Carol- I teach a similar course and although it hasn't happened as yet to the class as a whole, I have had several students "bomb it" on the first exam. I don't think it means the same thing as in your case as you seem to be accepting a lot of the responsibility. (Pinel's coloring book has been very helpful in my classes at getting the neuroanatomy - I've also used it as a back up for those struggling as it partials out the effort a bit). But I have so anticipated a) that my highly associative thinking style- I like tangents! combined with b) my tendency to be friendly in class and supportive; and c) the extreme amounts of memorization to master this material leads some students to fail at it. So I build in a chance to retake this material into the syllabus and plan on having to occasionally have some help sessions (I do that anyway if they ask). Something like that is what I'd suggest. I'd be honest and tell them that this "failure" felt like it was partly my fault (emphasizing the partly!) and that you want to help them. So my first step would be to talk to them and offer a couple of alternatives for them to choose (as a class!) between. What you offer would, of course, depend on your resources/time/etc. Minimally, I'd offer a retake (perhaps very soon!). You might slow down just a bit or even, gasp, cut back a bit on the number of topics covered in order not to wind up cramming too much in at the end. My own feeling on it would be that catching them up so they get as much as possible from what is covered in the remainder of the course would be more important to the course succeeding than covering x-amount of topics. Of course, I think you need to remind them of their part in failing to get the material and that they will have to work extra hard to catch up. The brain courses are fun but provide a bit of a "trap" for some psychology majors who, as we've discussed here before, take it because it is a bit easier. :) Tim _______________________________ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and systems "You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." Dorothy Parker -----Original Message----- From: DeVolder Carol L [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sun 10/12/2008 11:19 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: What would YOU do? I recently gave an exam in my 300-level Brain and Behavior class, and my students bombed it. I mean really bombed it--every last one of them. For various reasons that don't matter, I do take the blame for it. I have been distracted and not doing a good job of teaching the course. That doesn't excuse the students from reading the text and knowing the material; it's basic but important stuff such as action potentials, lobes and their function, etc., but it can be difficult without help. My question is this: This particular exam is worth 20% of their grade; they have 2 more exams, a paper, and activities, each worth 20% of their grade (the activities sum to 20%). How can I correct for my part of their lousy performance? I feel we need to move on (the semester is nearing its midpoint), but I don't want them to go away from this course without understanding the material. Should I repeat coverage of the material and retest them? Should I give them a take-home assignment over it? Should I discard this test and work the material into their activities? I've never really had this happen before (thank goodness) and I don't want the students to suffer from my lousy job of teaching. What would others do? Thanks, Carol Carol L. DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 Phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://web.sau.edu/psychology/psychfaculty/cdevolder.htm The contents of this message are confidential and may not be shared with anyone without permission of the sender. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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