RE: Responsibility for missed lectures
Karl wrote: All of my lecture notes are in Word files, so I simply convert them to web pages and post them where the students can get them if they miss class or if they were in class but would like to review my notes. Karl, I used to do this also, but then became concerned that students were just using these in lieu of attending class. (My notes are pretty complete.) Did you find this happened? How did you handle it? Marcia Marcia J. McKinley-Pace, J.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology Mount St. Mary's College Emmitsburg, MD 21727 (301) 447-4282 [EMAIL PROTECTED] winmail.dat
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
Mike and others: Absolutely if they miss class it is their responsibility to get the lecture notes and handouts from other students. I don't feel guilty in the least about this, and I make it an explicit policy. I got tired of students assuming that I was carrying around an entire semester's worth of handouts for their convenience. I assume that they are adults and treat them as such. If they give me advanced notice of an absence, I will usually cut them more slack, depending on the nature of the absence. But this it part of THEIR job to be responsible for the material covered in class. Nancy Melucci LA Harbor College
RE: Responsibility for missed lectures
Michael, It is the student's responsibility to learn the information from the missed class. An important warning is that some students take better notes than others so it is a good strategy to get notes from at least two students, look over those notes, and then talk with those students. After a student has done those things I am willing to answer questions about the material that they missed. Dennis Dennis M. Goff Dept. of Psychology Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA 24503 -Original Message- From: Michael J. Kane [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 10:21 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Responsibility for missed lectures Hi all, I've got a question for how you all handle (or would handle) situations like this. I teach a course in which attendance is not mandatory; that is, I don't take attendance. However, on the syllabus and throughout the semester I emphasize to students that I often lecture on material that's not in the book, so while they are free to miss classes, they will also miss important course material that they are responsible for. Unfortunately, I've never thought to have an *explicit* policy about my role and theirs in "responsibility" for missed material. I provide students with a study guide before each exam, which is essentially an outline of all the important topics, themes, theories, experiments, etc. that will be fair game for the exam. Yesterday, a student emailed me asking me to explain one of the topics in the study guide. I asked whether she didn't understand part of it, or just plain missed those classes, and she wrote back that she'd missed them altogether. So, here's my question. Do I write her a long explanation of the topic, essentially providing her with the text of my lecture? Do I simply tell her it's her responsibility to get the notes, etc., from another student? The overworked faculty member in me leans toward the latter, but the teacher in me can't help considering the former. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Perhaps there's a middle ground I haven't considered. -Mike Michael J. Kane Department of Psychology P.O. Box 26164 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC 27402-6164 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 336-256-1022 fax: 336-334-5066
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
I also have quizzes and class exercises that are worth points. When they are missed they are gone. This has reduced the lax attendance problems. I would suggest to the student that they look over the notes of others to get the material she has lost, and then ask if she has a particular question that you can help her with. Guide her to relevant concepts or some questions that you might help her with, but without essentially redoing your lecture for her (which would still be passively received anyways). Just a thought, Gary Peterson "Michael J. Kane" wrote: Hi all, I've got a question for how you all handle (or would handle) situations like this. I teach a course in which attendance is not mandatory; that is, I don't take attendance. However, on the syllabus and throughout the semester I emphasize to students that I often lecture on material that's not in the book, so while they are free to miss classes, they will also miss important course material that they are responsible for. Unfortunately, I've never thought to have an *explicit* policy about my role and theirs in "responsibility" for missed material. I provide students with a study guide before each exam, which is essentially an outline of all the important topics, themes, theories, experiments, etc. that will be fair game for the exam. Yesterday, a student emailed me asking me to explain one of the topics in the study guide. I asked whether she didn't understand part of it, or just plain missed those classes, and she wrote back that she'd missed them altogether. So, here's my question. Do I write her a long explanation of the topic, essentially providing her with the text of my lecture? Do I simply tell her it's her responsibility to get the notes, etc., from another student? The overworked faculty member in me leans toward the latter, but the teacher in me can't help considering the former. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Perhaps there's a middle ground I haven't considered. -Mike Michael J. Kane Department of Psychology P.O. Box 26164 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC 27402-6164 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 336-256-1022 fax: 336-334-5066
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
Tipsters, I appreciate reading the comments of Mike, Dennis, and Nancy. The beginning of every semester I encourage students to make friends with at least two or threeclassmates and arrangeto get notes on lectures they miss.However, handouts have been another problem. It seems there is an endless request for handouts weeks later.I've decided next semester to put a copy of all the course handouts on reserve in the library for students missingor losing them to make their own copies.Hopefully, this will be a solution. I hate the thought of putting films I show in class on reserve. What are others doing? Diana J. Kyle, M.A.Psychology DepartmentFullerton, College Office: 714-992-7166 We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.- Aristotle The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions. --William F. Scolavino
RE: Responsibility for missed lectures
I always expect the student to get the notes - if, for no other reason, I'm always changing my lectures and I can't guarantee that I will tell the student everything that I covered in class. If the student has gotten the notes, then we go over specific points that they don't understand (I ask them to bring the copied notes to my office so I can see what the other student wrote as a refresher to me). This to me is no different than the students who show up in my office to ask questions about material that is straight out of the book. If they haven't read the book, then I tell them to do that first and then we will talk. -Original Message- From: Michael J. Kane [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 10:21 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Responsibility for missed lectures Hi all, I've got a question for how you all handle (or would handle) situations like this. I teach a course in which attendance is not mandatory; that is, I don't take attendance. However, on the syllabus and throughout the semester I emphasize to students that I often lecture on material that's not in the book, so while they are free to miss classes, they will also miss important course material that they are responsible for. Unfortunately, I've never thought to have an *explicit* policy about my role and theirs in "responsibility" for missed material. I provide students with a study guide before each exam, which is essentially an outline of all the important topics, themes, theories, experiments, etc. that will be fair game for the exam. Yesterday, a student emailed me asking me to explain one of the topics in the study guide. I asked whether she didn't understand part of it, or just plain missed those classes, and she wrote back that she'd missed them altogether. So, here's my question. Do I write her a long explanation of the topic, essentially providing her with the text of my lecture? Do I simply tell her it's her responsibility to get the notes, etc., from another student? The overworked faculty member in me leans toward the latter, but the teacher in me can't help considering the former. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Perhaps there's a middle ground I haven't considered. -Mike Michael J. Kane Department of Psychology P.O. Box 26164 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC 27402-6164 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 336-256-1022 fax: 336-334-5066 Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB
RE: Responsibility for missed lectures
I agree here--my philosophy is that students are adults and they can make decisions about what is or isn't important to them. I know life happens. Things come up, or some days we don't feel like going in. I'd rather have students who chose to be in class rather than those who are being forced to be there. Of course, that being said, I think that class attendance is very important and I build things in, like not giving out my notes and doing in-class assignments that cannot be made up if class is missed, to make attending class more important to students than not attending. --Rick Rick Grieve, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN 37044 I am here to chew bubblegum and take names.
RE: Responsibility for missed lectures
A point worth reinforcing with respect to notes is that notes can never be a complete transcript of what went on in class--no one can write that fast or capture enough of the by-talk. Notes, then, serve as a "memory-jogger" for the events that occurred in the class, including the substantive content covered. Anyone else's notes can surely be no more than a pale reflection of what actually transpired in the class. Memories are idiosyncratic and notes are idiosyncratic. No one else's notes can be as good (for the purpose of jogging one's own memories) as one's own notes. Hence, being present is crucial to any individual's learning; having the notes in hand is largely incidental to that. My own notes are similarly idiosyncratic for me; they jog my memory as I talk. They are very far from a complete record of what was covered in any given class period. Consequently, on the few occasions when I have been asked to borrow my notes for a class, I've simply said "No, you wouldn't understand them." And I believe that. Pat Cabe ** Patrick Cabe, Ph.D. Department of Psychology University of North Carolina at Pembroke One University Drive Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 (910) 521-6630 [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Thomas Jefferson "There is the danger that everyone waits idly for others to act in his stead." Albert Einstein "Majorities simply follow minorities. Gandhi
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
Have you thought about putting them on a web site? I now have all of my syllabi there and some of my handouts. It also makes it easier for me to find those handouts as well! At 08:57 AM 11/3/00 -0800, Diana Kyle wrote: Tipsters, I appreciate reading the comments of Mike, Dennis, and Nancy. The beginning of every semester I encourage students to make friends with at least two or three classmates and arrange to get notes on lectures they miss. However, handouts have been another problem. It seems there is an endless request for handouts weeks later. I've decided next semester to put a copy of all the course handouts on reserve in the library for students missing or losing them to make their own copies. Hopefully, this will be a solution. I hate the thought of putting films I show in class on reserve. What are others doing? Diana J. Kyle, M.A. Psychology Department Fullerton, College Office: 714-992-7166 We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.- Aristotle The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions. --William F. Scolavino Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
On Fri, 3 Nov 2000, Diana Kyle wrote: Tipsters, I appreciate reading the comments of Mike, Dennis, and Nancy. The beginning of every semester I encourage students to make friends with at least two or three classmates and arrange to get notes on lectures they miss. However, handouts have been another problem. It seems there is an endless request for handouts weeks later. I've decided next semester to put a copy of all the course handouts on reserve in the library for students missing or losing them to make their own copies. Hopefully, this will be a solution. I hate the thought of putting films I show in class on reserve. What are others doing? I typically make handouts available by putting them in envelopes I've taped on to my office door. Depending on how many handouts (if any) are available each week, they usually stay up for two to three weeks. Students say they appreciate being able to pick these up for classes they've missed, and once in a blue moon (well, maybe twice or thrice) I have the handouts back from the printers early enough that I can post them a day or so before class. The students who do look for and pick them up early are typically the most highly motivated in the class, having done all of the chapter readings and re-written their previous lecture notes. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to post the handouts on a course web-site, but I have not yet learned how to do that. -Max Maxwell Gwynn, PhD [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology(519) 884-0710 ext 3854 Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 Canada
Re: Responsibility for missed lectures
I ASK THEM TO FIRST GET THE INFO FROM A FELLOW STUDENT. AFTER THEY HAVE THIS IN HAND, I WILL MEET WITH THEM AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. SLC [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mike and others: Absolutely if they miss class it is their responsibility to get the lecture notes and handouts from other students. I don't feel guilty in the least about this, and I make it an explicit policy. I got tired of students assuming that I was carrying around an entire semester's worth of handouts for their convenience. I assume that they are adults and treat them as such. If they give me advanced notice of an absence, I will usually cut them more slack, depending on the nature of the absence. But this it part of THEIR job to be responsible for the material covered in class. Nancy Melucci LA Harbor College
