grades

Extra credit woes

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Today’s blog is on extra credit. Some teachers give it, while others look askance at the very thought of it. I give it for some undergraduate course where I am allowed by my college to do so. It is never given in graduate school.

When can you get it in my classes, I offer undergraduates the chance to improve their grades throughout the semester. It has been my experience that the students who do it are those who do not need it. The students who could benefit the most from it do not come near it, unless it is the last day of class and they are failing. Friends, by then, it is way too late.

Why should your teacher give it to you on the last day of class when you have refused it all semester long?  Oh, it’s because just today you realized that you won’t successfully complete the course without it, your parents are going to kill you if you flunk this course, and you will be embarrassed by not graduating with your peers if you flunk this one little old class…

Not my problem, friends. Please think of extra credit all semester long and don’t leave any points on the table. Then, when the end of the term comes, you won’t be throwing yourself on the mercy of your overworked and underpaid professor, begging for just one more chance.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

To re-write or not to re-write, that is the question

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Here I am, almost at the semester. My students at one college turned in papers on Wednesday that were, for the most part, pretty awful. It has taken me 45 minutes to plow through 6 of them, there are so many mistakes.

Here’s my dilemma: do I post an announcement, inviting the students to re-write their papers, knowing that the ones who need to the most are the least likely to do it, or do I hold my breath and go ahead and grade these monstrosities, knowing that this assignment is worth 20% of their final grade?

I could list the students who don’t have to do the re-write on our class page or just invite everyone to do it. I could give them till Monday at 1 pm to place their newly re-written papers in my mailbox on campus. I could even list all the things that were wrong with the current batch of papers. In fact, here is the list for your enjoyment:

One student wrote a plot summary for his favorite movie, and then added in three words from our textbook ….to the entire paper (four pages long). He put a Works Cited page at the end of the document, but did not cite anything (except those three words, scattered about the paper, once each).  Those words were never explained or analyzed, just plopped in.

I can hear his argument now, having been lambasted by him on the last writing assignment: “Boy, you sure are dumb if you don’t know the meaning of those three words. I shouldn’t have to explain the concepts to you.” To me, that is tantamount to saying, “Here is my exam. I only put my name on it but I deserve an A+ because you should know what all these terms mean. I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Right on, buddy.

Several students wrote sentence fragments. At this college, three fragments in a single essay means an automatic F on the assignment. Doesn’t anyone proofread anything? Several students wrote sentences that left out verbs, contained commas every few words, misused semi-colons like they were on a fire sale, and offered neither an introduction or a conclusion to their essay. One individual loved the words “as” and “such,” sprinkling them liberally in every paragraph.  Several students wrote sentences that were about 60 words long and went in numerous directions (these are known as run-on sentences).

So, what do you think I should do? Should I offer the re-write or not? I value your opinion.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Reading announcements and feedback can lead to a better grade

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Two of the best ways to improve your grade is to read announcements and read the feedback from your instructor.

Two of the colleges where I currently teach make instructor announcements mandatory, telling me I must post something twice a week. So I do. Every week. Since this is a requirement, I try to be brief but I also try to include something that will reward my students by helping them to get a better grade on an upcoming assignment.

For example, my announcement might say something like, “I noticed in the past that some students do thus and such a thing as they are doing research but you can work smarter, not harder by doing this instead.”

Or I might remind them about some aspect of the assignment that they might have overlooked. By giving them little hints, or actual full-scale clarification, it pays the students to read what I have written.

Likewise, reading my feedback on one paper (and not making the same mistakes on the next assignments) will lead to a better overall grade in the future. One thing that is really irritating is when I take hours to go over papers for a class, only to find that only a few students read my feedback. (Yes, my computer screen tells me if you read what I wrote or not; I can also trace your activity in the class to see how much time you spent reading it. Aren’t computers amazing?)

So, for better grades, read the announcements to find that pearl that will lead to a better grade and take your instructor’s feedback to heart. Don’t be insulted- thank him or her for taking the time to help you improve your grade.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Following the directions leads to better grades

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

This may not come as a surprise but following the directions on an assignment really does lead to better grades. Here is a case in point:

My students at an unnamed college had a assignment worth 100 points. Some of the students really applied themselves and did a super job of addressing all of the questions the essay was supposed to respond to.

Two of the students wrote two lines apiece. That was it. Now, folks, do they really think that each sentence was worth 50 points? One hint for college success includes the factoid that the teacher’s questions should not take up more space on the page than your answer did.

If you are asked, for example, “what are the pros and cons” of an issue, you should not have your entire answer be “there are some pros and there are some cons.” No, I am not kidding. Details really do matter.

On this same assignment, several of the students answered in full paragraphs, noting that I am very fond of five-sentence paragraphs. I have made mention of this fact several times during the semester, but these two-sentence-wonder students were too busy looking bored to listen, apparently.

The take-away here is: pay attention to the directions, answer the questions you are being asked in a thorough manner, and listen to verbal instructions in class. Write them down. Do the work and make a better grade.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Doing well or doing the minimum

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Each semester, I run into students who just barely get by. If I ask for two-five sentence paragraphs, they give me one five-sentence paragraph, or less. Sometimes they write three sentences, if you include “great post,” which I don’t.  My question for them is: why did you even bother?

If I ask that all posting be completed by Sunday night at 11:30 pm ET, they will send me an email showing that they live on the west coast and that they therefore deserve three extra hours. They use more energy fighting with me than they expend in doing the work. Like the famous tennis shoe commercial says, Just Do It.

I had a student recently who announced that she is a “once a week student.” That won’t fly, folks. College takes a lot more than one day a week. So, she’s going to do all of her reading, all of her writing, and all of her projects in one day? Who is she kidding?

A while back, I had a class that met only on Saturday mornings. After the first class meeting, one student came up to me and said, “I thought that, because we meet on Saturday mornings, there wouldn’t be any homework.” Yes, she was serious.  I told her that it didn’t matter what day of the week a class was held, this is college and there is going to be homework. She was in shock but she did step up to the plate and got things done.  (She had also signed up for a Saturday afternoon class- I wonder if she was related to Ms. Once-A-Week Student? Apparently, she was going to get all of her college degree work done in class on Saturday.)

What experience have you had with students who didn’t apply themselves? Are you one of them?

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Graduating Somma Latte

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Today’s blog is about how not to get a higher grade. I had a student recently who asked me to curve her grade by a half letter grade, so she could graduate “somma latte.” After I figured out that she meant “summa cum laude,” we were in better shape. She still didn’t get her 1/2 grade level curve, but at least I understood what she was asking for. (I thought she was ordering at Starbucks, for a moment. That sounds like something they would serve, doesn’t it?)

Sadly, she waited until the last week of class to figure out the numbers. She said that, if she got an A in just one more class, she could have honors at graduation. I’m impressed that she was that close to the goal, but the time to figure something like that out is well before the last week of class.

When I turned her down for the curve, she asked for the opportunity to re-take the final exam. She felt she could do much better on it, if she had a second go at the test. Yes, that makes perfect sense. She would have already known what the questions were, and would have had the chance to look up the answers. She did not get that, either.

When it came down to the final numbers, she was still a good student. She could still graduate “cum laude.” There was only one problem. There was no honor graduation for graduate students at that school.

What is your take on this situation? Was she trying to snow me for a higher grade? What do you think she was up to here? I would love to get your input!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Extra Credit Woes

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

As an instructor, I offer undergraduates the opportunity to earn extra credit throughout the semester. However, that opportunity is dried up two weeks before the end of the term.

Why? Because I am a grading machine at that point in time and I don’t have the time or desire to take a student who has goofed off all semester and add to my own burden when things are winding down.

When is it good to seek extra credit? From the very start of the course, not two days before final grades are due. If I see a student who has worked hard all term, has done every bit of extra credit all semester, I am more likely (but not guaranteed) to look kindly on that individual at final grades time.

When can you get extra credit in graduate school? Never. End of sentence.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

When the end of the semester comes and you are so close to the next grade

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Sometimes you find that you have worked SO hard all term long and here you are at the end with a grade that is SO close to the next higher grade. What do you do?

Well, if you have taken every extra credit opportunity all semester long, you might talk to the professor about his or her willingness to curve your grade. You might offer to do additional extra credit (this does not work in graduate school, by the way, because there is no extra credit after undergraduate classes).

I suggest that you write a very nice, non-threatening email to your professor. Do not kiss up to the professor (absolutely NO Eddie Haskell here). Discuss how much you learned from the course and that you feel it will be helpful in your future academic or professional endeavors.

The result MIGHT be that your professor MIGHT curve your grade…..or not. In any case, be gracious and do not tell the professor off. In the past, I have curved an occasional grade or two, but do not expect me to curve and give you a letter of recommendation if you are mean.

Have you ever been in this situation? How did you handle it?

Best,

Dr. Sheri

I Can’t Post My Assignment: What Do I Do Now?????

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Every once in a while, it is difficult or impossible to post an assignment to your online course. What are you to do?

The first thing is to email the professor a copy of your assignment BEFORE the due date, even if it is just a few minutes before the due date. That way, the instructor will know that your assignment is ready on time. Do not email me a blank document, hoping to buy more time. (The student then claims, ten hours later, to have sent me the wrong document and here is the final paper….which he or she just started writing after the original email was sent. Don’t try this; I have seen it before.)

Next, contact the IT department, to see if it is a problem with the course itself (I have known this to happen). Be prepared to capture and send a copy of the screen shot of your email and any response you get to your professor. You are covering your…….well, you know. We will give you the benefit of the doubt, most of the time, and not mark you late if we see that you really are trying to submit the document on time.

Finally, ask us if we can override the system and grade your document from the file exchange, if your course has one. (Again, I have seen this and I have done this.)

The important thing here is DO NOT WAIT. This type of thing does not get better with time and it generally does not fix itself. Do not wait until I am in a grading marathon at the end of a course to “remember” that you never got the grade from the first assignment. If you do, I am likely to grade you lower (not higher) on the assignment because I am ticked off that you waited so long to say something. The key is to jump on this immediately so we can get it taken care of.

Keep in mind that your professor is not an alien from another world who does not care about your grades. We are usually willing to work with you, if you show yourself to be a reasonable, intelligent person who cares about his or her grades. To that end, keep track of your grades and let the instructor know immediately if something seems out of whack.

What has been your experience with posting an assignment? Any horror stories you would care to tell?

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Negotiating a Grade Change

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

A former student of mine needed to pass her math course in order to graduate from college. She had a job all lined up, the family was preparing to move across the country so that she could start the job, but ….she was apparently failing her math class….or so it seemed. No degree would equal no job……

She wrote a very impassioned letter to me (I teach public speaking at that college), asking me for help. Rather than  correct the letter itself, I suggested that she submit it to the professor as-is because it wasn’t a bad letter and her situation really shone through in the letter exactly it was. I also suggested she contact the department chair and the head of academic affairs, if she could not get satisfaction from the instructor. The good news was that he responded to her plea, realized he had not counted her extra credit that she had done throughout the term, and adjusted her grade to a C.

Keep in mind that most professors do not get joy from flunking a student and teachers sometimes forget to add in extra points. We are human, so write that impassioned letter and you might just get the results that you are seeking. (Or not, if you messed up all term and waited until the last minute to ask for extra credit……..I had a graduate student recently who lazed around the whole term and then asked for an extra assignment on the last day of class. That did not happen, folks!)

Best,

Dr. Sheri