Now it is nearly the end of the semester I have a little more time to focus on things outside the classroom. So two comments today, this one about cheating and another about office mates.
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I caught seven students cheating on one assignment this semester. There was one group of four and one group of three. Since each group handed in identical assignments it was easy to identify, and easy to defend. I am quite sure more cheating goes on that I never detect. However seven out of over 200 students and seven assignments for each student is probably about the same percentage as I have been detecting for the last several years. Whatever the actual level of cheating I don't have any evidence to suggest it has dramatically increased or decreased since I started teaching here in 2001.
Some students have always cheated, some always will. It is easier to share computer files than paper ones. It is easier on the computer to modify a file copied from someone else than it was from a paper copy. I think the technology available enables some students to cheat who would not otherwise do so.
People cheat because they think the likelihood and/or consequences of getting caught warrant the risk. Cheating is similar to gambling: an opportunity to earn something desirable without working for it. The probability of "winning" at cheating is almost certainly higher than the probability of winning at roulette or blackjack or craps or any lottery. The consequences of losing (getting caught) are lower, at least for a first offense at this college.
I would like two things to change.
1) I would like all faculty to enforce the existing policies about academic dishonesty. Some instructors ignore cheating because they are not willing to put forth the effort it takes to follow the current procedure (don't like doing paperwork, don't want to face student anger, don't want to face an appeal, don't think they will be supported by administration, etc.) I have hearsay evidence from faculty and students that gives some support to these various reasons.
2) I would like the consequences for cheating to be more onerous and more public than at present. I think the current penalty for a first offense is reasonable. (minimum zero in the assignment or test, other sanctions can apply depending on the severity of the situation). However I would like to have knowledge of the offense and the names of those involved to be more widespread. The names and crimes of all people who are found guilty in criminal court are available to the general public. Why not do something similar for academic crime? At the very least let us publish the names and methods of those who cheat to faculty. If I catch students cheating in one of my first year classes then I should be able to tell all of the faculty who teach those students. If we make this part of the procedure, we need to let students know this is part of the procedure.
2009-12-08
Office mates
As we are near the end of the semester I have time to add things here. Two comments today, this one about working with others and another about cheating.
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I had to move to a new office over the summer - a management decision. For the first time in perhaps six years I am in an open office. We can all see each other all the time. When students come in, every word is available to everyone without the pretense of cubicle dividers. It is more difficult to concentrate on my own work when I can just turn my chair half way round and participate in other people's conversations. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable sitting with my back to the "action", something that rarely happened to me when my office mates sat in different cubicles.
This time I have one office mate who regularly expresses their opinion that the students this semester are the worst ever. They talk about the usual: courtesy to each other and to faculty, lack of responsibility, poor work ethic, bad time management, low levels of academic skills, chronic complaints, etc. While I have a few students who fit into these categories (see today's other comments about cheating) most are reasonable people most of the time. This time of year the pursuit of marks generates many more screams and yells and angry messages, but that is expected. I have begun asking myself how I should react to these discourses. And I have begun asking myself if these discourses affect what I do in the classroom. I hope not.
I also wonder how I come across to my office mates. I am generally a quiet, introspective person, able to get along with most people and quite happy with my own company. I have been seen as aloof and arrogant by some people and distant by many others. I wonder about how to work in this particular room for the next five years? Life never stays still for more than a few moments. There is always a new challenge, change is never-ending. That keeps things interesting.
_________________________________________
I had to move to a new office over the summer - a management decision. For the first time in perhaps six years I am in an open office. We can all see each other all the time. When students come in, every word is available to everyone without the pretense of cubicle dividers. It is more difficult to concentrate on my own work when I can just turn my chair half way round and participate in other people's conversations. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable sitting with my back to the "action", something that rarely happened to me when my office mates sat in different cubicles.
This time I have one office mate who regularly expresses their opinion that the students this semester are the worst ever. They talk about the usual: courtesy to each other and to faculty, lack of responsibility, poor work ethic, bad time management, low levels of academic skills, chronic complaints, etc. While I have a few students who fit into these categories (see today's other comments about cheating) most are reasonable people most of the time. This time of year the pursuit of marks generates many more screams and yells and angry messages, but that is expected. I have begun asking myself how I should react to these discourses. And I have begun asking myself if these discourses affect what I do in the classroom. I hope not.
I also wonder how I come across to my office mates. I am generally a quiet, introspective person, able to get along with most people and quite happy with my own company. I have been seen as aloof and arrogant by some people and distant by many others. I wonder about how to work in this particular room for the next five years? Life never stays still for more than a few moments. There is always a new challenge, change is never-ending. That keeps things interesting.
2009-09-21
End of Week 2
I have felt significantly burdened the last eight weeks with constant pain in my right shoulder. Of course I am right handed, and that includes using a mouse with my right hand and using two hands to drive. I have had to take two days away from classes in order to go to medical appointments to try and get a diagnosis (which would be nice to have) a way to relieve the pain (absolutely necessary) and a solution (also absolutely necessary but I can wait for it if the pain is bearable). Today the medical consensus is there has been no nerve damage so there is probably no need for surgery. Yeah! I have a new medication to reduce soft tissue swelling and I have been told to get physiotherapy which may also reduce the swelling and help the joint to heal. I have had good experiences with both physiotherapy and Shiatsu so I think I will try both. What does this have to do with teaching?
As well as missing two classroom days, not being able to use my right hand and arm efficiently and predictably is a problem. It means I feel less than 100% when in front of a class. For one or two days that's not so bad, but it is going to be at least one more week and I am not happy about that. It means I am slower getting things done in and out of class. Being slower in class might be a good thing for students. However I have a backlog of marking to do for my online students because of shoulder pain. I will get at the marking tomorrow and the marking will only be a few days late. So I should let up on myself I guess.
If I keep up this computer work I will not be able to sleep tonight. So I will sign off now and come back to this blog in a few days time.
As well as missing two classroom days, not being able to use my right hand and arm efficiently and predictably is a problem. It means I feel less than 100% when in front of a class. For one or two days that's not so bad, but it is going to be at least one more week and I am not happy about that. It means I am slower getting things done in and out of class. Being slower in class might be a good thing for students. However I have a backlog of marking to do for my online students because of shoulder pain. I will get at the marking tomorrow and the marking will only be a few days late. So I should let up on myself I guess.
If I keep up this computer work I will not be able to sleep tonight. So I will sign off now and come back to this blog in a few days time.
2009-09-12
End of Week 1
When I said to another faculty member that it was the end of the first week, the response was "only thirteen weeks to go". While that is true, the statement also feels somewhat negative to me. However I have not been teaching in this system for very long compared to many of the faculty.
As yet I have not experienced any of the routine rudeness I remember from the Fall semester last year. That is a good thing. I hope this continues. Perhaps last year was an anomaly? Perhaps last year I had lower tolerance for inappropriate behaviour? This Fall the inappropriate behaviour has come from college employees. The all faculty startup meeting was announced to be in a completely inappropriate location: a student pub. And it turns out to have been a bad choice as a meeting room. There were not enough seats. The pub equipment (coolers, ice makers, telephones, etc.) was all left running and made various noises throughout the meeting. The A-V system was not adequate. And sight lines were not good from parts of the room.
On Wednesday I received a package of information from the Faculty Professional Development Office thanking me for agreeing to do a particular task. While I am happy to do the work, I would have liked to have agreed to do it beforehand. I expect this kind of behaviour will continue through the semester and probably for many years to come.
It seems to me this kind of behaviour, along with other events that I have heard about but not experienced directly, is an indicator of a change of corporate culture. It seems to me people at the top of the organization are now operating as if the college is a large institution. Unfortunately it seems no one thought to talk about the change in corporate culture with the long term faculty, and probably also not with the long term support staff either. So many long term employees do or will feel the organization is not the same organization as it used to be. That is true. Unfortunately many long term employees will feel they do not want to work in this "new" organization (what they mean is they do not like the new corporate culture). So they will either leave as soon as they can, or they will not work the way they used to. These changes in personnel or in the way people work will accelerate the change in culture.
As yet I have not experienced any of the routine rudeness I remember from the Fall semester last year. That is a good thing. I hope this continues. Perhaps last year was an anomaly? Perhaps last year I had lower tolerance for inappropriate behaviour? This Fall the inappropriate behaviour has come from college employees. The all faculty startup meeting was announced to be in a completely inappropriate location: a student pub. And it turns out to have been a bad choice as a meeting room. There were not enough seats. The pub equipment (coolers, ice makers, telephones, etc.) was all left running and made various noises throughout the meeting. The A-V system was not adequate. And sight lines were not good from parts of the room.
On Wednesday I received a package of information from the Faculty Professional Development Office thanking me for agreeing to do a particular task. While I am happy to do the work, I would have liked to have agreed to do it beforehand. I expect this kind of behaviour will continue through the semester and probably for many years to come.
It seems to me this kind of behaviour, along with other events that I have heard about but not experienced directly, is an indicator of a change of corporate culture. It seems to me people at the top of the organization are now operating as if the college is a large institution. Unfortunately it seems no one thought to talk about the change in corporate culture with the long term faculty, and probably also not with the long term support staff either. So many long term employees do or will feel the organization is not the same organization as it used to be. That is true. Unfortunately many long term employees will feel they do not want to work in this "new" organization (what they mean is they do not like the new corporate culture). So they will either leave as soon as they can, or they will not work the way they used to. These changes in personnel or in the way people work will accelerate the change in culture.
2009-08-26
2009 End of Vacation
Next Monday, Aug 31, is the first official day of the Fall semester for faculty. Classes start on Wednesday Sep 8. There is a meeting on Tuesday Sep 1 for all college faculty. Invitations have been issued by the Academic Vice President (as usual) and the meeting is being held in the Student Pub. I think this is an inappropriate choice of venue and have told the appropriate person of my reaction and my reasons. On Thursday Sep 3 the School in which I work will have its startup meeting hosted by our Dean.
I continue to discover times and places where people seem to have a model in their head that our college is a small, intimate place for people to get a post-secondary education. For example, the e-mail directory is listed by first name, as if I would be on a first name basis with every employee I needed to talk to during my time of employment. I have been at start-up meetings for at least three schools. They always include a time for people to talk about "good news": what I liked about the summer vacation, what happened to me since you last saw me. While this would be appropriate in a small private school, it seems to me to ignore reality.
The college where I work has about 6,000 full time day students and several times as many part time students (day school, nights, weekends, online). There are somewhere between 300 and 400 faculty and many more support staff. It is a large organization and we should treat it as a large organization. Large organizations function quite differently from small or medium organizations. The organizational structure acknowledges the size of the institution but many of the employees seem to think it is still a small, folksy kind of place where everyone knows everyone, we are all working towards the same goal, we are all happy to be working for this particular institution, its goals are our focus when we are at work.
I am excited and a little nervous about starting back, same as always. I usually don't feel as if I have settled back into the routine until the end of the second week of classes. I have not yet seen the text I am using in four out of five sections. However I know all the pieces so I am perhaps more relaxed than I was last year at this time. I do wonder about what demands I will have to face this semester other than the ones from students.
I continue to discover times and places where people seem to have a model in their head that our college is a small, intimate place for people to get a post-secondary education. For example, the e-mail directory is listed by first name, as if I would be on a first name basis with every employee I needed to talk to during my time of employment. I have been at start-up meetings for at least three schools. They always include a time for people to talk about "good news": what I liked about the summer vacation, what happened to me since you last saw me. While this would be appropriate in a small private school, it seems to me to ignore reality.
The college where I work has about 6,000 full time day students and several times as many part time students (day school, nights, weekends, online). There are somewhere between 300 and 400 faculty and many more support staff. It is a large organization and we should treat it as a large organization. Large organizations function quite differently from small or medium organizations. The organizational structure acknowledges the size of the institution but many of the employees seem to think it is still a small, folksy kind of place where everyone knows everyone, we are all working towards the same goal, we are all happy to be working for this particular institution, its goals are our focus when we are at work.
I am excited and a little nervous about starting back, same as always. I usually don't feel as if I have settled back into the routine until the end of the second week of classes. I have not yet seen the text I am using in four out of five sections. However I know all the pieces so I am perhaps more relaxed than I was last year at this time. I do wonder about what demands I will have to face this semester other than the ones from students.
2009-03-10
Week 9, Winter
In my last post I talked about starting a series of monthly sessions to prepare a teaching portfolio. When I was unable to get started on the first task by the day before it was due I withdrew from the training. I did discover I am teaching in at least two, possibly three, different environments. Perhaps it would be better to say I teach in two different environments. In one of those environments I have two different styles or approaches or teaching philosophies. While I suspect my classroom style and method are similar, I think the demands of the courses and the vocational needs of the students are different enough that I come to the courses with two different philosophies.
I would like to be able to discuss these thoughts and ideas with a group of college teachers. I am finding that I work in a vacuum as far as teaching methodology goes. As I think I have mentioned here before I think college-age / post-secondary students should move and should be encouraged to move beyond other-directed learning to self-directed learning. Yet there does not seem to be any interest in discussing these "philosophical" issues. I had a short-lived discussion with a couple of people in what I might call the centre for instructional development. Even though they invited others to participate, no one did.
Most of the Professional Development that is advertised has to do with technique: how to do "thus and so" in the classroom or how to take advantage of the technology. Sometimes there is training about more general things like learning styles or generational differences. But beyond encouraging me to use as many different methods to present information as I can, I feel I have learned little from this training.
About 2/3 of the students that start first year in our faculty return for second year in our faculty. Some of the reasons for this high non-return rate are personal (students in wrong programme and they switch faculties, students run out of money, get good job, etc.) Some of the reason for the high non-return rate is the students don't make a connection between themselves and learning and/or between learning and future employment success. Perhaps the college or the faculty admissions process is not selective enough. And perhaps there are other things that can be done in the college classroom that will encourage more student success. (Students who are succeeding usually return.)
What does this have to do with discussing teaching philosophy? I wonder how much of student success is built upon the model of education that teachers carry in their heads and reveal to students every time they are in front of a class. Yet it seems as if very few college teachers want to talk about that. We would rather share stories of "today's silly student" than talk about why we do the things we do.
I would like to be able to discuss these thoughts and ideas with a group of college teachers. I am finding that I work in a vacuum as far as teaching methodology goes. As I think I have mentioned here before I think college-age / post-secondary students should move and should be encouraged to move beyond other-directed learning to self-directed learning. Yet there does not seem to be any interest in discussing these "philosophical" issues. I had a short-lived discussion with a couple of people in what I might call the centre for instructional development. Even though they invited others to participate, no one did.
Most of the Professional Development that is advertised has to do with technique: how to do "thus and so" in the classroom or how to take advantage of the technology. Sometimes there is training about more general things like learning styles or generational differences. But beyond encouraging me to use as many different methods to present information as I can, I feel I have learned little from this training.
About 2/3 of the students that start first year in our faculty return for second year in our faculty. Some of the reasons for this high non-return rate are personal (students in wrong programme and they switch faculties, students run out of money, get good job, etc.) Some of the reason for the high non-return rate is the students don't make a connection between themselves and learning and/or between learning and future employment success. Perhaps the college or the faculty admissions process is not selective enough. And perhaps there are other things that can be done in the college classroom that will encourage more student success. (Students who are succeeding usually return.)
What does this have to do with discussing teaching philosophy? I wonder how much of student success is built upon the model of education that teachers carry in their heads and reveal to students every time they are in front of a class. Yet it seems as if very few college teachers want to talk about that. We would rather share stories of "today's silly student" than talk about why we do the things we do.
2009-01-22
On starting Teaching Portfolio
Yesterday I had my first of six hours of work learning about how to put together a Teaching Portfolio. I think of this as part of the Professional Development stuff I have to do for my employer. It is also a way to force me think about what I do for a living and why.
The first task is to develop a Teaching Philosphy using either Daniel Pratt's model or some other one. So I took the Teaching Perspectives Profile last night and got a fairly flat profile. There are five possible categories and two cut-off lines. Any score over 33 indicates a dominant perspective. I had one of those at 34. Any score between 23 and 33 is a backup perspective, I had three of those. In addition there are some significant discrepancies in the pieces of the profile that make up these scores. This may both be because I did not follow one of the main rules of the "test". I did not answer the questions with only one teaching / learning situation in mind. There is a difference in how and why I teach based upon what I think the context is for the students as well as what the content is.
Based on content I have four different teaching / learning situations.
1) MS Office: Fall and Winter teaching
I teach a set of skills that students will need to use in other courses in their programmes and on the job. I have one stated objective: help them learn the skills, and one unstated objective: help students relax with the applications so they can learn more skills on their own.
2) Chemistry: Winter teaching
In this subject I am teaching students who are trying to get into various medical areas: nursing, paramedic, etc. They need to learn whatever it takes to get out of the course with a good mark. I try to teach them the necessary problem solving skills and I try to show them a little of the wonder I feel for how all of the pieces of reality fit together.
3) Business Systems: Fall teaching
In this course I am supposed to help students learn how Information Systems are part of the integration of modern business. They are supposed to learn what the role of Information Technology is in business. In this one I try to inculcate some of my own values about appropriate business behaviour, ethics, etc.
4) HTML: year round, both Introductory and Intermediate levels
In this course I am supposed to teach a set of skills so students can achieve a certain goal. I also try to help them see what an incredible invention the Internet and the World Wide Web are. In the Intermediate course I also work to show students how to make their sites accessible to all users of the Web.
I wonder if it is possible to integrate some or all of these different areas. I wonder if the switches I have to do in my brain when I switch from one subject to the other have more to do with switching teaching roles and styles and less to do with the content.
The first task is to develop a Teaching Philosphy using either Daniel Pratt's model or some other one. So I took the Teaching Perspectives Profile last night and got a fairly flat profile. There are five possible categories and two cut-off lines. Any score over 33 indicates a dominant perspective. I had one of those at 34. Any score between 23 and 33 is a backup perspective, I had three of those. In addition there are some significant discrepancies in the pieces of the profile that make up these scores. This may both be because I did not follow one of the main rules of the "test". I did not answer the questions with only one teaching / learning situation in mind. There is a difference in how and why I teach based upon what I think the context is for the students as well as what the content is.
Based on content I have four different teaching / learning situations.
1) MS Office: Fall and Winter teaching
I teach a set of skills that students will need to use in other courses in their programmes and on the job. I have one stated objective: help them learn the skills, and one unstated objective: help students relax with the applications so they can learn more skills on their own.
2) Chemistry: Winter teaching
In this subject I am teaching students who are trying to get into various medical areas: nursing, paramedic, etc. They need to learn whatever it takes to get out of the course with a good mark. I try to teach them the necessary problem solving skills and I try to show them a little of the wonder I feel for how all of the pieces of reality fit together.
3) Business Systems: Fall teaching
In this course I am supposed to help students learn how Information Systems are part of the integration of modern business. They are supposed to learn what the role of Information Technology is in business. In this one I try to inculcate some of my own values about appropriate business behaviour, ethics, etc.
4) HTML: year round, both Introductory and Intermediate levels
In this course I am supposed to teach a set of skills so students can achieve a certain goal. I also try to help them see what an incredible invention the Internet and the World Wide Web are. In the Intermediate course I also work to show students how to make their sites accessible to all users of the Web.
I wonder if it is possible to integrate some or all of these different areas. I wonder if the switches I have to do in my brain when I switch from one subject to the other have more to do with switching teaching roles and styles and less to do with the content.
2009-01-07
Start of Winter semester
As is said at the start of a horse race: "They're off."
Another interesting semester is ahead. I have three sections of an Excel - PowerPoint course and two sections of a Chemistry course. I had this same mix last winter. I found the two courses are different enough I seem to be using different parts of my brain for each one. That feels good, even though it is a challenge, or perhaps because it is a challenge. This semester I also need to be more formal about learning to be a (better) teacher. I am supposed to submit at least one report by the end of April.
I have been collecting resources, skimming a few, watching a couple of electronic lists and gathering resources that way. I think the best way for me to learn how to be a better teacher is to pay close attention to my students: what do I do that helps them learn, what do I do that gets in the way. My main idea about teaching is "you can't teach nobody nothin'". The best I can do is make learning easier.
In addition to stretching my brain a little with this mix of subjects I am also going to stretch my body. I started Tai Chi classes last night. I hope the physical stretching will help reduce tension and fatigue.
Another interesting semester is ahead. I have three sections of an Excel - PowerPoint course and two sections of a Chemistry course. I had this same mix last winter. I found the two courses are different enough I seem to be using different parts of my brain for each one. That feels good, even though it is a challenge, or perhaps because it is a challenge. This semester I also need to be more formal about learning to be a (better) teacher. I am supposed to submit at least one report by the end of April.
I have been collecting resources, skimming a few, watching a couple of electronic lists and gathering resources that way. I think the best way for me to learn how to be a better teacher is to pay close attention to my students: what do I do that helps them learn, what do I do that gets in the way. My main idea about teaching is "you can't teach nobody nothin'". The best I can do is make learning easier.
In addition to stretching my brain a little with this mix of subjects I am also going to stretch my body. I started Tai Chi classes last night. I hope the physical stretching will help reduce tension and fatigue.
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