How does that work? Do you give an exam on the last day of class and then the optional final during finals week or what? If the last exam was optional I don't think my students would continue attending. Carolyn
Carolyn Pevey, Ph.D. Department of Sociology P.O. Box 244023 Auburn University Montgomery Montgomery, AL 36124 (334)244-3550 ----- Original Message ----- From: Kelly Goran Fulton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, May 11, 2006 8:58 am Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: on Eileen's dealings with deans To: Karen Loeb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Marty Schwartz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, teachsoc <[email protected]> > > I sometimes provide an "optional final exam" which can replace a > Test > grade, or substitute for a missed test. It is amazing the > excellent > attendance for tests when they know instead of a "make-up" their > choice is > to come to the optional final exam. > > Kelly > > At 07:17 PM 5/10/2006, Karen Loeb wrote: > >Marty, > > > >LOVE your idea of allowing a make-up exam composed of 90% essays > taken in > >your office. Will try it next semester. > > > >Karen > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Marty Schwartz > >To: <mailto:[email protected]>teachsoc > >Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 8:45 AM > >Subject: TEACHSOC: on Eileen's dealings with deans > > > >In my years, not only including chairing a large department but > one with > >five branches, and having loads of students like Eileen going out > to > >teach, it has been my experience that it is possible that any one > of the > >actors in these dramas can be very wrong. Certainly students are > commonly > >irresponsible, and the stupidity of small college administrators > can be > >astonishing, but often enough the student is in the right. My > query is > >whether you took the time to talk in detail to the student and > find out > >why she acted the way she did. We don't have this much on our > >traditional-age main campus, but out on our branches it isn't > unusual to > >find that your irresponsible student is a single mom, and couldn't > leave > >for the final until the baby stopped throwing up or something. > Perhaps > >the dean was the first time she told her entire story (I know of > such > >cases). So all that I would throw in, before partially endorsing > Robert's > >idea, is that you talk to her and at least give her a chance to > give her > >side of the story. Of course, my first presumption would be that > the dean > >is a moron. > > As to Robert's notion that you let her take the exam, but > at the > > end of the exam time you collect all exams and leave, I would > add that > > as soon as the first person leaves the room I will no longer > allow anyone > > to start, because then the questions are out in public > circulation. If > > you teach long enough, though,. you will find even one of your > best > > students will have a nervous collapse and sleep through the start > of an > > exam occasionally. > > Particularly early in my career I had a lot of working > people who > > had a lot of excuses, most of which were hogwash. My way of > sorting them > > out was that I told them they could take a make-up exam in 101, > but I > > wasn't going to do more multiple choice again, so the make-up > would be > > essay. 90% suddenly found a way to make it to the exam. The ones > who > > dropped to their knees, started crying, grabbed my ankles and > couldn't > > stop saying thank you, I figured probably had a real problem. > > > >marty > > > >Martin D. Schwartz > >Professor of Sociology > >Ohio University > >119 Bentley Annex > >Athens, OH 45701 > >740.593.1366 (voice) > >740.593.1365 (fax) > > > >> > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Teaching Sociology" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to teachsoc- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/teachsoc-~----------~----~----~----~- > -----~----~------~--~--- > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Teaching Sociology" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/teachsoc -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
