Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteA professor decides it’s time to reconceive how he comments on essay assignments. This is GREAT! I have taken to requiring my students to do reflections (3 Up; 3 Down – Thanks for the great idea, Ben Sawyer!) on their work … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesLast time we looked at how different a score of 75% can be, depending on which 75% the student got right in an exam where the questions are ‘perfectly balanced’. BUT, what if the exam ISN’T perfectly balanced. What if, … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe all have a sense of what an ‘A’ Student is. They are the ones who have earned our top marks, of course. But comparing our own personal ‘A’s with that of other faculty quickly becomes problematic. All those complaints … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesProblem 1, as outlined yesterday is that we really have no objective way of ensuring that our exams actually ‘cover’ the course content. Now, what about exams from the student’s perspective? I know, I know, tons of people have talked … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesHow much of your students’ grades in your courses is subject to random chance? Is your first reaction a defensive one? “Why, NONE, of COURSE!” We all like to think we are assessing our students fairly, and that the grades … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutesThe inflated style is itself a kind of euphemism. A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. —George Orwell … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteAcademe is full of Petruchios looking for their next Kate. Source: Abusers and Enablers in Faculty Culture This article is absolutely bang on. In academia: Abuse is normalized. Abusers destabilize their targets. Abuse thrives because co-workers enable it. It’s easier … Continue reading
Approximate Reading Time: 4 minutesThe question of what to do about smart watches in exams came across my feed. Predictably, the typical response is to simply not allow them. I’ve got news for you all….. this won’t fix the problem. Anything we do to … Continue reading