Students are going to KILL me.

marjon9 · October 26, 2007

This is why giving a failing class grade is very cathartic.

I don't know, I think Laurend may enjoy inflicting punishment just a little too much here. Do you have a large selection of pointy-toed patent leather boots, by any chance? Any whips?

anonemouse · October 26, 2007

I don't know, I think Laurend may enjoy inflicting punishment just a little too much here. Do you have a large selection of pointy-toed patent leather boots, by any chance? Any whips?

I wish, Mark! :whip:

I was right about their exam scores, btw. The highest grade was a 76, a mid-C. I'm going to have to curve this one, as much as I hate to. I was trying to be nice to them, too. I even gave them a review sheet last week. I think most of them just over-thought the questions.

Daisalana · October 26, 2007

Well, since I don't believe in the normal version of evolution, it's pretty blah blah blah to me hehe. I study the night before the test just to retain the information for said test

Daisalana · October 26, 2007

Bravo to you for including a review sheet! If they still do bad after that, I'd say your class is full of idiots.

anonemouse · October 26, 2007

Bravo to you for including a review sheet! If they still do bad after that, I'd say your class is full of idiots.

Tell me about it! I even gave them three options to choose from to get extra credit. The test was 100 questions, so I told them they could choose one of the following options: 1) use their review sheet for 5 minutes after they had finished, 2) turn in the completed review sheet for 5 points of extra credit, or 3) get up to 5 points by writing a short essay to compare and contrast the way ATP is produced by use of concentration gradients in photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. Now, option 3 SOUNDS hard, but if they knew the chapters like they should have, they'd know it was actually a ridiculously easy question, since it's basically the same process in both photosynthesis and aerobic respiration, just performed in different structures (chloroplast in photosynthesis and mitochondria in aerobic respiration). Hell, I would have given them full credit if they'd said something along the lines of, "In both photosynthesis and aerobic respiration, the movement of electrons along electron transport chains causes hydrogen ions to be transferred across the membrane, causing a concentration gradient with a high concentration of hydrogen ions on one side and a low concentration on the other. Since hydrogen ions want to move to areas of lower concentration, they move back across the membrane through ATP synthase channels, causing a phosphate group to attach to ADP, creating ATP. The only major difference is that this process takes place in the chloroplast in photosynthesis and the mitochondria in respiration." Ta-da! 5 points. Grr.

I only had 4 students turn in the review sheet. That would have been the smartest thing to do, followed by the essay (the option NONE of them chose). The rest of them decided to use their review sheet, which was actually a pretty stupid move. They were betting that they'd be able to look through 100 questions in 5 minutes, match them up with corresponding review questions (there was no guarantee that there WAS a corresponding review question, of course), and still be able to answer them. Stupid.

Daisalana · October 27, 2007

This is freshmen in college? And what college? (I'm coming to your class :car: )

anonemouse · October 27, 2007

This is freshmen in college? And what college? (I'm coming to your class :car: )

Yep, they're freshmen. I just really think they overthought the questions and made them a lot more difficult than they really were. I kept telling them, "ALWAYS go with your first instinct. Don't second guess yourself, because 95% of the time, you're going to be wrong." They don't listen, though, which is definitely clear from their grades on this exam.

j_war06 · October 31, 2007

:frusty: Why, WHY can't they realize that they've lost their notes sometime before three days prior to the exam? I've had FIVE students email me today to ask me to send them the powerpoint presentation I did for one of the chapters. When is the exam? FRIDAY. No wonder the class had a D average on the last exam, if so many wait this long to study.
I've warned them over and over again that they need to be studying as we go along, that waiting until immediately before the exam will just get them a very bad grade. Do they listen? Apparently not. This is why giving a failing class grade is very cathartic. I figure, if they try, it's evident in either their scores or in the way they approach the class. Waiting until three days before the exam to attempt to cram 3 very complex chapters of college biology through your skull isn't trying in any sense of the word! :speechles :huytsao

Lol im a lil late on this post but i thot it was funny! Im a student so Ill tell ya whats going on;) They are procrastinating...ok its not that simple though, and I can attest to this...I dont know how to study for a test that isnt within the next 2 days...like i dont know how to study in advance, I will forget EVERY bit of it...like WHY study then, you are getting NEW stuff in your brain to replace it anyway...so instead u wait and CRAM it all in, then go ACE the test (well in most of my PERSONAL experiences) its rather ironic...Im up cramming for a test I have at 1:00 PM right now! and tomorro night I will cram for a test on Thursday....Also are you sure your students are taking good notes....Its really sad you know? I got out of high school, and I though YAY less idiots! WRONG, MORE IDIOTS! lol! I swear, I met so many people who wanted to write down too much when taking notes and then couldnt put together a complete sentence in an essay! I DONT UNDERSTAND THAT! Like how hard is it to take notes? seriously? I thought THAT ONE was common sense, especially if the teacher is providing notes as well!

Jachut · October 31, 2007

I dont take notes at all, I actually LISTEN.

I cant believe all the people around me scribbing madly trying to get every single detail, when the whole lecture, extended reading, etc is put up online before the lecture anyway. So I sit and listen, absorb it. That's why I dont need to study.

Although to be fair, I do study in a way. I spend ages thinking about stuff, turning it over in my mind. I'd spend the whole 40 minute trip to uni thinking about stuff like that. I argue both sides, I weigh it up, I've got pretty good metacognitive skills. So I dont do "no work" at all, I just dont need to sit with a book and rote learn something.

But lol,I just waltzed into my children and mathematics exam yesterday having not studied, did the whole thing in 45 minutes (3 hour exam) and was out having a coffee before 11 am, roflmoa!

Although I have to admit, its not all down to my natural genius (modest arent I). There's a terrible teacher shortage in Victoria, well in Australia as a whole. There's 2 jobs out there for everyone when they graduate. So they sure as eggs dont want anyone to fail this course. So they make it pretty much impossible TO fail - I mean we actually had 3 mark questions about working out the area of a rectangular garden bed! For crying out loud, do we need to be examined on such basics?

anonemouse · October 31, 2007

Oh, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a whiz at studying for the classes that I've taken myself. In most classes, I could get away with studying just a couple of hours before the exams and still make As and Bs on them. It's not hard when you are being tested on generalities and theories and crap. But specifics? That's another issue entirely. For most of this biology class, most of the students could probably get away with doing minimal studying. That wasn't the case with the section they were just tested over. They had to know the specifics of photosynthesis and respiration. All the little reactants, intermediates, and products and amounts of each, and all the steps in each reaction. Quite frankly, it was incredibly stupid of them to wait.

Jachut · October 31, 2007

Oh yes, I'd rote learn stuff like that. And I'm paranoid about last minute work, I always start essays and things well before time and finish a few days in advance. I'm not a sit up all night type person. And quite frankly, I think the night before an exam is too late, I'd go to bed and get some important sleep. What you dont know at 8pm the night before, you dont know.

I picked a course where I genuinely wanted the career at the end of it, but I suspect there's a big element of knowing its where my skills lie - its all humanities based with only very BASIC scientific/mathematical stuff, its more about learning how children learn, not what to teach them. So since I can talk underwater, I tend to do well at stuff like that.

Perhaps I shouldnt admit this but I write all my essays full of my own opinions and only when they're finished do I head off the library to find references to back them up, lol.

anonemouse · October 31, 2007

Oh yes, I'd rote learn stuff like that. And I'm paranoid about last minute work, I always start essays and things well before time and finish a few days in advance. I'm not a sit up all night type person. And quite frankly, I think the night before an exam is too late, I'd go to bed and get some important sleep. What you dont know at 8pm the night before, you dont know.
I picked a course where I genuinely wanted the career at the end of it, but I suspect there's a big element of knowing its where my skills lie - its all humanities based with only very BASIC scientific/mathematical stuff, its more about learning how children learn, not what to teach them. So since I can talk underwater, I tend to do well at stuff like that.

Perhaps I shouldnt admit this but I write all my essays full of my own opinions and only when they're finished do I head off the library to find references to back them up, lol.

Heh, I ALWAYS put crap like that off. I'm famous for it. When I had to do my graduate seminar last semester (I had to do a 45 minute lecture over my thesis material to the entire graduate biology department, including professors), I was still putting finishing touches on it 30 minutes before I had to start lecturing.

I'm completely hopeless at writing essays if I actually have to write them out. I have to type, or I go utterly blank. I generally gather all my sources and fill it in with a bunch of BS. Hell, that's what I did with my seminar, and I got an A on that. :nervous:rolleyes Although, that was mainly because there hadn't been much research done by other people on my chosen topic, so I was free to just BS.