I just turned in preliminary grades this past week -- advisory marks that are provided to the students after four weeks. It is too early to know what the final mark will be for any certainty, but I do know what the habits are of highly unsuccessful students, and I have seen those play out clearly already. Some are really not connected to class performance, but are an indication of how seriously the students are taking the class. Sadly, I do tend to take this very seriously, and I really would like my students to do so as well.
You can take this as a rather cranky prof heading into midterm or a wise older aunt giving you some advice. If you are a student (or have one heading to school or university soon), you might want to keep these in mind when you or yours walk into my class. If you are a teacher, I am sure you have your own ideas and experiences. Please share! (let me know I am not alone)
I love email -- among other things, it provides a really nice paper trail. And I can respond to things when I have time for them. A phone call might interrupt me in the midst of writing a letter of recommendation, or a test, for example. But an email I can set aside until a natural break. And also, they can come from students as problems arise. And I can respond to them in the middle of the night when I am at my most productive.
So... Here are a few things about email:
Always address an email formally until you have gotten permission not to. In other words, you should not use my first name when addressing me. I am Dr. or Ms. or Prof. (I prefer the first, but if my undergrad profs could be addressed as Mr. or Mrs., the Ms. is okay. Of course, I do have an issue with Mrs., as my name is my own, not that of a husband). You can use "Dear Dr...." but I have gotten used to the intermediate "Hello, Dr. ...." or even "Hi, Dr...." (which usually is a student with whom I have had several conversations previously). But don't start with "Hey, I was wondering..." -- the email doesn't have to be as formal as a real letter, but it should not be written in the same vernacular you use with your friends. I don't give out my mobile number, so don't tweet me or text me.
Attendance:
I know you will miss class occasionally. But I expect you to try to come. Even in those classes I don't take off for non-attendance, I keep track (I pass around a sign-in sheet each class period). Come on time; if you are regularly 5-10-15 minutes late, you are missing the discussion about assignments coming up and questions that others have about the class content and/or procedures.
Save absences for days you really are sick or you have an emergency. That way you are not using up the days of dropped quizzes, for example -- I drop the two lowest, and missing them counts as getting a zero. So come to class. You will only buy yourself leeway with assignments if you are on time and on track already.
When you miss class, get the notes from others. I do not have notes; I have not lectured from them for years. I do not post my powerpoints, as the images are copyrighted and all in your books. If they are not, and you are responsible for them, they will show up on the course page, which is password protected.
And never ever ever ask if you missed anything important -- the answer is always "yes."
Time management for you; grading and content for me:
Don't wait until the last minute to do things for the assignments. I know things come up, and I know as well that classwork always always takes longer than you think. And I also can recognize when something is not proofread because you didn't have enough time. There is always the time your computer crashes, the university system is down, or at least the printers are. When I say things are due on a particular day and time, I mean they are due at that time and on that day. Honest.
I actually read the papers that are submitted to me, and I evaluate them on both the argument and the organization as well as the writing. Really.
I can make mistakes in grading where there are right and wrong answers. So if you think I marked something wrong, or added the points incorrectly, please let me know. I will happily make that change in my grade book. I try to give at least partial credit when you have gotten started in the right direction, or have a partial answer.
But please don't be confrontational, and if you want to challenge what the mark was, it is better to ask me to explain what was missing or why you didn't get what you expected. Asking is better than demanding. And learning is better than both. If you ask, you might learn how to better present your argument, or I might learn there is a way of constructing an argument I have never thought of before.
Speaking of asking, the cliche is that there are no stupid questions. It isn't really completely true. There are just relatively few stupid questions.
If you don't understand something and want clarification, that is a smart question. If you don't get the understanding in class, feel free to come and talk to me in my office hours or set up an appointment.
I do tend to know more than you about the content and the process of studying the material we cover in class, but that doesn't mean I am not open to suggestions. Every time I teach a class, I incorporate new knowledge and I work on improving assignments based on the previous semester's experience. So if you have suggestions, feel free to share them with me. I want to be the best teacher you've ever had, and have the class be the best one you have ever taken. It isn't easy (it is usually impossible), but that is why I teach.
In the classroom:
Don't leave your earbuds in while you are in class. Don't watch videos on your computer or text on your phone. You are not as good at multitasking as you think you are.
I include a reference on my syllabus with links to an article about multitasking and another with a discussion of how taking notes on the computer is not as effective a learning strategy as handwriting them (besides, if you computer is stolen, the computer-taken notes are inaccessible).
Outside of class:
So I really need to limit this to what you do in class or in assignments or emails to me. As you are a student, I know you are experimenting with boundaries with gender, alcohol, and interpersonal relationships. I know you don't sleep enough, probably are working at least part time, and have your own developed or developing ideas about the world around you. As most of our students are generally of traditional college age (18-24 years old), you will be experiencing for the first time what life is like when you set your own time schedule and working times. You may well be having your first roommate, or perhaps balancing a budget for yourself, something that is brand new.
It is not that I don't care about that, or cannot remember much too vividly what I was like when I started college. It was rough. But it was worth it, and for most people it is at least partially worth the effort, if not all the money. I want it to be worth it to come to class, and that means you will leave with some better understanding of what I cover in terms of content, and take away some development of skills that will help you in future classes and jobs.
Teaching you and helping you to learn are the main goals I have for this class. Think through what yours are, and try to meet me somewhere in the middle. And we will be okay. I promise, kinda.