strict or lenient teaching and testing
October 26, 2010 7:27 AM Subscribe
Is it better to be strict or lenient in a university teaching/testing situation?
I'm teaching an undergraduate lecture course this year, for the first time. The teaching is in a city where I do not live, so I'm only there the day of the class. Next week we have an in-class exam, which is worth 25% of the students' grades (and which I am allowed to fail them for if they do not take). I said clearly on the syllabus that there would be no make-up dates for the test (both due to the inconvenience of travelling and the inconvenience of having to make up an alternate test form to avoid cheating).
A student has just emailed to tell me that he can't make the test date since a family member is having surgery (in his home country). He asked if there would be a make-up date, or barring that, some kind of make-up work he can do instead. My feeling is generally to say no, since the syllabus was very clear about there not being any make-ups for the exam. But on the other hand I do feel bad since surgery is a serious thing and all that. Would it be worth being nice and offering some kind of make-up assignment for at least partial credit? (Obviously I would require some kind of official documentation of the surgery before permitting this.) Or should I stick to the letter of thelaw syllabus and give him a 0 (and potentially fail him in the course) since he won't be there? This is a required first-year course so it would put him seriously behind if he failed (I realize that's not really my problem, but it does make me pause).
I have asked the administration at the university department but the response has been that it's pretty much at my discretion - so I'm hoping to perhaps benefit from MeFites' experiences with this kind of problem! Thanks!
I'm teaching an undergraduate lecture course this year, for the first time. The teaching is in a city where I do not live, so I'm only there the day of the class. Next week we have an in-class exam, which is worth 25% of the students' grades (and which I am allowed to fail them for if they do not take). I said clearly on the syllabus that there would be no make-up dates for the test (both due to the inconvenience of travelling and the inconvenience of having to make up an alternate test form to avoid cheating).
A student has just emailed to tell me that he can't make the test date since a family member is having surgery (in his home country). He asked if there would be a make-up date, or barring that, some kind of make-up work he can do instead. My feeling is generally to say no, since the syllabus was very clear about there not being any make-ups for the exam. But on the other hand I do feel bad since surgery is a serious thing and all that. Would it be worth being nice and offering some kind of make-up assignment for at least partial credit? (Obviously I would require some kind of official documentation of the surgery before permitting this.) Or should I stick to the letter of the
I have asked the administration at the university department but the response has been that it's pretty much at my discretion - so I'm hoping to perhaps benefit from MeFites' experiences with this kind of problem! Thanks!
I've never taught, but I'd be inclined to agree. I would require a note from the Dean stating that this is truly a family emergency, so you don't have to deal with the surgery documentation, the Dean's office does.
Then, next time you teach a class, put that detail into the syllabus, that exams will only be made up for true emergencies, health, the health of one's family, or a death in the family, and that a note from the Dean's office is required.
posted by teragram at 7:35 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Then, next time you teach a class, put that detail into the syllabus, that exams will only be made up for true emergencies, health, the health of one's family, or a death in the family, and that a note from the Dean's office is required.
posted by teragram at 7:35 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
What would it cost you to be nice about this? That's generally the question you should be asking. If you can arrange makeup work without a major cost to your own time, then it doesn't seem in any important way to be unfair to the rest of the class. So, if you can, come up with a makeup assignment that's super-easy for you to create and grade (the "write one page about each of the following five important one-word course topics" kind of thing), or else allow the student to self-administer the in-class exam and submit it by email. Seriously, why not be accommodating about this?
posted by RogerB at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by RogerB at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
I've never heard of a professor not giving students a break for genuinely extenuating circumstances. When my mom became terminal and, several weeks later, passed away during the school year, I got deferments for exams and extensions for papers from professors who, otherwise, failed students for not handing papers in/taking the exams.
The syllabus is written uber-strictly to discourage kids trying to screw around, but certain situations are genuinely unavoidable and detrimental to the student's mental agility and ability to take the test at their real ability.
posted by griphus at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010 [11 favorites]
The syllabus is written uber-strictly to discourage kids trying to screw around, but certain situations are genuinely unavoidable and detrimental to the student's mental agility and ability to take the test at their real ability.
posted by griphus at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010 [11 favorites]
Every professor I've ever had has allowed make-up tests in case of a real emergency, as in a family member having serious surgery. The "no make ups, no matter what" is almost always to discourage the slackers who sleep through the test because they're so hungover from the night before. Giving make up tests for those students because of their own screwups would be extremely lenient; giving a make up test for a student suffering from an unexpected family crisis is compassionate.
A good friend of mine in grad school recently suffered a family crisis and had to leave school for a week. All of her professors agreed to push back important deadlines for her so she could deal with it.
You can be fairly strict in when the student's allowed to make up an exam. For example, you could schedule it immediately before or after class so you'll be there to proctor it. Or you can ask around and see if there are any testing services where you can leave the test (perhaps at the office manager for your department?) and the student can come take it at a time when you're not there. Offer to let him take the same test before he leaves if possible, or take another (potentially harder) version when he returns. Taking the same version of the test before he leaves means that he won't really have time to tell everyone in the class what's on the test (which is unlikely in the first place), and giving him a harder one after he returns compensates for the fact that he's technically had "extra" time to study.
posted by lilac girl at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010
A good friend of mine in grad school recently suffered a family crisis and had to leave school for a week. All of her professors agreed to push back important deadlines for her so she could deal with it.
You can be fairly strict in when the student's allowed to make up an exam. For example, you could schedule it immediately before or after class so you'll be there to proctor it. Or you can ask around and see if there are any testing services where you can leave the test (perhaps at the office manager for your department?) and the student can come take it at a time when you're not there. Offer to let him take the same test before he leaves if possible, or take another (potentially harder) version when he returns. Taking the same version of the test before he leaves means that he won't really have time to tell everyone in the class what's on the test (which is unlikely in the first place), and giving him a harder one after he returns compensates for the fact that he's technically had "extra" time to study.
posted by lilac girl at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010
You are adjuncting right? Is there a full-timer that you can talk to? They can do two things for you. First, they can give you a sense of how the professors in the department respond to these issues. That context could help you make you decision. Second, you might be able to ask them to administer the make-up exam.
Alternatively the department secretary might be able to do it for you. It's certainly not uncommon for aides and or staff to proctor make-up exams. So, at least, you'd save the extra drive.
On the other hand, in my department a student that completes 75% of the work is eligible for an "Incomplete" grade. This would let them take the course again at not cost to their GPA or give you the chance to make him to some alternative assignment that puts less of a strain on you. You might, for example, make him do a research paper due no more than one month after the start of the next semester. Failure to complete that assignment would turn the I into an F.
posted by oddman at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010
Alternatively the department secretary might be able to do it for you. It's certainly not uncommon for aides and or staff to proctor make-up exams. So, at least, you'd save the extra drive.
On the other hand, in my department a student that completes 75% of the work is eligible for an "Incomplete" grade. This would let them take the course again at not cost to their GPA or give you the chance to make him to some alternative assignment that puts less of a strain on you. You might, for example, make him do a research paper due no more than one month after the start of the next semester. Failure to complete that assignment would turn the I into an F.
posted by oddman at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2010
Let me relate a "real-life, grownup job" situation. I was across the country on business. I had a lot to do, Thursday morning, I had a big presentation on a major project I had been working on. Another person was involved with other aspects of the project, but this part was pretty much just me. At 04.15 PDT on the morning of the presentation, my brother called me to tell me my father had (very unexpectedly) died back home. I emailed the other person on the project to let them know what happened, packed up, left for home. No one thought any less of me, no one asked where I was. The other guy went through the presentation, and I still got very positive feedback. A "good grade" if you will. Life does happen. If this person has a relative undergoing surgery in another country, yea, I would be sympathetic. If jobs can allow for emergencies with life, schools should, too.
posted by kellyblah at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by kellyblah at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2010 [6 favorites]
Does the school have a Testing Center, where you can leave a test for the student to take while being proctored? Or, do you have a colleague who will do this for you? Then, you can just pick up the test the next time you are on campus, or have it mailed to you.
posted by wittgenstein at 7:43 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by wittgenstein at 7:43 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Does the school have a Testing Center, where you can leave a test for the student to take while being proctored?
To add: I was once substitute-proctored by a secretary of the department, as I took the makeup on a Saturday. However, I was somewhat handicapped as I couldn't ask questions about the exam. I didn't need to -- the test was fortunately written very clearly -- but that would be a consideration if you're going down this route.
posted by griphus at 7:46 AM on October 26, 2010
To add: I was once substitute-proctored by a secretary of the department, as I took the makeup on a Saturday. However, I was somewhat handicapped as I couldn't ask questions about the exam. I didn't need to -- the test was fortunately written very clearly -- but that would be a consideration if you're going down this route.
posted by griphus at 7:46 AM on October 26, 2010
If there are other mid-term exams, let this 25% be distributed among those. Otherwise his final's just worth an additional 25%. I did this, other profs in my college did this, not a big deal.
posted by lizbunny at 7:49 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by lizbunny at 7:49 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Agree with speaking to full-timers about protocol. For a variety of reasons, adjunct status can put you at somewhat higher risk for poor evaluations/pushback from students, so it's important to try and do what the permanent staff members do. If you do offer the test at a later date, it should be a different test. In my experience, offering alternate methods of make-up assignments, i.e. a take home exam versus a test, can lead to other students complaining about why they did not have that option. Use a testing centre if your school has one - you just need to send them the test. It might be best for the student to take the test before he takes his trip.
posted by analog at 7:49 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by analog at 7:49 AM on October 26, 2010
I've been teaching at the University level for nearly 10 years, and was a student once, myself, of course.
In my syllabus, I explicitly require documentation of any extenuating circumstances - deaths, funerals, medical emergencies, etc. If a student can produce said documentation, I will grant an extension or a re-take of an exam I have devised to not be exactly like the one in class but very similar.
As a student, I found out first hand that it's pretty darned easy to get documentation of these obstacles if they're real, such as discharge instructions from an emergency room, obits, etc.
While some students will try to game the system, it quickly becomes obvious when they are. If the student shows any delay in producing support for his/her absence, be suspicious.
posted by metarkest at 7:50 AM on October 26, 2010
In my syllabus, I explicitly require documentation of any extenuating circumstances - deaths, funerals, medical emergencies, etc. If a student can produce said documentation, I will grant an extension or a re-take of an exam I have devised to not be exactly like the one in class but very similar.
As a student, I found out first hand that it's pretty darned easy to get documentation of these obstacles if they're real, such as discharge instructions from an emergency room, obits, etc.
While some students will try to game the system, it quickly becomes obvious when they are. If the student shows any delay in producing support for his/her absence, be suspicious.
posted by metarkest at 7:50 AM on October 26, 2010
Is the student leaving the country to be with this relative or a very close relative? And when I mean close relative I mean parent or sibling? If he or she is not, then I ask why this impacts their taking the final exam.
You are, of course, allowed to be flexible but I would suggest offering them an incomplete IF they have good grades and record going into the final exam.
I come across this situation and usually I let the student go to Disability Services or whoever can handle the proof and verification of this magnitude. Because if a student is in a bad situation, they need to handle the issue with ALL their classes. This may mean the Dean of Student Affairs intervening for retroactive drops and being sure that the student does not get penalized for a personal crisis such as, loss of financial aid.
I have a stern syllabus to weed out people in for the easy out, but that sternness allows for flexibility. There are plenty of mechanisms to allow a student relief from circumstances so you may not need to bend your syllabus at all to provide this student relief.
posted by jadepearl at 7:50 AM on October 26, 2010
You are, of course, allowed to be flexible but I would suggest offering them an incomplete IF they have good grades and record going into the final exam.
I come across this situation and usually I let the student go to Disability Services or whoever can handle the proof and verification of this magnitude. Because if a student is in a bad situation, they need to handle the issue with ALL their classes. This may mean the Dean of Student Affairs intervening for retroactive drops and being sure that the student does not get penalized for a personal crisis such as, loss of financial aid.
I have a stern syllabus to weed out people in for the easy out, but that sternness allows for flexibility. There are plenty of mechanisms to allow a student relief from circumstances so you may not need to bend your syllabus at all to provide this student relief.
posted by jadepearl at 7:50 AM on October 26, 2010
A UK perspective.
My institution has a mechanism for dealing with mitigation where the student can demonstrate circumstances that prevented completion of work. It mandates an additional chance for students who can not complete work through no fault of their own. Are you sure your institution does not have something similar? I fear we would get sued if we did not have some mechansim for addresing this kind of occurrence, which is not uncommon with large groups of students. If your institution does have something then you may have to suck it up and write the back-up exam, or, depending on your contract, you may be able to tell them to find someone else to do it or to ask for more money. The former option is sadly more likely I fear.
Perhaps investigate whether you can set some form of assignment other than an exam, or as liketitanic says consider whether you can come up with an exam that's easy for you to set and/or mark.
I would argue against the harder or limited mark second exam, if you accept that the student's circumstances disallowed them the first opportunity then the second should be an equal test and not include a punishment.
I would typically make mitigation contingent on some documentary proof, though this is a tougher ask in this situation than for personal illness for the student.
posted by biffa at 7:51 AM on October 26, 2010
My institution has a mechanism for dealing with mitigation where the student can demonstrate circumstances that prevented completion of work. It mandates an additional chance for students who can not complete work through no fault of their own. Are you sure your institution does not have something similar? I fear we would get sued if we did not have some mechansim for addresing this kind of occurrence, which is not uncommon with large groups of students. If your institution does have something then you may have to suck it up and write the back-up exam, or, depending on your contract, you may be able to tell them to find someone else to do it or to ask for more money. The former option is sadly more likely I fear.
Perhaps investigate whether you can set some form of assignment other than an exam, or as liketitanic says consider whether you can come up with an exam that's easy for you to set and/or mark.
I would argue against the harder or limited mark second exam, if you accept that the student's circumstances disallowed them the first opportunity then the second should be an equal test and not include a punishment.
I would typically make mitigation contingent on some documentary proof, though this is a tougher ask in this situation than for personal illness for the student.
posted by biffa at 7:51 AM on October 26, 2010
If this student's claim is legit, I feel that it would be terribly insensitive not to give him a break. Compassion is always a good thing.
posted by DeltaForce at 7:52 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by DeltaForce at 7:52 AM on October 26, 2010
You really should be lenient in this situation. I'm surprised that you have to ask, actually. Emergencies happen, people have responsibilities, and schools need to be flexible. If you don't allow a makeup, you're essentially threatening the student's grade if he chooses to be with his family during a difficult time. You don't want to be that kind of person. In my mind, not allowing a makeup for this kind of situation is disrespectful to the student. I'm assuming you don't teach at a military school or boot camp for youths that lie compulsively and engage in risky behaviors. So why would you treat him like he is creating this situation on purpose?
posted by anniecat at 7:53 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by anniecat at 7:53 AM on October 26, 2010
First some advice for the next time you teach. Don't say that there is no chance of make ups. I know this will open the door for people to ask you for stupid reasons, but I've also had friends who didn't ask for any sort of exception to the rule when something serious came up because the syllabus said it wouldn't happen. Then the professor's hands were really tied because they couldn't figure out a way to justify giving a retest.
Are you giving the tests back and letting the students keep them? One of my friends had a professor that would do all retakes after the final exam. Which sucked because you had two tests to take if you did that, but it meant the professor didn't have to do much extra work. Obviously this one didn't give the tests back, so using the same test was an option. Different question order and answer choice order in my friend's case, your mileage will vary based on how the test is structured in the first place.
If I'm reading this right, this is the first test for the class, right? If you were planning on letting people keep the tests you can still change that.
posted by theichibun at 7:55 AM on October 26, 2010
Are you giving the tests back and letting the students keep them? One of my friends had a professor that would do all retakes after the final exam. Which sucked because you had two tests to take if you did that, but it meant the professor didn't have to do much extra work. Obviously this one didn't give the tests back, so using the same test was an option. Different question order and answer choice order in my friend's case, your mileage will vary based on how the test is structured in the first place.
If I'm reading this right, this is the first test for the class, right? If you were planning on letting people keep the tests you can still change that.
posted by theichibun at 7:55 AM on October 26, 2010
It sounds to me like this student is going to miss this exam even knowing that he may fail the entire course as a result. I know I would. In cases like that, yeah, you should give him a break here. Really, I think your policy is too strict for an exam that counts for 25% of the grade. If that were spread across three exams or something, it wouldn't be such a big deal but that means that, if get every single possible point in the class up to the exam and then have to miss the exam because life happens, I get a C at best even though I very clearly have worked hard and know the material.
I'm also 2nd-ing Wittgenstein's idea. There should be a testing center on the campus where someone can proctor the test for you. If there isn't, there should be and you can probably find a way to have someone proctor this for you.
Ask yourself this, how are you going to feel if you tell him that he either takes the exam or gets a zero, he feel forced to take the exam, and then his family member dies in surgery?
posted by VTX at 7:57 AM on October 26, 2010
I'm also 2nd-ing Wittgenstein's idea. There should be a testing center on the campus where someone can proctor the test for you. If there isn't, there should be and you can probably find a way to have someone proctor this for you.
Ask yourself this, how are you going to feel if you tell him that he either takes the exam or gets a zero, he feel forced to take the exam, and then his family member dies in surgery?
posted by VTX at 7:57 AM on October 26, 2010
If the student shows any delay in producing support for his/her absence, be suspicious
I'm sorry, but this is really inappropriate. You can't treat your students like they're all liars. If I had to miss a class or exam and was required to bring in a death certificate or a note from my relative's doctor or discharge papers for a relative, I'd be totally speechless. Life happens. They recognize this in the working world, and there is no need for lack of flexibility and lack of understanding.
posted by anniecat at 7:59 AM on October 26, 2010
I'm sorry, but this is really inappropriate. You can't treat your students like they're all liars. If I had to miss a class or exam and was required to bring in a death certificate or a note from my relative's doctor or discharge papers for a relative, I'd be totally speechless. Life happens. They recognize this in the working world, and there is no need for lack of flexibility and lack of understanding.
posted by anniecat at 7:59 AM on October 26, 2010
If I had to miss a class or exam and was required to bring in a death certificate or a note from my relative's doctor or discharge papers for a relative, I'd be totally speechless. Life happens.
Even when I first started university in the 1990s, bringing in an obit was par for the course when missing an assignment etc. due to a family death. Many schools request such documentation.
posted by analog at 8:05 AM on October 26, 2010
Even when I first started university in the 1990s, bringing in an obit was par for the course when missing an assignment etc. due to a family death. Many schools request such documentation.
posted by analog at 8:05 AM on October 26, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all the helpful answers!
One thing that wasn't clear in my first post: the surgery is serious, but it's not an emergency situation, as far as I understand. The student was aware of it and had planned for some time to travel home, but only just realized that there was a schedule conflict with the exam. I agree that it would be cruel of me to just refuse to give a make-up in an emergency, but in this case the student had advance notice of both the surgery and the class test.
That said, looking back, everyone who said something to the effect of "life happens" is right, so I guess that leaves me with doing some kind of make-up. There is no testing centre, and the student is leaving the country too soon anyway, so having someone else administer the same test beforehand isn't an option (though doing it after he returns might be - I'm looking into that now).
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 8:08 AM on October 26, 2010
One thing that wasn't clear in my first post: the surgery is serious, but it's not an emergency situation, as far as I understand. The student was aware of it and had planned for some time to travel home, but only just realized that there was a schedule conflict with the exam. I agree that it would be cruel of me to just refuse to give a make-up in an emergency, but in this case the student had advance notice of both the surgery and the class test.
That said, looking back, everyone who said something to the effect of "life happens" is right, so I guess that leaves me with doing some kind of make-up. There is no testing centre, and the student is leaving the country too soon anyway, so having someone else administer the same test beforehand isn't an option (though doing it after he returns might be - I'm looking into that now).
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 8:08 AM on October 26, 2010
For the future, I have found the least-annoying way to deal with student assessment is to have at least one more assignment than you take grades. That is, if I want four test grades, I'll give five tests (or have some assignment that serves as a test replacement grade). And I don't allow makeups. That way, students who take all five tests get to drop their lowest score, which students love; and students who miss one don't have to deal with a make-up. And I don't have to deal with either complaining or with grading things three weeks later on (which I absolutely hate, I want to grade everything at once on a particular assignment).
This works better in some types of courses than others. Sometimes when there's a clearly set number of tests/quizzes, I'll do a "quiz replacement" assignment that they can use to make up a missed quiz or erase their lowest score. But you have to make it kind-of onerous so it's not just a cop-out.
Does your university have a testing facility for make-ups so you don't have to go to campus? Most places have something like that.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:09 AM on October 26, 2010
This works better in some types of courses than others. Sometimes when there's a clearly set number of tests/quizzes, I'll do a "quiz replacement" assignment that they can use to make up a missed quiz or erase their lowest score. But you have to make it kind-of onerous so it's not just a cop-out.
Does your university have a testing facility for make-ups so you don't have to go to campus? Most places have something like that.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:09 AM on October 26, 2010
Response by poster: I think your policy is too strict for an exam that counts for 25% of the grade
This is the standard university policy.
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 8:10 AM on October 26, 2010
This is the standard university policy.
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 8:10 AM on October 26, 2010
There are several different arguments that I think favor you being kind to this student:
1) Your job is to teach students. Know what the point of having a no-late policy is? It's not to make your life easier -- it's to help students really learn the importance of doing work on time, of taking their education seriously. Here's my general strategy: if there is absolutely no lesson the student can learn from you being stricter rather than nicer, it is preferable to be nicer.
2) College is about learning how to live a well-reasoned life. And, sometimes, the best and most reasoned solution is for someone to not do their schoolwork. Your student is in one of those cases: it is a better idea for him to go and take care of his family, and you would actually be teaching him a warped set a priorities if you made him stay in town to take an exam on time.
3) What if a student comes down with a highly contagious, very serious disease the day before the exam? The only reasonable thing to do would be to let them take it later -- it'd be dangerous to yourself and the other students if you made them take it on the scheduled day. So, there must be some occasions where you would break your no-late-work policy. The real issue is making sure you have a principled and reasonable way to distinguish cases where you allow late work from cases where you don't. Now, can you think of a principled reason that could differentiate THIS case from the one your student is actually in? I don't think there's really a justifiable way to do so.
posted by meese at 8:15 AM on October 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
1) Your job is to teach students. Know what the point of having a no-late policy is? It's not to make your life easier -- it's to help students really learn the importance of doing work on time, of taking their education seriously. Here's my general strategy: if there is absolutely no lesson the student can learn from you being stricter rather than nicer, it is preferable to be nicer.
2) College is about learning how to live a well-reasoned life. And, sometimes, the best and most reasoned solution is for someone to not do their schoolwork. Your student is in one of those cases: it is a better idea for him to go and take care of his family, and you would actually be teaching him a warped set a priorities if you made him stay in town to take an exam on time.
3) What if a student comes down with a highly contagious, very serious disease the day before the exam? The only reasonable thing to do would be to let them take it later -- it'd be dangerous to yourself and the other students if you made them take it on the scheduled day. So, there must be some occasions where you would break your no-late-work policy. The real issue is making sure you have a principled and reasonable way to distinguish cases where you allow late work from cases where you don't. Now, can you think of a principled reason that could differentiate THIS case from the one your student is actually in? I don't think there's really a justifiable way to do so.
posted by meese at 8:15 AM on October 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
Think about what your exam is meant to achieve: hopefully it is a means for the students to demonstrate their learning and not as a means for you to demonstrate your authority. If it is a means for the students to demonstrate their learning, certainly as a thoughtful instructor you can come up with a meaningful make-up assignment that allows this student to do this and not be overly taxing of your time. If it is primarily a means for you to demonstrate your authority, well, then, you have your syllabus and damn it!
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:22 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:22 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: One thing that wasn't clear in my first post: the surgery is serious, but it's not an emergency situation, as far as I understand.
It may not be an emergency, but it's still extremely important. Not all cultures have the same approach to medical situations. Sometimes, in some cultures, families are extremely close-knit, and you have to be with your relatives in your extended family out of cultural norms.
What could the student have done? Did you say, "If you have a problem with any of these dates, please come see me?" Maybe he took you very seriously and was trying to figure out what he could do. Dropped your required class and shopped around for a professor that didn't have an exam on that day? Encouraged his relative to delay the surgery so it fit his academic needs? Dropped out of school after arriving in the UK and paying international student rate tuition? As someone who was an international student in the UK and luckily never had to juggle family responsibilities with school, I don't know what I would have done if something serious was going on at home that the professor didn't think was that big of a deal. I'd have struggled with bringing it up to the professor, despite knowing ahead of time. Maybe they were hoping the surgery wouldn't have been necessary. Maybe he was afraid about telling you because your policy seemed so hardlined and that you would report him to the Dean and get his student visa revoked. It's not easy being an international student and my experience as an international student in the UK was far scarier than being an international student at my cuddly American college. (I couldn't have been a first year freshman where I went to grad school. I would have had to have been shipped home an hour after my first class.) The British accent made everyone over 22 intimidating.
posted by anniecat at 9:08 AM on October 26, 2010
It may not be an emergency, but it's still extremely important. Not all cultures have the same approach to medical situations. Sometimes, in some cultures, families are extremely close-knit, and you have to be with your relatives in your extended family out of cultural norms.
What could the student have done? Did you say, "If you have a problem with any of these dates, please come see me?" Maybe he took you very seriously and was trying to figure out what he could do. Dropped your required class and shopped around for a professor that didn't have an exam on that day? Encouraged his relative to delay the surgery so it fit his academic needs? Dropped out of school after arriving in the UK and paying international student rate tuition? As someone who was an international student in the UK and luckily never had to juggle family responsibilities with school, I don't know what I would have done if something serious was going on at home that the professor didn't think was that big of a deal. I'd have struggled with bringing it up to the professor, despite knowing ahead of time. Maybe they were hoping the surgery wouldn't have been necessary. Maybe he was afraid about telling you because your policy seemed so hardlined and that you would report him to the Dean and get his student visa revoked. It's not easy being an international student and my experience as an international student in the UK was far scarier than being an international student at my cuddly American college. (I couldn't have been a first year freshman where I went to grad school. I would have had to have been shipped home an hour after my first class.) The British accent made everyone over 22 intimidating.
posted by anniecat at 9:08 AM on October 26, 2010
What I've heard of some people doing in this situation is just counting the final exam (or the part of the final exam that covers the first half of the course) more when computing the final grade. That makes very little extra work for you (you just have to remember you did this when grading the final exams) and you don't have to worry about cheating, although there may be other reasons not to do this.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by madcaptenor at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2010
My policy on this is to put extra weight on remaining exams if a student has a legit excuse (i.e. extreme sickness or family emergency); I don't believe in 'make-up' exams. The policy is costly to students (entire course grade hinges on final, which they take with no previous exam to practice on) without being Draconian.
Were this student in my class, I probably would apply this policy to him. If you put exam dates in the syllabus, and the surgery has been scheduled since the beginning of the course, then the student should have at the least discussed this with you as soon as he was aware there was a conflict. It's a judgement call whether you want to punish that shirking of responsibility by failing him in the course. To me, that doesn't seem warranted.
posted by deadweightloss at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Were this student in my class, I probably would apply this policy to him. If you put exam dates in the syllabus, and the surgery has been scheduled since the beginning of the course, then the student should have at the least discussed this with you as soon as he was aware there was a conflict. It's a judgement call whether you want to punish that shirking of responsibility by failing him in the course. To me, that doesn't seem warranted.
posted by deadweightloss at 9:32 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
In general, there's no percentage in being pissy about stuff---give students plenty of rope to hang themselves, so they can't say justifiably that it's your fault they failed.
However, my feeling is it's important to only give rescheduled exams before the exam, or at the very least before you've passed the exams back. That way, you don't have to write a second exam, which is a hassle.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:36 AM on October 26, 2010
However, my feeling is it's important to only give rescheduled exams before the exam, or at the very least before you've passed the exams back. That way, you don't have to write a second exam, which is a hassle.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:36 AM on October 26, 2010
Just as a story. When my sister was in high school, she had a teacher for World History her sophomore year who very clearly said, "I do not do make ups on quizzes or tests. If you miss school on a test day, you miss the test. No exceptions."
Well, midterm day came, and my sister was ill. She figured she'd at least make it through this class. The test started and after a few minutes, she knew she would throw up. She raised her hand insistently. The teacher was helping another student at the time and made my sister wait for a few minutes. When she reached my sister, my sister said, "I need a pass to the nurse's office! I'm going to be sick!" The teacher handed her the hall pass and my sister made it to the nurse's bathroom in time enough that the janitor wouldn't have a very unpleasant clean up on his hands. The nurse sent my sister home immediately.
The following year when I had the same teacher for Sociology, her policy was, "I do not do make ups or quizzes on tests. If you miss school on a est day, you miss the test. No exceptions, unless you're ill."
Having strict policies in place is overall a good thing, but not making any exceptions can be harmful to the class, your reputation, and may put you in a situation where you do, in fact, come off as the bad guy. I don't know if this is one such situation, and it is at your discretion ultimately, but it seems in this case at least worth considering seriously what situations you would find appropriate to a student missing an exam.
(I also find it truly hard to believe that there isn't a department assistant who can administer a make up exam. I do it all the time for both full-time and lecturer faculty. But maybe the UK is different.)
posted by zizzle at 9:39 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Well, midterm day came, and my sister was ill. She figured she'd at least make it through this class. The test started and after a few minutes, she knew she would throw up. She raised her hand insistently. The teacher was helping another student at the time and made my sister wait for a few minutes. When she reached my sister, my sister said, "I need a pass to the nurse's office! I'm going to be sick!" The teacher handed her the hall pass and my sister made it to the nurse's bathroom in time enough that the janitor wouldn't have a very unpleasant clean up on his hands. The nurse sent my sister home immediately.
The following year when I had the same teacher for Sociology, her policy was, "I do not do make ups or quizzes on tests. If you miss school on a est day, you miss the test. No exceptions, unless you're ill."
Having strict policies in place is overall a good thing, but not making any exceptions can be harmful to the class, your reputation, and may put you in a situation where you do, in fact, come off as the bad guy. I don't know if this is one such situation, and it is at your discretion ultimately, but it seems in this case at least worth considering seriously what situations you would find appropriate to a student missing an exam.
(I also find it truly hard to believe that there isn't a department assistant who can administer a make up exam. I do it all the time for both full-time and lecturer faculty. But maybe the UK is different.)
posted by zizzle at 9:39 AM on October 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I do something like what Eyebrows McGee does.
There are four exams and I drop the lowest grade.
You can miss one exam (except the final) for any reason or no reason at all. I don't care. (For the final I'd like some sort of half-assed excuse) Going on vacation with your family? Fine. Relative getting surgery? Fine. Just too drunk? Fine.
But if you want to actually make up an exam, you need to have missed class for either an official university function, a legal requirement to be elsewhere, your own personal medical reason, or the death of an immediate family member (parent, sibling, child).
One thing to think about is that once you open the door to reasonable-sounding excuses, you can expect a lot of make-up requests. ISTR that when I was more lenient I would get upwards of 10% of the class taking make-ups, almost always on weird scattered dates and times. Putting a stop to this was the primary reason that I became substantially harsher about actually offering makeups.
What could the student have done? ... Dropped your required class and shopped around for a professor that didn't have an exam on that day?
Yup, exactly that. This class has an exam on that day, scheduled right there in the syllabus for everyone to see. They won't be there that day. Ergo, they should not take that class (or should expect a 0 on the exam).
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:07 AM on October 26, 2010
There are four exams and I drop the lowest grade.
You can miss one exam (except the final) for any reason or no reason at all. I don't care. (For the final I'd like some sort of half-assed excuse) Going on vacation with your family? Fine. Relative getting surgery? Fine. Just too drunk? Fine.
But if you want to actually make up an exam, you need to have missed class for either an official university function, a legal requirement to be elsewhere, your own personal medical reason, or the death of an immediate family member (parent, sibling, child).
One thing to think about is that once you open the door to reasonable-sounding excuses, you can expect a lot of make-up requests. ISTR that when I was more lenient I would get upwards of 10% of the class taking make-ups, almost always on weird scattered dates and times. Putting a stop to this was the primary reason that I became substantially harsher about actually offering makeups.
What could the student have done? ... Dropped your required class and shopped around for a professor that didn't have an exam on that day?
Yup, exactly that. This class has an exam on that day, scheduled right there in the syllabus for everyone to see. They won't be there that day. Ergo, they should not take that class (or should expect a 0 on the exam).
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:07 AM on October 26, 2010
However, my feeling is it's important to only give rescheduled exams before the exam, or at the very least before you've passed the exams back. That way, you don't have to write a second exam, which is a hassle.
Surely that should go the other way.
If Special Snowflake Student takes a make-up later, then someone who took the exam might inform Special Snowflake Student about what was on it and so on. Result: one potentially bogus exam. And you know which one, so if they do much, much better on that one than the rest of their exams, you can think about pursuing some sort of punishment.
If Special Snowflake Student takes the make-up ahead of time, they can tell everyone they know what was on it. Result: many potentially bogus exams, and you don't know which.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 AM on October 26, 2010
Surely that should go the other way.
If Special Snowflake Student takes a make-up later, then someone who took the exam might inform Special Snowflake Student about what was on it and so on. Result: one potentially bogus exam. And you know which one, so if they do much, much better on that one than the rest of their exams, you can think about pursuing some sort of punishment.
If Special Snowflake Student takes the make-up ahead of time, they can tell everyone they know what was on it. Result: many potentially bogus exams, and you don't know which.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 AM on October 26, 2010
Yup, exactly that. This class has an exam on that day, scheduled right there in the syllabus for everyone to see. They won't be there that day. Ergo, they should not take that class (or should expect a 0 on the exam).
No. In the US where I went to college, we had a designated "shopping" period for classes. In the UK, it was far more standardized. We didn't have a shopping period. You took your classes and had exams. That was all. Did you pass over the part where the whole about getting to the UK and how expensive it is, how you don't get a syllabus until you've spent all your tuition money and gotten books and integrated it into your schedule? He only got the syllabus after getting there. Unless you posted the syllabus before registration and if your school has a shopping period, this is silly and ego-driven rulemaking. The idea that professors go to ridiculous lengths to play games rather than give students a chance to demonstrate that they know the material is also ridiculous. It's sick and weird. I would have a hard time respecting a professor who was so paranoid at being taken advantage of that they acted in such a way.
posted by anniecat at 10:53 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
No. In the US where I went to college, we had a designated "shopping" period for classes. In the UK, it was far more standardized. We didn't have a shopping period. You took your classes and had exams. That was all. Did you pass over the part where the whole about getting to the UK and how expensive it is, how you don't get a syllabus until you've spent all your tuition money and gotten books and integrated it into your schedule? He only got the syllabus after getting there. Unless you posted the syllabus before registration and if your school has a shopping period, this is silly and ego-driven rulemaking. The idea that professors go to ridiculous lengths to play games rather than give students a chance to demonstrate that they know the material is also ridiculous. It's sick and weird. I would have a hard time respecting a professor who was so paranoid at being taken advantage of that they acted in such a way.
posted by anniecat at 10:53 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: @anniecat: So many college instructors have run into students who fabricate emergencies to avoid major course requirements that it has become a phenomenon jokingly referred to as Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome (there's even a spoof scientific article about it).
One of the reasons professors are strict about these issues is that some students will use these excuses to get a preview of test content, or to get an extension on a project. Academic honesty is a serious issue at universities (but not an issue at all in the working world).
I mentioned that I was a student once - and during my multiple times as a student, I experienced the following: a parent's sudden death, an uncle's death several states away, my mother-in-law's decline and subsequent death, my own divorce, and a couple of hospitalizations. As a result, I know first hand how extremely easy it is to get documentation to support my claims.
In my ten years of University experience - politely asking students to provide evidence to support their absences - I have had no one express shock or upset when I've told them that I do need documentation. (In many cases, I can use my Library's databases to locate obituaries or find them on Legacy.com, so, in some cases, students don't need to bring anything in.)
If you required an extended leave to care for an ailing family member or to recover from an extended illness, most likely your place of employment would ask for your documentation as well. I know mine does.
posted by metarkest at 11:27 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
One of the reasons professors are strict about these issues is that some students will use these excuses to get a preview of test content, or to get an extension on a project. Academic honesty is a serious issue at universities (but not an issue at all in the working world).
I mentioned that I was a student once - and during my multiple times as a student, I experienced the following: a parent's sudden death, an uncle's death several states away, my mother-in-law's decline and subsequent death, my own divorce, and a couple of hospitalizations. As a result, I know first hand how extremely easy it is to get documentation to support my claims.
In my ten years of University experience - politely asking students to provide evidence to support their absences - I have had no one express shock or upset when I've told them that I do need documentation. (In many cases, I can use my Library's databases to locate obituaries or find them on Legacy.com, so, in some cases, students don't need to bring anything in.)
If you required an extended leave to care for an ailing family member or to recover from an extended illness, most likely your place of employment would ask for your documentation as well. I know mine does.
posted by metarkest at 11:27 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Building on metarkest: "So many college instructors have run into students who fabricate emergencies to avoid major course requirements that it has become a phenomenon jokingly referred to as Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome"
I live in a smaller community. I had a student claim her father died fighting in Iraq to get a test extension and three weeks of absences excused. I know her father socially, my husband periodically works with him, and he was definitely neither dead nor in Iraq.
I sent her to student services, that was soooooooo far above my pay grade.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:38 AM on October 26, 2010
I live in a smaller community. I had a student claim her father died fighting in Iraq to get a test extension and three weeks of absences excused. I know her father socially, my husband periodically works with him, and he was definitely neither dead nor in Iraq.
I sent her to student services, that was soooooooo far above my pay grade.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:38 AM on October 26, 2010
I taught for 13 years, and my policy on late work and make-ups went through "don't accept at all" to "accept with documentation" (what a PITA!) to eventually: "I will accept late papers and arrange make-ups for any reason, as long as you contact me about it at least once business day before the due date. Otherwise you are SOL." This worked out very well in practice--I didn't have to be the police or deal with doctors' notes, and students who had family commitments or religious observances or whatever could plan ahead for them. Sometimes students had actual emergencies, but I just thought that, when you have an actual emergency in your life sometimes there are consequences, like you get a lower grade in a class than you might have otherwise, or you have to pay for a missed appointment or whatever. That's just part of life. And it saved me from trying to figure out which of my 8 students whose grandmothers died in the same week that the first essay was due (this actually happened!) was telling the truth.
On a practical note: every college I taught at had some kind of testing center where faculty could put tests on file for students and the students could then take them there in a proctored environment. You get to say what dates the student can take the test, what materials are allowed, and so on. If you decide to let this student take a make-up, see if your college has such a center; it will save you an extra trip to campus.
posted by not that girl at 11:44 AM on October 26, 2010
On a practical note: every college I taught at had some kind of testing center where faculty could put tests on file for students and the students could then take them there in a proctored environment. You get to say what dates the student can take the test, what materials are allowed, and so on. If you decide to let this student take a make-up, see if your college has such a center; it will save you an extra trip to campus.
posted by not that girl at 11:44 AM on October 26, 2010
No. In the US where I went to college, we had a designated "shopping" period for classes. In the UK, it was far more standardized.
That's a fair cop. I was thinking of the US system, where a shopping period is essentially universal.
The idea that professors go to ridiculous lengths to play games rather than give students a chance to demonstrate that they know the material is also ridiculous. It's sick and weird.
From the student's side of the coin, the sorts of pathological liar students we watch out for are rare, so why can't they just give you the benefit of the doubt?
From our side, even if they're one or two percent of the population, that means you can expect to have at least one pathological liar student in most of your classes, at least at Big State U where classes of 250-500 are common and classes under 50 rare.
Know what the point of having a no-late policy is? It's not to make your life easier -- it's to help students really learn the importance of doing work on time, of taking their education seriously.
Not unless you're teaching a course on life skills. I'm certainly not. I don't care in the slightest whether you gather any moral lessons for your own life from my course; I care that you can understand and apply the relevant material. In substantive courses, the primary purpose of a no-late policy is to ensure that everyone is evaluated under the same circumstances using the same metric (barring disability accommodations, of course, but those are above our pay grade).
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:58 AM on October 26, 2010
That's a fair cop. I was thinking of the US system, where a shopping period is essentially universal.
The idea that professors go to ridiculous lengths to play games rather than give students a chance to demonstrate that they know the material is also ridiculous. It's sick and weird.
From the student's side of the coin, the sorts of pathological liar students we watch out for are rare, so why can't they just give you the benefit of the doubt?
From our side, even if they're one or two percent of the population, that means you can expect to have at least one pathological liar student in most of your classes, at least at Big State U where classes of 250-500 are common and classes under 50 rare.
Know what the point of having a no-late policy is? It's not to make your life easier -- it's to help students really learn the importance of doing work on time, of taking their education seriously.
Not unless you're teaching a course on life skills. I'm certainly not. I don't care in the slightest whether you gather any moral lessons for your own life from my course; I care that you can understand and apply the relevant material. In substantive courses, the primary purpose of a no-late policy is to ensure that everyone is evaluated under the same circumstances using the same metric (barring disability accommodations, of course, but those are above our pay grade).
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:58 AM on October 26, 2010
In a class I took, a student got a break because a grandparent in another country died. Took a class with her 10 years later, and darned if her grandparent didn't die again. Yes, you must give students an opportunity to re-schedule a test for valid reasons. Ask for documentation.
posted by theora55 at 12:50 PM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 12:50 PM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
So this student:
-knew about the surgery in advance (it's not an unexpected emergency)
-had planned to travel for it, thereby missing your exam
-but didn't mention this to you when he thought he would travel
-and now, he will be in town after all, not travelling
-but he still wants a make-up?
I would probably cave, because when it comes down to it I'm a softy, but I don't think you're under an obligation to give him a make-up.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:05 PM on October 26, 2010
-knew about the surgery in advance (it's not an unexpected emergency)
-had planned to travel for it, thereby missing your exam
-but didn't mention this to you when he thought he would travel
-and now, he will be in town after all, not travelling
-but he still wants a make-up?
I would probably cave, because when it comes down to it I'm a softy, but I don't think you're under an obligation to give him a make-up.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:05 PM on October 26, 2010
In substantive courses, the primary purpose of a no-late policy is to ensure that everyone is evaluated under the same circumstances using the same metric (barring disability accommodations, of course, but those are above our pay grade).
I guess I'm lucky to have had reasonable professors in college and not professors who were so obsessed with identifying "pathological liars." I once emailed a professor asking if I could please skip lecture and attend another section of the lecture because I was feeling ill from being up all night studying and I wanted to be well rested for an exam for another class. My professor was really kind and understanding.
In a class I took, a student got a break because a grandparent in another country died. Took a class with her 10 years later, and darned if her grandparent didn't die again.
You're entitled to 4 grandparents, you know. 2 grandmothers, 2 grandfathers. They do tend to expire at different times generally.
posted by anniecat at 4:07 PM on October 26, 2010
I guess I'm lucky to have had reasonable professors in college and not professors who were so obsessed with identifying "pathological liars." I once emailed a professor asking if I could please skip lecture and attend another section of the lecture because I was feeling ill from being up all night studying and I wanted to be well rested for an exam for another class. My professor was really kind and understanding.
In a class I took, a student got a break because a grandparent in another country died. Took a class with her 10 years later, and darned if her grandparent didn't die again.
You're entitled to 4 grandparents, you know. 2 grandmothers, 2 grandfathers. They do tend to expire at different times generally.
posted by anniecat at 4:07 PM on October 26, 2010
Response by poster: Wow. Thank you, everyone, for such a helpful debate of both sides of this issue!
In case anyone is curious, I wrote to the student offering an alternate take-home assignment, for full credit, grade to be awarded once his extenuating circumstance has been documented with the university (since he'll be away for a week he's supposed to clear it with his senior tutor anyway).
There's also a lot of good advice that I'll take into account when writing future syllabi. As ROU_Xenophobe and metarkest (among others) point out, the idea was to avoid any ambiguity if students had spurious excuses (especially because this is a large lecture course where I have very little chance to get to know the students). But anniecat makes the excellent point that students might have read that and felt that there was no flexibility at all, even in emergencies - I did say in class that if they had an emergency they should get in touch, but perhaps that wasn't clear enough. I'll definitely know to put an "if you're ill" clause there next time I'm writing a syllabus!
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 1:10 AM on October 27, 2010
In case anyone is curious, I wrote to the student offering an alternate take-home assignment, for full credit, grade to be awarded once his extenuating circumstance has been documented with the university (since he'll be away for a week he's supposed to clear it with his senior tutor anyway).
There's also a lot of good advice that I'll take into account when writing future syllabi. As ROU_Xenophobe and metarkest (among others) point out, the idea was to avoid any ambiguity if students had spurious excuses (especially because this is a large lecture course where I have very little chance to get to know the students). But anniecat makes the excellent point that students might have read that and felt that there was no flexibility at all, even in emergencies - I did say in class that if they had an emergency they should get in touch, but perhaps that wasn't clear enough. I'll definitely know to put an "if you're ill" clause there next time I'm writing a syllabus!
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 1:10 AM on October 27, 2010
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posted by plinth at 7:35 AM on October 26, 2010