Dealing with problem students

One of my courses this semester has a significant amount of group work. This group work is mostly done in class. I try to let students sort out personality problems and group conflicts themselves. I generally only intervene if someone becomes a true disruption.

Is this the best approach? If you have someone in your lecture class that clearly annoys the rest of the class, do you step in? For group work, do you expect students to sort out issues themselves? Does it matter if we are talking about upperclassmen vs. freshmen?

Press 'n' Seal for the lab

Press 'n' Seal is like the parafilm of the kitchen, only BETTER!! I love this stuff. Anyone use it in lab yet?

Friday Fill in the blanks: start of the semester

You know the semester has started when ___________________.

(You know the semester has started when by 10 am you are already counting down the hours until you can crack open a beer. Or four.)

Journal clubs: useful or useless?

In grad school, my division did not have a journal club. I knew many, many (particularly bio-oriented research divisions) that did.

The grad students I knew were split pretty evenly with respect to their feelings about mandatory journal clubs. Some thought it was extremely helpful. Others....not so much.

Back then, while I had a vague sense that journal club probably had some value, mostly I thought it was a waste of time.

Now, I'm thinking of starting a version of a journal club with my undergraduate researchers. Is that sick or what?

So tell me. Are journal clubs useful? How were yours run?

Joe vs. the Volcano

I don't care if it has a cult following.

This movie is fucking stupid.

Then again, I might (according to some) have questionable movie tastes, as I also think the following movies are fucking stupid: all of the Lord of the Rings, the Goonies, Star Wars (old and new), The Princess Bride, and The Hangover.

Am I leaving any off?

Do you have academic dreams/nightmares?

It's the start of the year. Again.

Time for available parking to shrink, cafeteria lines to grow, and my free time to evaporate.

It's also time for classroom-related dreams. And nightmares.

I've had academic-related dreams before. When I first started my visiting ass. job, I had the same dream, every night, for weeks on end:

In my dream, I'm in a very large lecture class. One of those huge bowl-shaped lecture halls that can seat hundreds of students. The problem is, I've been skipping class. I've missed the midterm, not turned in papers, and I heard a rumor that the final was this morning. By the time I showed up, grades were already turned in, and there is no recovering my failing grade.

After the first year, my academic dreams switched from me being the unprepared student to me being the unprepared professor. The dreams only start around the first week of August and end after the first couple of classes. I wonder how my school dreams will change over the course of my career. Will they eventually go away completely?

Do you have a recurring dream around the start of the academic year?

(Saturday)* Fill in the blanks: when I saw the new freshmen class

My first thought when I saw this year's new class of __________ was ___________________.

(My first thought when I saw this year's new class of undergrads was sweet science gods, I am getting old!)

*I was so agitated yesterday, that I didn't do a Friday fill-in. So it comes on Saturday instead.

Does anyone care about good teaching?

As many of you know, I work at a predominantly undergraduate institution. Excellence in teaching is an expected component of a successful tenure packet. Scholarship and service are required as well, but the greatest emphasis is on teaching.

Obviously I want to be the best I can be in the classroom for the sake of my own students as well as my own personal satisfaction.....and my tenure packet. I continually tweak my syllabi and rework my lecture notes.

But my evaluations for the previous three semesters have been exceptionally strong (yay). While this isn't a bad thing, it doesn't give me additional incentive to keep working like I have been. I also can't improve without ideas and input from other people.

I need to be around people-- tenured or untenured-- who want to talk about teaching. I need senior faculty to come to my class to give me feedback. I need seminars and workshops that address such teaching areas as writing, assessment, engagement... oh, the list goes on and on. And couldn't there be teaching awards for junior faculty?

Sadly, I suspect I'm asking too much.

Dangling the carrot: research with undergrads

Practically a lifetime ago, I posted about undergrads needing incentives to complete coursework.

I've found that the same is true for my researchers. Sure, some undergrads will be motivated to research just for the sake of doing the research. But, in my experience, most of my undergrads need an additional incentive for their lab work.

In grad school, The Boss would dangle the promise of a C/N/S paper in the hopes that that would motivate me. (It didn't. The best motivation was getting a graduation date. Duh.)

For some of my undergrads, the promise of coauthorships really excites them. I have another who is really motivated by the potential for travel to conferences. My newest student wants to accomplish a lot on his research project so he can be competitive for top graduate programs.

(And I should note that while The Boss made-- it turns out-- empty promises, I know that I will, DAMMIT, get some papers out, take my students out of state, and get them into the best grad programs. Dammit.)

What's the most effective carrot for YOUR researchers (undergrads, grads, or post docs)?

Teaching via Twitter?

Today I came across an article at Chronicle about using twitter in (and out) of the classroom. There are a lot of links to previous and related posts on the subject (like this example assignment), and the commenters also contribute some useful (and self-promoting...my favorite!).

My first instinct was to dismiss the use of Twitter in the class as just another attempt to district our little snowflakes with another shiny tech tool.

But....as I eye my growing mound of lecture notes and ponder my insane schedule for the fall, I had to wonder: what if, one day, we actually teach a whole class via twitter? 140 characters sure don't take up a lot of space in a lecture notes binder! Think of how fast prep would go!

Should a woman take her husband's name? (A poll)

A continuation from yesterday's post:

What's in a (last) name?

The other day N.A. and I were talking about a former colleague. I commented that I was surprised that she had taken her husband's last name, especially well into her career (just prior to tenure).

"Why would she take his name?" N.A. asked. "She's not proud."

Oh.

Wait a minute.

"So if she kept her name, that would make her proud?" I was confused, especially since we've already talked about my choice to keep my name if/when we get married. (In fact, I posted about it here... the comments are worth a second look, in my opinion.)

"Well, why do you want to keep your name?"

"I like my last name better," I replied, even though he already knew this.

"Well there you go," he answered.

Well, shit. Does staying Dr. Reaction make me conceited?

...or maybe the better question is, if that's true, do I even care?

Twitter: tempting or turn-off?

I'm still not sure I understand twitter. Recently, however, I've started reading "tweets" from various twitter accounts. I have to admit, I am intrigued.

Then I came upon this post by Cath over at VWXYNot? I can has superpowers? From twittering? Sweeeeeet.

I don't know what to do. If I start twittering, will I acquire superpowers, too? Will I get to pick if I want to use them for good or for evil? And if so, which should I pick?

Friday Fill in the blanks: the last time I was truly happy

The last time I was truly happy was ____________ when _________ .

(The last time I was truly happy was last week when N.A. and I turned off our cellphones and laptops for an Entire. Day. Bliss.)

What would be your last meal?

That's what N.A. asked me on a recent car ride.

For once, I was speechless.

I couldn't come up with a favorite entree. For a starter, I like a garden salad with thicky, chunky blue cheese dressing or perhaps a good caesar salad. Dessert is going to be either some marble chocolate cake or cannolis. Are there cake-cannolo combos? 'Cause that would be my pick.

When it comes to main dishes, however, I remain stumped. I have foods that I like, but I couldn't come up with anything that I would consider worthy of a final meal.

Have I lost my zest for life? Has my unrefined palate finally caught up to me? Are my senses dulled by too many "dinners" of chocolate and crackers?

Wanna know my secret?

I live a lie each day at work.

We're in the last few days of summer, and everyone in my department is bemoaning the start of the semester. "I can't believe how much I have to do," my colleagues complain. I nod in agreement, but I don't quite meet their eyes.

I type away at my computer, occasionally interrupted by a coworker popping in to say hi. "I'm so behind! I don't know how I'll get my syllabi done!" My coworker doesn't wait for a response, so I can just smile and try to look sympathetic (or is it empathetic?).

The truth is, I'm living a lie.

I'm not overwhelmed by the start of school. I'm not behind at all. I have three syllabi written, and slides for my lecture classes prepped through Labor Day. I have multiple problem sets and their corresponding keys written. I've even written the first exam for one of my classes.

What's the trick? I finished my summer class, took a four day weekend, and then needed a break from research. When I actually WANT to do class prep, I can do it pretty damn efficiently. And I'm much faster than when I first started teaching. I mean, holy shit.

The other thing that motivated me? FEAR. I hate the feeling of never quite being caught up, and the last two fall semesters I've had new-to-me classes to prep. Back then, I never got ahead on my class prep, and many mornings I was prepping slides or notes right up to the bell. That is NOT how I like to operate.

I know I can't be the only one already prepped for the fall (Dr. Pion, for example, admitted being ahead of schedule in the comments on this recent post), but I sure do seem to be the only one in my department (maybe institution) who is ahead on the semester. For now, I think I'll let my coworkers go on thinking that I am just as behind as they are.

My new crack

I can't stop eating them.

To be honest, I don't really WANT to stop eating them. If you can get past the annoying/disturbing commercials, you will see that they will likely become your new crack, too.

You some fine lookin data

...now back that...stuff?... up!

A colleague at a semi-nearby university now faces my worst nightmare. His computer died, and he hasn't backed up his files-- teaching powerpoints, exams, or even research data-- since last summer. Fall, spring, and a summer all lost.

I am sure many of you are rolling your eyes at his carelessness, wondering how a person could let something as important as their teaching documents and research data go unprotected.

But I'll bet that a few of you are like me: well-intentioned but have no real process to backing up your stuff.

Prior to this week, some of my stuff was saved on a flash drive and some on my personal computer. Now I have the secretary ordering me an external flashdrive. (hooray! I found something for her to do!) Time to back dat data up.

Note: Don't youtube "back dat azz up." Don't. Stop. Unless you need some kitchen stripper pole action. In that case, knock yourself out. After all, it sounds like some of you need to take the edge off (due to the start of the semester).

Friday Fill in the blanks: how I really feel about the start of the semester

The word that best describes the way I feel about the start of the semester is _____________.

(I feel excited, but I'm not sure if I am in the majority or minority.)

Battery power countdown

A power company representative just came by the house to tell us that they are shutting off the power. For an undetermined amount of time.

Did I mention it is in the triple digits?

As I watch the battery power percentage tick down (53%), it reminds me of how, when I was younger, I would joyfully count down the last days of summer. I was so excited to get back to school. What a nerd.

In grad school, I counted down the start of the fall semester with dread. The attacking undergrads took much from us feeble grad students, such as parking, bus seats, and prime spots in the cafeteria line.

As a prof, I once again look to the start of the semester with excitement. The nerd has returned!

I wonder how many more years I have until I begin dreading the fall semester.

I'm now at 42% battery life with just a few weeks until school starts. My colleagues keep (at times, bitterly) reminding me of how little time we have left.

I think I might need a new battery for my Mac. No doubt that my colleagues need some more vacation time!

The pros and cons of summer teaching

I was warned by colleagues of the many, many cons of summer teaching. Turns out, it really isn't that bad! Doctor Pion asked for some reasons that my class went so well. Part of it was luck. Although I had a pretty typical mix of summer students-- lots of course repeaters, some very weak college students, and a smattering of transfers-- they were respectful and very engaged in lecture. I was extremely upfront with the students about expectations, and I really, in their words, "kept it real." I think what my students meant was that I was very blunt about the summer workload and the failure rates. I also really enjoy teaching and getting a break from lab, so my enthusiasm wasn't forced. Even at 9 am. Grrrr.

But mostly I was successful because I had really fun students. Even this one!!

Class composition aside, here are, from my point of view, the pros and cons of summer teaching.

Pros

You can try new things in the classroom. My summer class was much smaller than my normal semester classes (20 vs. 30). I also have far fewer obligations during the summer, since committees are on break and most of the students are gone. As a result, I was able to try out some new-to-me group activities. Want to try out clickers for the first time? Dying to trade out tests for some other assessment tool? Summer can be a stress-free time for that. You have more prep time for the one class than you normally would. Also, you can quickly find out what works and what doesn't because....

You get instant feedback. If students don't understand something during the semester, they have a few options: 1. wait until the next class period (1, 2, or 4 days away, depending on class schedules), 2. wait until office hours, or 3. actually! type! an email! (students seem especially reluctant to use email here at PermaU...anyone else notice this?). In the summer, the students see me every day. Sometimes even twice a day. For multiple hours in a row. This gives them plenty of time to ask for clarification on lecture or get help with a problem set. I was able to catch problem students far ahead of midterms... more like on the second day of summer classes. As a direct result (and because the students actually did the work), my DFW rate was better than during the fall/spring semesters.

You gain new perspective on a course or course sequence. Teaching a semester's worth of material in four or five weeks really helped me to see the big picture much, MUCH more clearly. What do I really want my students to get out of my class? How does my class connect to other classes in the curriculum. It is a lot easier to see past the day-to-day details when you are only focusing on one class.

You get paid! Recall that most academic appointments at PUIs are nine month. Although paychecks might be spread over 11 or 12 months, you are really only paid for nine of 'em. While the money is a huuuuuge improvement over grad school stipends (for the love of the science gods, I would hope so), if you have a kid/house/expensive shoe habit, you can always use more dough. Note that I'm not saying it's good dough (see cons).

Cons

The pay is awesome. And in this case, by awesome I mean awesomely bad. My rate was not all that bad, especially since I had taught the class before (so no brand new prep to do). There was a catch: I didn't get any money until my grades had been submitted and then recorded by the registrar!

Two words: burn. out. If you teach in the first summer session, you probably get a very tiny break after spring finals get out. If you teach in the second session, you only have a week or two before fall classes start. Not only does this make it challenging to schedule vacation time, it does not give you a true break from teaching. Fatigue is something all profs battle, no matter what their institution's classification. Will you have enough time to recover?

There's no other place to run. During the regular semesters, I teach two or three different courses. Believe it or not, I actually teach some pretty boring shit from time to time (I know, shocking). It is rare that two classes have two boring lectures occurring on the same day, so I can always balance the boring prep or grading with another class's more entertaining stuff. When you only teach one course, you are stuck.

You get instant feedback. What? Wasn't this also a pro? Well, it goes both ways. Because everything is on hyperdrive in the summer, students don't get as much time to let the new material simmer. This can result in them taking their frustrations out on the prof. While this didn't happen to me personally, I did see it happen in the first summer session a lot.

I am sure I have left some things out. Perhaps something that I've listed as a con is actually, in your opinion, better interpreted as a pro. You know where to straighten me out.

so! many! changes!

It's no secret that I don't handle change very well.

So how can I possibly wrap my head around all the changes going on? Need examples? How about here and here and what?! no more blogging here and did I mention here??!

Okay, tell me something that is staying the same.

dying for your work?

The Prodigal Academic has a great post up about the current state of the job market.

One of the faculty positions at Prodigal U opened up because someone died. An older prof had a heart attack in the lab.

I thought this was pretty damn hard core, and I commented as such. Hell yeah! Let me keel over in lab!

It occurred to me later that thinking that work is best place to pass on might not be the healthiest mentality.

Then again, we all work ourselves to the bone....right? We kill ourselves for the job...right?