I am using a cell phone use (even being seen outside of their backpack or purse constitutes use¹) = absent for attendance in all my classes this semester. We¹ll see how it goes.
-- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA On 8/19/09 12:01 PM, "Beth Benoit" <beth.ben...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > When my students say they missed class, they usually follow it with, "Did I > miss anything?" As per a great list of possible answers that I got from TIPS > years ago, I reply, with a rather affected glint of humor in my eye, "Why, no. > When you didn't show up, we just canceled class." That usually makes them > see the silliness of their question. I then add, seriously, that they're > responsible for anything that happened in class and they might look for a good > student and ask to borrow their notes. > > I'm also toying with the idea of changing an attendance grade from "present" > to "absent" if they text during class, and saying in my syllabus that I will > do this. My rationale is that if they're busy texting, they're not paying > attention (and are even more disruptive - to me - than if they're absent) and > are thus, essentially, absent. I like this idea better than Louis' four dozen > doughnuts penalty. I don't need the calories and they can't use the "I don't > have the money" excuse. Of course, I have to make sure that I don't have my > own cell phone going off during class!! And this will only work if you > routinely take attendance. (I do.) > > How do TIPSters feel about this? It's not going to kill them to keep their > thumbs off their cellphones for an hour. > > Beth Benoit > Granite State College > Plymouth State University > New Hampshire > > On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 11:50 AM, Marc Carter <marc.car...@bakeru.edu> wrote: >> >> Well, my perennial favorite (this is common to many of you, I'm sure) is, >> "I'm sorry I missed class today. Did we do anything important?" >> >> -- >> Marc Carter, PhD >> Associate Professor and Chair >> Department of Psychology >> College of Arts & Sciences >> Baker University >> -- >> >>> > -----Original Message----- >>> > From: sbl...@ubishops.ca [mailto:sbl...@ubishops.ca] >>> > Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 10:23 AM >>> > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) >>> > Subject: [tips] Outrageous (im)portune(ing) >>> > >>> > A misguided friend of mine, retired not too long, decided to >>> > go back to teaching. He discovered something new this time: >>> > an elevation in the level of student chutzpah. >>> > >>> > For example, one of his students e-mailed him that he had >>> > received 73% for a B, and asked for a free 2% so his mark >>> > could be upgraded to a B+. >>> > My friend commented that this student seemed to think of >>> > university grades the way someone in a restaurant thinks of >>> > the bread basket: could I have more, please? >>> > >>> > Another of his students e-mailed him that he missed a good >>> > part of the course and the first test because he was on >>> > vacation and didn't realize that the course didn't wait for >>> > him to get back. He asked that his grade be based on the >>> > tests given after his return. >>> > >>> > Note that in both cases, the outrageous requests were made by e-mail. >>> > Coincidence? I think not. It seems to me that now that the >>> > twittering facebook generation has become comfortable with >>> > e-mailing their profs, we can expect much more of the same. >>> > What they wouldn't dare ask for over the phone or in person >>> > is worth a try by e-mail. Maybe I'll get lucky, they think. >>> > >>> > My friend asked me whether students at Bishop's behaved like >>> > this. Not then, I replied, but probably now. And in the >>> > spirit of the irrepressible Michael S. I throw the question >>> > out to the list: >>> > >>> > Do you have any examples of your own of outrageous >>> > importuning, in particular by e-mail, but also by other >>> > means? Send me something. >>> > >>> > Stephen >>> > >>> > ----------------------------------------------------------------- >>> > Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. >>> > Professor of Psychology, Emeritus >>> > Bishop's University e-mail: sbl...@ubishops.ca >>> > 2600 College St. >>> > Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 >>> > Canada >>> > >>> > Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of >>> > psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ >>> > -------------------------------------------------------------- >>> > --------- >>> > >>> > --- >>> > To make changes to your subscription contact: >>> > >>> > Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) >>> > >> >> The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto >> ("e-mail") is sent by Baker University ("BU") and is intended to be >> confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. >> The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures >> acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended >> recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or >> copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this >> e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and >> immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments >> thereto. Thank you. >> >> --- >> To make changes to your subscription contact: >> >> Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) > > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
