right―when we are in the last, best position to influence their overall academic, ethical, and professional development?"  He goes on to say, "Instead of the customer is always right, we ought to go with a version of you get what you put into it."  Thus, we should encourage our students to put more into their education by setting high expectations, recognizing when they reach these (and when they don't).   You can read his thoughts on the topic here:  Download students_as_customers.doc

Thanks to Professor Brooke Stanley (University of South Florida-Sarasota) for sending this article to me.

Workshop On Classroom Management January 3-5, 2008

There are still a few seats available for the workshop on classroom management being held in St Petersburg, Florida, on January 3-5, 2008.  This would be an excellent workshop for either new faculty or faculty who are struggling with this current generation of college students.  Click here for more info or to register.

Dealing With A Hostile Student

Professor Paula Thonney (Brookdale Community College) shared with me the following example of how she dealt with a difficult student:

"I had a student who had a bad attitude in class and was extremely hostile toward me.  I finally confronted her (later than I should have) and asked her to talk to me outside.  I think she was expecting to get thoroughly scolded.  I remained very calm and simply stated:  “You seem very frustrated.  What is bothering you?”  She told me that she felt that the class was too easy for her, and that it was annoying to have to sit through it.  I told her that I would be happy if she took the placement test again and tried to test out of the class.  But I also told her firmly that the negative and disrespectful attitude was inappropriate and had to stop.  I told her that if she continued to be in my class, that she had to participate courteously.  I had to talk to her one more time after that, but I feel that talking to her as an adult and acknowledging her feelings were important—it surprised her and in some way earned me some respect." 

I find talking one on one with a student who is being disruptive in class works wonders.  The student then knows you are aware of the behavior and is more likely to stop as long as you discuss the issue with him/her calmly and with respect.  Otherwise, the student is likely to continue to "push the envelope" to see how much he/she can get away with. 

Another Interesting Observation About Wikipedia

I've addressed the issue, along with others, as to whether professors should allow the use of Wikipedia as a source for student research papers.  Seth Godin weighs in on Wikipedia and makes some interesting points:

"Selecting the facts is an important part of the process. Finding them shouldn't be.  I don't know about you, but when I hire someone, or go to the doctor or the architect or an engineer, I could care less about how good they are at memorizing or looking up facts. I want them to be great at synthesizing ideas, the faster and more insightfully, the better."

Twenty years ago when I was teaching Operations Management classes, we had the students work problems by hand.  Today we teach them how to do problems using computer software.  The emphasis now is on interpreting the answers generated by the computer. 

As professors, we need to examine how useful our teaching techniques are in preparing the students to be successful in the future.