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)
