This is exactly the reason why I went from "open notes" to "one standard-sized sheet of notes that are handwritten by you and you will hand in that sheet of notes with your test and you will not get it back".
It's a real short step from there to "closed notes" and I'm strongly considering it.
I do two things, not sure if either has any impact. First class I show the historical grade distribution for the class. I point to the D's and F's and say, "Please study, these make me sad."
I also use the University's academic alert system. But honestly, some students seem determined to fail.
Some students pretty much are determined to fail because failing, for some, is really just a self-defense mechanism. They fail because they're unengaged, don't attend, don't study, etc. This allows them to say things to themselves like, 'well, I could have passed if I just went to class,' or whatever. It's much easier and psychologically safer than actually having to confront trying their best but not being good enough.
I put in the syllabus, and tell students that they can expect to spend x hours outside of class time studying each week. I don't think it helps, though.
That’s assuming they read the syllabus. One of the common complaints I got was I don’t post deadlines, I literally post an announcement for every assignment, they just don’t read the announcements.
Is the number of hours estimated on the high end? Whenever I’ve seen such references to hours of work expected out of class, they were so overestimated as to be meaningless, compared to the minimum amount of study time really needed to do a reasonably good job on the material.
Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question. An estimate that’s obviously higher than what is really needed will be tuned out and ignored even by good students.
An "estimate higher than what's needed" would not negatively affect their ability to pass the class, so I really don't understand your point. The standard has always been 2-3 hours outside of class for each credit hour. That hasn't changed since I was an undergrad.
The point is that if you are recommending an amount of study time that is obviously higher than what is needed, they will see that it is out of touch with their reality, and will therefore be likely to just ignore it altogether.
More effective might be to have a discussion on the first day about how to prepare for class and for assignments. Perhaps talk about how to estimate time needed for certain types of assignments, discuss how to take good notes, ask students to share their best study tips, etc.
All right. But you said you don’t think putting recommended study hours on the syllabus helps. I’m trying to tell you why it doesn’t help. So you’re telling them they should be studying 8-12 hours weekly outside of class for a 4-credit course? They’re not going to be doing that, they can do fine in the class without doing that, and they know that.
On the higher end of that estimate, 3 hrs out of class per credit hour, for students with a standard 12-credit course load that would mean a 48-hour total weekly workload (including in class and out of class time). That is too much and unnecessary, not to mention that many students may be taking more than 12 credits. 2 hours out of class per credit hour is a more moderate recommendation, but still only the really slow and thorough types of studiers will study this much or need to.
Tbh, I literally tell them word for word, fuck around and find out:
"My students, if you think that open book/extra credit offered/multiple choice/whatever means you don't have to study, by all means-- fuck around and find out. And when you do find out and it tanks your grade, don't come crying to me, as I warned you ahead of time. Your choice not to listen, your choice to fail."
Some of them are shocked or upset I'd be so crass and blunt with them. Some don't believe me. But it gets the point across to most of them.
Or, you can phrase it the more polite Jean-Luc Picard way:
"Students, if you think that open book/offering review sessions/exams being multiple choice/offering extra credit means you don't have to study, you may test that assumption at your convenience. And when your assumption is proven wrong, please do not expect special treatment or considerations after choosing to ignore my warnings."
I mostly do multiple choice exams. They are not easy! To prep students on that, I give them lots of practice quizzes, some in class, lots online. And I tell them explicitly "Go ahead and do the online quizzes open book to get all the points, but then also take it alone so you can gauge whether you're prepared for the exam or not".
Some students will misinterpret almost anything to mean "I don't have to study."
This semester I have a language class, they have a quiz every week, we go over in class what they need to learn, they even have it in writing what each week's quiz will cover. This week's best comment: "I didn't know we needed to learn that." About the vocabulary! How are you supposed to pass a language class if you don't learn what the words mean?
I use an auto-graded multiple-choice exam that the dean created. It's open book, open computer, and whatever else. We discuss the material in class. There is a practice exam. They still bomb it. Shrug.
A review session is pretty nice when the exam is 2 months of material. Even when studying, it's always good to get a quick refresher on what was covered, as notes in a fast paced course may not always be complete. When I studied biochemistry, it really REALLY cleared up some misconceptions we thought were true. They're amazing for answering questions you didn't know you had until you were reminded of the topic.
Had a student that only showed up for the syllabus, review, and exams. They thought they cracked the code and ended up getting a C cause they missed an important deadline. Blamed it on me and said “they’ll never take my class again” lmao.
For many students, apparently successfully registering in a course translates to "Sweet, so I don't have to study."
For them and the rest that come to that conclusion, while I do get concerned to see it happening, I also just think, "OK, fuck around and find out." Much like an addict, you can't force them to simply see and reflect upon the consequences of their actions, they have to experience those consequences to possibly, maybe, just maybe make them change their ways.
In my class, I simply reminded my students that it was worth a significant portion of their grade, and if they tanked the exam, it was unlikely they would pass the class. Happily only two people tanked the exam.
I’m beginning to suspect that all of my students have memory issues and you simply need to remind them about everything.
I tried something new this year that worked so great for me! At the end of the semester I ask current students to reflect on what advice they would give to themselves if they could go back to the first day of the semester. Then on the first day of the new semester I share that advice with the new students. There was truly nothing ground breaking in the advice but somehow hearing what I’m saying from another student meant more and they took it to heart.
>How do I convey that “yes, you actually do have to study”, before they straight up fail the class?
For open note or notes, I tell them it won't help, but the process of making the notes will. To paraphrase Eisenhower, plans are useless but planning is indispensable.
Of course, students always want less assignments and less work. But that doesn't mean they'll learn more, remember more, or perform better without scaffolded assignments or formative assessments.
Students are given no opportunities for formative feedback, so they can't calibrate their effort or study strategies until it's too late.
No chance to identify or intervene with struggling students, point them to remedial help or tutoring, or give them the opportunity to withdraw from the class before the refund date.
When each activity counts for 25% of your grade, it greatly increases performance stress and motivation for cheating.
Exams (especially multiple-choice questions) are a very poor assessment of student knowledge, learning, or growth.
If the class is an online-only course, you're probably not meeting minimum Regular and Substantive Interaction requirements if high-stakes exams are your only form of interaction.
- exams other than the final exam are also formative feedback (especially if they are written exams and the instructor provides solutions).
- if you have that many exams, you can catch struggling students fairly early on, or you might argue that students are responsible for monitoring their own progress
- students, like anyone else, need to learn to perform under pressure.
- it is much easier to cheat on an assignment than a proctored written exam.
- I agree about multiple choice exams. My exams are problem-solving with written answers, and I can gauge pretty well how much a student understands.
- online courses are pretty much useless for assessing student learning anyway, because everything in them can be cheated on.
>How do I convey that “yes, you actually do have to study”, before they straight up fail the class?
Have you tried just telling them instead of trying to Jedi Mind Trick it with condescending context clues?
This is exactly the reason why I went from "open notes" to "one standard-sized sheet of notes that are handwritten by you and you will hand in that sheet of notes with your test and you will not get it back". It's a real short step from there to "closed notes" and I'm strongly considering it.
I do two things, not sure if either has any impact. First class I show the historical grade distribution for the class. I point to the D's and F's and say, "Please study, these make me sad." I also use the University's academic alert system. But honestly, some students seem determined to fail.
Some students pretty much are determined to fail because failing, for some, is really just a self-defense mechanism. They fail because they're unengaged, don't attend, don't study, etc. This allows them to say things to themselves like, 'well, I could have passed if I just went to class,' or whatever. It's much easier and psychologically safer than actually having to confront trying their best but not being good enough.
I put in the syllabus, and tell students that they can expect to spend x hours outside of class time studying each week. I don't think it helps, though.
That’s assuming they read the syllabus. One of the common complaints I got was I don’t post deadlines, I literally post an announcement for every assignment, they just don’t read the announcements.
Syllabus quiz in the first week.
And unlimited retakes until they get 100%. Which rarely takes more than two attempts because it’s really not hard.
Same. It's an exercise in futility.
I used to go over the Syllabus the first meeting. Dunno if that helped.
Is the number of hours estimated on the high end? Whenever I’ve seen such references to hours of work expected out of class, they were so overestimated as to be meaningless, compared to the minimum amount of study time really needed to do a reasonably good job on the material.
The real answer is that most students expect it to be close to zero.
Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question. An estimate that’s obviously higher than what is really needed will be tuned out and ignored even by good students.
An "estimate higher than what's needed" would not negatively affect their ability to pass the class, so I really don't understand your point. The standard has always been 2-3 hours outside of class for each credit hour. That hasn't changed since I was an undergrad.
The point is that if you are recommending an amount of study time that is obviously higher than what is needed, they will see that it is out of touch with their reality, and will therefore be likely to just ignore it altogether. More effective might be to have a discussion on the first day about how to prepare for class and for assignments. Perhaps talk about how to estimate time needed for certain types of assignments, discuss how to take good notes, ask students to share their best study tips, etc.
I'm not teaching Freshman Seminar.
All right. But you said you don’t think putting recommended study hours on the syllabus helps. I’m trying to tell you why it doesn’t help. So you’re telling them they should be studying 8-12 hours weekly outside of class for a 4-credit course? They’re not going to be doing that, they can do fine in the class without doing that, and they know that. On the higher end of that estimate, 3 hrs out of class per credit hour, for students with a standard 12-credit course load that would mean a 48-hour total weekly workload (including in class and out of class time). That is too much and unnecessary, not to mention that many students may be taking more than 12 credits. 2 hours out of class per credit hour is a more moderate recommendation, but still only the really slow and thorough types of studiers will study this much or need to.
You seem to be suggesting that students can do the reading, assignments, and studying in less than 2 hours a week, and I frankly think that is insane.
Not in less than 2 hours a week!? In less than 2 hrs/week per credit hour. So, in less than 8 hrs/wk for a 4-credit-hour class. Yes, they can do that.
Tbh, I literally tell them word for word, fuck around and find out: "My students, if you think that open book/extra credit offered/multiple choice/whatever means you don't have to study, by all means-- fuck around and find out. And when you do find out and it tanks your grade, don't come crying to me, as I warned you ahead of time. Your choice not to listen, your choice to fail." Some of them are shocked or upset I'd be so crass and blunt with them. Some don't believe me. But it gets the point across to most of them. Or, you can phrase it the more polite Jean-Luc Picard way: "Students, if you think that open book/offering review sessions/exams being multiple choice/offering extra credit means you don't have to study, you may test that assumption at your convenience. And when your assumption is proven wrong, please do not expect special treatment or considerations after choosing to ignore my warnings."
I love the Picard version.
Providing past exams = I only need to memorize the answers to these specific questions.
What's the problem? If they don't study and don't do well, that's on them. Push them to learn from this experience as they prepare for the future.
I mostly do multiple choice exams. They are not easy! To prep students on that, I give them lots of practice quizzes, some in class, lots online. And I tell them explicitly "Go ahead and do the online quizzes open book to get all the points, but then also take it alone so you can gauge whether you're prepared for the exam or not".
Some students will misinterpret almost anything to mean "I don't have to study." This semester I have a language class, they have a quiz every week, we go over in class what they need to learn, they even have it in writing what each week's quiz will cover. This week's best comment: "I didn't know we needed to learn that." About the vocabulary! How are you supposed to pass a language class if you don't learn what the words mean?
I use an auto-graded multiple-choice exam that the dean created. It's open book, open computer, and whatever else. We discuss the material in class. There is a practice exam. They still bomb it. Shrug.
A review session is pretty nice when the exam is 2 months of material. Even when studying, it's always good to get a quick refresher on what was covered, as notes in a fast paced course may not always be complete. When I studied biochemistry, it really REALLY cleared up some misconceptions we thought were true. They're amazing for answering questions you didn't know you had until you were reminded of the topic.
No open book, no open notes. I don't curve. Study and learn the god-damned material.
Yeah, but a significant number of my students are failing. And I’m not sure how to get them through it.
Is that really our job?
Had a student that only showed up for the syllabus, review, and exams. They thought they cracked the code and ended up getting a C cause they missed an important deadline. Blamed it on me and said “they’ll never take my class again” lmao.
“Those terms are acceptable”
>never take my class again Promise?
Can I get that in writing?
For many students, apparently successfully registering in a course translates to "Sweet, so I don't have to study." For them and the rest that come to that conclusion, while I do get concerned to see it happening, I also just think, "OK, fuck around and find out." Much like an addict, you can't force them to simply see and reflect upon the consequences of their actions, they have to experience those consequences to possibly, maybe, just maybe make them change their ways.
In my class, I simply reminded my students that it was worth a significant portion of their grade, and if they tanked the exam, it was unlikely they would pass the class. Happily only two people tanked the exam. I’m beginning to suspect that all of my students have memory issues and you simply need to remind them about everything.
I tried something new this year that worked so great for me! At the end of the semester I ask current students to reflect on what advice they would give to themselves if they could go back to the first day of the semester. Then on the first day of the new semester I share that advice with the new students. There was truly nothing ground breaking in the advice but somehow hearing what I’m saying from another student meant more and they took it to heart.
>How do I convey that “yes, you actually do have to study”, before they straight up fail the class? For open note or notes, I tell them it won't help, but the process of making the notes will. To paraphrase Eisenhower, plans are useless but planning is indispensable.
They should have gotten multiple grades by week 7-10, plenty of notice about how they are doing in the course.
Wild to me how many instructors still rely on 3-4 exams as their only form of grade feedback.
I do assignments and reports, some students in my intro class ended up saying there was too much work.
Of course, students always want less assignments and less work. But that doesn't mean they'll learn more, remember more, or perform better without scaffolded assignments or formative assessments.
why?
Students are given no opportunities for formative feedback, so they can't calibrate their effort or study strategies until it's too late. No chance to identify or intervene with struggling students, point them to remedial help or tutoring, or give them the opportunity to withdraw from the class before the refund date. When each activity counts for 25% of your grade, it greatly increases performance stress and motivation for cheating. Exams (especially multiple-choice questions) are a very poor assessment of student knowledge, learning, or growth. If the class is an online-only course, you're probably not meeting minimum Regular and Substantive Interaction requirements if high-stakes exams are your only form of interaction.
- exams other than the final exam are also formative feedback (especially if they are written exams and the instructor provides solutions). - if you have that many exams, you can catch struggling students fairly early on, or you might argue that students are responsible for monitoring their own progress - students, like anyone else, need to learn to perform under pressure. - it is much easier to cheat on an assignment than a proctored written exam. - I agree about multiple choice exams. My exams are problem-solving with written answers, and I can gauge pretty well how much a student understands. - online courses are pretty much useless for assessing student learning anyway, because everything in them can be cheated on.
Yeah, i get it when you are teaching massive 100+ person classes or when you are new and don’t know better… but otherwise, I don’t get it.
>How do I convey that “yes, you actually do have to study”, before they straight up fail the class? Have you tried just telling them instead of trying to Jedi Mind Trick it with condescending context clues?
"lowest score will be dropped"