Re: [tips] Student excuses
Whenever I start to think I need to be more flexible, I think of my students who are successful in spite of true adversity. Case in point, one of my students was unemployed, started the semester, her mother backed over her infant daughter in the driveway, and the daughter was subsequently in a full-body cast all semester. In addition to this, the student then landed a full-time job (which was an overnight shift at Wal-Mart) and so would come straight to school after work, attend 3 classes, and then return home to be a caregiver to her immobile infant. This student earned a B in my class and had very few absences, in addition to communicating with me weekly about her situation (and NEVER requesting exceptions to any course policies). So many of my students amaze me, but it's always good to remind myself of the ones that do so in a positive way. Raechel Soicher raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu Santa Fe College Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to disclosure. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5n=Tl=tipso=44734 or send a blank email to leave-44734-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent
I just allow my students to drop a test grade. That way I don't have to decide if an excuse is legitimate or not. I give four exams, counting the final, and the end result is usually that the good students don't have to take the final exam (and can leave for home earlier, which they appreciate). It's worked very well for me. Raechel On Sep 5, 2014, at 4:11 PM, Helweg-Larsen, Marie helw...@dickinson.edumailto:helw...@dickinson.edu wrote: I teach at a small liberal arts college and although I’m sure students have lied to me in the past I do not experience these situations very often. If students have a legitimate reason to not take an exam (usually illness) I simple arrange for them to take it within a week. So my students would not gain anything by making a more elaborate (untrue) excuse. I find it easier to assume that the student is telling the truth. Of course it is against our community disciplinary code to lie to a professor and on a small campus it is easy to be found out (I might see them in town or on campus at night when they were supposed to be at a funeral in another state). Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Professor l Department of Psychology Chair, Health Studies Certificate Program Office hours Fall 2014: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:30-11:30 Kaufman 168 l Dickinson College Phone 717.245.1562 l Fax 717.245.1971 http://users.dickinson.edu/~helwegm/index.html From: Christopher Green [mailto:chri...@yorku.ca] Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 7:35 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent And let us not forget Mike Adams' classic: The dead grandmother/exam syndrome and the potential downfall of American society. http://www.math.toronto.edu/mpugh/DeadGrandmother.pdf - Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M6C 1G4 Canada chri...@yorku.camailto:chri...@yorku.ca On Sep 3, 2014, at 4:39 PM, Jeffry Ricker jeff.ric...@scottsdalecc.edumailto:jeff.ric...@scottsdalecc.edu wrote: Hi all, I have required proof of the death of a family member for a long time now. I do this because, years ago, a student told me that he had missed a test in my class because his grandmother had died; and then several weeks later, in another instructor's class, he missed a test because (he told the instructor) that grandmother died! Apparently, she rose from the dead after the first funeral, only to die a short time later. The poor lady! Caron, Whitbourne, Halgin (1992) looked at fraudulent versus legitimate excuse-making, and found no difference in the frequency of these among college students. One difference they did find, however, is the greater number of fraudulent excuses claiming that there was a family emergency (p. 91). On the other hand, legitimate excuses were more likely than fraudulent ones to involve the death of a grandparent. Go figure. I seem to remember another paper, mentioned on TIPS a long time ago, showing that grandparents are more likely to die just before test days. Is this a false memory? Best, Jeff Reference Caron, M. D., Whitbourne, S. K., Halgin, R. P. (1992). Fraudulent excuse making among college students. Teaching of Psychology, 19, 90-93 On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 5:49 AM, Beth Benoit beth.ben...@gmail.commailto:beth.ben...@gmail.com wrote: Claudia and others, I didn't receive Nancy Melucci's initial post either, but read it at the bottom of Tim's reply. I don't recall this happening before, so hope it's just a quirk. Or maybe that's what happened to two previous posts of mine that got no replies? Beth Benoit Plymouth State University New Hampshire On Mon, Sep 1, 2014 at 11:51 PM, Claudia Stanny csta...@uwf.edumailto:csta...@uwf.edu wrote: Nancy, Given your institution's policies, you had no choice but to drop her if she did not show up. I expect she had the same experience in multiple classes if she was out of town for a funeral, which probably adds to her stress but should send her a clear message that this is what happens at this institution. Now if yours was the only class she missed and was dropped from, that raises a new set of questions, doesn't it? If she were out of town, wouldn't she have missed multiple classes? Just asking. . . . I think you were most kind and generous to offer to reinstate her. But I know how rigid the rules about attendance can be at two-year institutions. I learned recently that in Florida, students who miss more than a certain number of classes must be withdrawn by the instructor, even if the student is doing well in the class. Something about the regulations related to financial aid awards at 2-year schools. (The four-year schools don't have this policy, so it came as quite a surprise to me when this matter came up in a faculty development activity that involved multiple people from 2-year schools.) Perhaps if you had reinforced the message that this
Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent
No, if they are happy with their first three they don't have to take my final. I require class attendance via in-class activity points so that motivates them to still come to class. Never had students stop coming. Raechel N. Soicher, M.A. Assistant Professor, Psychology Santa Fe College 3000 NW 83rd Street Gainesville, FL 32606 Office: A-238 Tele #: (352) 381-7089 Email: raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edumailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu ~ You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room. ~ Dr. Seuss On Sep 5, 2014, at 7:40 PM, Beth Benoit beth.ben...@gmail.commailto:beth.ben...@gmail.com wrote: So do you require that students take all four tests before they can drop one? THat's a good solution to my previous dilemma. Beth Benoit Plymouth State University Plymouth NH On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 7:08 PM, Dr. Bob Wildblood drb...@rcn.commailto:drb...@rcn.com wrote: I use the same technique as Raechel. My final is a cumulative final based on the information of the entire course. If a student is satisfied with their grade based on the 4 tests given during the semester, they can skip the final. If they want to try to improve their grade, the final will replace the lowest grade they earned during the semester. It has relieved a lot of headaches and pleas for mercy from the students in the classes I teach. - Original Message - From: Raechel Soicher raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edumailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) tips@fsulist.frostburg.edumailto:tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu Sent: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:48:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent I just allow my students to drop a test grade. That way I don't have to decide if an excuse is legitimate or not. I give four exams, counting the final, and the end result is usually that the good students don't have to take the final exam (and can leave for home earlier, which they appreciate). It's worked very well for me. Raechel On Sep 5, 2014, at 4:11 PM, Helweg-Larsen, Marie helw...@dickinson.edumailto:helw...@dickinson.edu wrote: I teach at a small liberal arts college and although I’m sure students have lied to me in the past I do not experience these situations very often. If students have a legitimate reason to not take an exam (usually illness) I simple arrange for them to take it within a week. So my students would not gain anything by making a more elaborate (untrue) excuse. I find it easier to assume that the student is telling the truth. Of course it is against our community disciplinary code to lie to a professor and on a small campus it is easy to be found out (I might see them in town or on campus at night when they were supposed to be at a funeral in another state). Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Professor l Department of Psychology Chair, Health Studies Certificate Program Office hours Fall 2014: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:30-11:30 Kaufman 168 l Dickinson College Phone 717.245.1562tel:717.245.1562 l Fax 717.245.1971tel:717.245.1971 http://users.dickinson.edu/~helwegm/index.html From: Christopher Green [mailto:chri...@yorku.ca] Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 7:35 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent And let us not forget Mike Adams' classic: The dead grandmother/exam syndrome and the potential downfall of American society. http://www.math.toronto.edu/mpugh/DeadGrandmother.pdf - Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M6C 1G4 Canada chri...@yorku.camailto:chri...@yorku.ca On Sep 3, 2014, at 4:39 PM, Jeffry Ricker jeff.ric...@scottsdalecc.edumailto:jeff.ric...@scottsdalecc.edu wrote: Hi all, I have required proof of the death of a family member for a long time now. I do this because, years ago, a student told me that he had missed a test in my class because his grandmother had died; and then several weeks later, in another instructor's class, he missed a test because (he told the instructor) that grandmother died! Apparently, she rose from the dead after the first funeral, only to die a short time later. The poor lady! Caron, Whitbourne, Halgin (1992) looked at fraudulent versus legitimate excuse-making, and found no difference in the frequency of these among college students. One difference they did find, however, is the greater number of fraudulent excuses claiming that there was a family emergency (p. 91). On the other hand, legitimate excuses were more likely than fraudulent ones to involve the death of a grandparent. Go figure. I seem to remember another paper, mentioned on TIPS a long time ago, showing that grandparents are more likely to die just before test days. Is this a false memory? Best, Jeff Reference Caron, M. D., Whitbourne, S. K., Halgin, R. P. (1992). Fraudulent excuse
Re: [tips] The season of the deceased grandparent
***What has happened to the traditional cumulative final where students have an opportunity to demonstrate (1) learning of things that they had not understood and, most importantly, (2) to show that they can integrate material and see connections that may not have been apparent earlier? By the way, this kind of exam would be in essay and short-answer format. Sincerely, Stuart I use assessments other than exams that I feel better demonstrate the aspects you pointed out. I find one of my weaknesses as an instructor is writing exams, so I feel less comfortable using them as a majority of my students' assessment. Raechel N. Soicher, M.A. Assistant Professor, Psychology Santa Fe College 3000 NW 83rd Street Gainesville, FL 32606 Office: A-238 Tele #: (352) 381-7089 Email: raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edumailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu ~ You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room. ~ Dr. Seuss On Sep 5, 2014, at 9:01 PM, Stuart McKelvie smcke...@ubishops.camailto:smcke...@ubishops.ca wrote: Dear Tipsters, What has happened to the traditional cumulative final where students have an opportunity to demonstrate (1) learning of things that they had not understood and, most importantly, (2) to show that they can integrate material and see connections that may not have been apparent earlier? By the way, this kind of exam would be in essay and short-answer format. Sincerely, Stuart Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to disclosure. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5n=Tl=tipso=38239 or send a blank email to leave-38239-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
[tips] APA Guidelines 2.0 - Materials Needed
Hi All, I am working with the Society for the Teaching of Psychology as a TOPIX editor. We are asking for submissions of materials to post on the TOPIX website regarding the new Guidelines for Undergraduate Education. Currently, we will have two sections in TOPIX, one dedicated to materials designed to raise awareness about changes to the Guidelines and a second dedicated to materials to help implement the new guidelines. Specifically, if you have any materials you wish to share that fall into one or more of the following categories, please email them to me (raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu). * ?Versions of the guidelines/outcomes adapated for your college/university * Course audit materials * Assessment and evaluation plans These materials may come in all shapes and formats. If you have any resource at all you think would be helpful, please let me know. Thank you, Raechel Raechel N. Soicher, M.A. Assistant Professor, Psychology Santa Fe College 3000 NW 83rd Street Gainesville, FL 32606 Office: A-238 Tele #: (352) 381-7089 Email: raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu ~ You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room. ~ Dr. Seuss Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to disclosure. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5n=Tl=tipso=37689 or send a blank email to leave-37689-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
[tips] Survey of the Use of Pedagogical Tools to Increase Students' Metacognition
Dear Colleagues, My colleague (Raechel Soicher) and I (Regan A. R. Gurung) invite you to participate in a nationwide study to provide information on how instructors use strategies used by undergraduate instructors to help develop metacognitive skills in their students. We are interested in any pedagogical techniques you may use implicitly or explicitly with your students. This online survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, depending on the detail you add to open-ended responses. The results of this research may be published in a scholarly journal, but individual participants' identities will not be known. Individual responses are anonymously obtained and recorded online through a secure online survey tool (Qualtrics) without collection IP addresses. If you have any questions or concerns during the time of your participation in this study, or after its completion, you may contact Regan A. R. Gurung (guru...@uwgb.edumailto:guru...@uwgb.edu) . For questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact the chair of UWGB's Institutional Review Board (IRB), Dr. James Marker mark...@uwgb.edumailto:mark...@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2230. If you elect to participate please click on this link: http://uwgreenbay.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6RO0RtysvmfrBmB Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Regan A.R. Gurung Raechel Soicher *** Regan A. R. Gurung, Ph.D. Ben J. Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Human Development Psychology University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Vice-President Midwestern Region, Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychologyhttp://www.uwgb.edu/psichi/ MAC C309, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311 Office: (920) 465 5679;www.uwgb.edu/gurungrhttp://www.uwgb.edu/gurungr *** Raechel N. Soicher, M.A. Assistant Professor, Psychology Santa Fe College 3000 NW 83rd Street Gainesville, FL 32606 Office: A-238 Phone #: (352) 381-7089 Email: raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edumailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to disclosure. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5n=Tl=tipso=34187 or send a blank email to leave-34187-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
