The first day of class is one of the most stressful days of the year--for students, and for instructors, too.
Students find out how impossibly much the instructor wants them to read and know by the bitter end of the term.
As an instructor, I have to be completely organized and ready. Got enough copies of the syllabus? (I hope so.) Remembered to get the secret codes that let me log on to the classroom computers? (Check.) Have the keys to unlock the drawer to get the keyboard and mouse out. (Yup.) Updated everything in the course for a new term? (Er, well, I'm working on it...)
Just the syllabus alone represents hours of work. It's the blueprint for the whole term, dictating deadlines for things like papers and exams. That means I have deadlines, too: I've got to get the exams to printing well before the exam date (weeks ahead during busy times of year, in fact). I've got to make updates to my lecture notes in time to put the notes online. (Yeah, I could just leave the lectures as they are, but then they'd get stale, like a day-old donut.)
Because of the stress on all sides, I don't start lecturing on The First Day of Class. I like students to have the lecture notes printed out first, for one. And even the textbook, if possible (even though you don't have to bring it to class). And then there's all the rampant course-shopping that often occurs. (I hate having to repeat my whole First Day of Class schpiel on the second day of class to people who won't be back for the third day of class anyways.)
After the exhausting First Day of Class, all that's left is...the rest of term.
Why aren't you studying?
The First Day of Class
The Marking
Just a short post to interrupt my marking. (Hmm, procrastination--another good topic a future blog post...)
Marking is not the most enjoyable thing. This fact has nothing to do with the quality of the answers. It's just awfully repetitive. I get to read answers to the same essay question over and over and over... This is by choice, mind you. When it comes to written/short-answer/long-answer I try to mark as many of the same question as I can, so that I can be as consistent in marking as possible.
So I get a fresh cup of coffee (hmm, coffee--another good topic for a future blog post...), put on some quiet music and concentrate on marking. This is difficult, as interruptions and distractions are many. Luckily, it's just me and the baby this afternoon. Awesomely, I've discovered the perfect music solution for both of us: Rockabye Baby!
These are baby lullabies of rawk songs, and improbably include songs from:
- The Beatles
- U2
- Bob Marley
- Coldplay
- No Doubt
- Metallica
- Led Zeppelin
- Radiohead
- Green Day
- Nine Inch Nails
- AC/DC
- and more.
You've never lived (as a parent) until you've heard American Idiot, Enter Sandman, or Highway to Hell played as a gentle, soothing lullaby. Insidious, bizarre, and just about the only way to simultaneously satisfy both a cranky 3-month-old and a cranky psychology instructor. (Country music fans, don't feel left out: check out Hushabye Baby.)Why aren't you studying?
The Links
Now that lectures are over, it's time for learning to: continue. By now, being a student of psychology, you've seen just how broad this field is. Well, I'm a student of psychology, too. (OK, so I'm not officially a "student," but I love continuing to learn about psychology--which, really, is learning about ourselves.) I try to stay up-to-date on interesting and important research. A good way to get a general view of things is to follow a number of blogs.
Here are some of the blogs I read for education, for interest, and for entertainment. You might even see some of the things that are written about in these blogs appear in lectures.
- Mind Hacks. Although this Mind Hacks is a really good book on psychology, the blog goes way beyond that. It covers topics from art and aesthetics to hard-core neuroscience and bogus science. Vaughn is the main poster; I don't know how he keeps up the pace. Consistently excellent.
- Scientific American Mind Matters. Postings often include full-text articles from Scientific American Mind magazine. Eclectic and interesting, but a bit too much brain-focused. Still, there are many high-quality postings.
- Discover Mind & Brain. A companion to the print magazine Discover. Not quite as good overall as the preceding two blogs. Postings do not occur as frequency either. Also very brain-centric, which probably helps to attract readers.
- jnd.org. Usability "guru" Don Norman writes articles about design, science, and human factors/ergonomics. You can read his monthly column for Interactions magazine here, but there are lots of other neat things. One post made me run out and get a new stapler. Woot!
Why aren't you studying?
The Professor of the Month
The Undergraduate Psychology Association has very kindly featured me on their website as "Professor of the Month" for March. (Yeah, so there's only one more day of March. That's OK; the UPA is a volunteer organization--what have you volunteered for lately?) It's not an award or anything; it's an in-depth all-you-ever-wanted-to-know interview. Or at least as much as I could spew out in 18 minutes. (Thanks to Dan L. for interviewing me--and sorry I was in such a rush!)
The Textbook Change
I don't like changing textbooks. It's a huge hassle for a number of reasons. I like my lecture notes to be organized around the textbook I'm using. (Not to say that I repeat what's in the textbook, but minimally, I try to lecture on things in the same order as they are presented in the book.) So changing books means rearranging all my lectures. Plus, I'll have to rewrite the exams to reflect the material presented in the new text and take out questions based on the old one.
The Question on Grade Inflation
In a recent open comment, Anonymous (A studious student) had some pretty serious accusations (sorry, sorry, “questions”!) about grades and evaluations. I’d like to address those questions--not just in another comment, but in full postings. In my last post, I discussed the possible link between grades and teaching evaluations. This post addresses the third of several claims/questions/concerns.
Question: “What is your thought on grade inflation?”
To the extent it exists, it sucks. But I don’t know how prevalent it is. In talking to my colleagues, I’ve found sentiment is universally against it. But then, like I wrote in my last post, maybe we’re all doing it subconsciously anyway.
Claim: “it is getting more and more difficult for me to set myself apart from other students...By 4th year, ~20% of the class is expected to receive an A/A+”
Going to GFC policy on approved grade distributions, it is expected that in 4th year courses, 37% of students are expected to obtain a letter grade of A- or higher, and 20% are indeed expected to receive either an A or A+.
What is this, officially prescribed grade inflation? I can’t speak for GFC, but I’ll give you my view. By the 4th year, there has been some weeding out. Students who have not been able to handle the material have changed majors, or maybe have even left university. So the students who are left are, in general, more capable than those in, say, first year. Also, class sizes at the 400 level are smaller, giving you more access to the instructor, which (I would hope) impacts grades.
So yes, it is literally harder for you to set yourself apart from other students--in terms of grades. But there are other things you can do to differentiate yourself. Talk to your instructors; show interest in what they’re teaching. I’ve formed great relationships with students over the years in part because they did more than just show up to class. In fact, I’ve been privileged to be able to help some of them advance their academic careers, too. (It’s been great watching people go from being undergrads to being practicing psychologists, or holding other positions of importance in the real world!)
Concern: “salary is partially determined by these evaluations (I think), so professors/lecturers have greater incentive to give higher grades.”
Yes, you are correct. Even though evals are not supposed to be the sole determinant of teaching, sadly, those numbers may be the only representation of teaching on my yearly review. I am not a number! There is an incentive to give higher grades only if there is a belief that doing so will result in better evals and thus performance increments. I can’t give you any statistics on this one, and I wouldn’t want to. I don’t want to imply that my colleagues are so shallow. Rather, in working with them on the AASUA Teaching and Learning Committee and in other groups, going to teaching seminars put on by University Teaching Services, and in talking with them one-on-one, I find them--to a person--to be hardworking, dedicated, and committed to doing the best teaching job they possibly can. This is not puffery; I am not stoking anyone’s ego. If the University of Alberta were not seriously interested in the importance of teaching, I would have thrown in the towel and left.
Claim: “Even to this day, most believe that Harvard grades are meaningless.” I have no data on this, and cannot speak to this. Even if the grades are meaningless, I know for a fact that a degree from Harvard is not meaningless. In fact, it can be a ticket to more money than I’ll ever see. I know your University of Alberta degree has value; there are too many people working hard for the reputation of the whole university go down the drain. And I don’t think that’s going to change.
To be sure, the issues you have raised are important ones, and they are being discussed and considered on campus (and on other campuses, too). I hope I have not dismissed your valid comments, concerns, and criticism. Instead, I’ve tried to pull the curtain aside and let you hear my thoughts and ideas. I’m impressed that you have been considering these issues, and have brought them forward for discussion. That’s what I wanted in this blog, and boy did I get it--thanks!
Why aren’t you studying?
Update 3/21/2009: Just found out about the website GradeInflation.com. Are instructors inflating grades, are students getting better, are teaching techniques improving, or is it something else?
The Question on Higher Grades and Teaching Evaluations
In a recent open comment, Anonymous had some pretty serious accusations (sorry, sorry, “questions”!) about grades and evaluations. I’d like to address those questions--not just in another comment, but in full postings. In my last post, I tried to make the case that I don’t always give out “higher grades,” although there is a tendency for higher grades to appear in some of my classes. This post addresses the second of several claims/questions/concerns.
Question: “Do you think your preoccupation about evaluations are one reason why you are willing to give out relatively higher grades?”
You know what people’s greatest fear is? Public speaking. So how would you like to teach a course? That’s what my graduate supervisor asked me one day. Now, it wasn’t a question. No, it was more of a prediction about the future: You’re going to teach a course. Gulp.
Back in my day, there weren’t any how-to seminars for graduate students to learn about teaching like they have now. The preferred method was to throw you in the deep end and walk away, leaving you to thrash around, coughing and sputtering, waving your arms frantically. This is, of course, terrifying. How are you supposed to improve? How do you know what you are doing wrong, or maybe even, doing right? The answer came a month after my first course ended: teaching evaluations.
The students I taught were very understanding, and gave me some really good constructive feedback on improving my teaching. Incredibly, the students who I had been trying to teach had ended up teaching me some valuable lessons of my own. (I know, this sounds like every Hollywood movie set in a classroom that’s ever been filmed. If anyone is interested in buying my script, please get in touch with my agent.)
So, obviously, reading evals is like eating chips--bet you can’t eat just one! Am I addicted? Am I so desperate to hear nice things about myself that I will pander to students by pumping up their grades?
Answers: 1) I dunno. 2) Geez, I sure hope not.
As it turns out, the AASUA’s Teaching and Learning Committee has been looking at the issue of the validity of teaching evaluations for the past couple of years. As it also turns out, I know this because I’m on this committee. So I have some actual (but general) answers--not just facetious ones.
Is there a statistical link between higher expected grades and evaluations of teaching? Yes. “Class-average grades are correlated with class-average student’s evaluations of teaching, but the interpretation depends on whether grades represent grading leniency, superior learning, or pre-existing differences” (Marsh & Roche, 1997, p. 1194). So what is the correlation? Unsurprisingly, there is a range, which usually goes from 0.10 up to 0.30; the “best estimate” is taken to be probably about 0.20 (Marsh & Roche, 1997). That’s a correlation, but it’s a pretty weak one. In terms of the overall variance in evaluation scores, grade expectations account for less than 10%. If an instructor decides to pump up his or her ratings by inflating grades (and risking his or her career), the payoff isn’t there--there are too many other things that influence the ratings.
Coming back to me, though (because it is all about me). Am I inflating grades to get good evaluations?
Answers: 1) I dunno. 2) Geez, I sure hope not.
I don’t want to know. I do a lot of statistics on the performance of my classes. (I’ll eventually post about how I use point-biserial correlations to analyze exam performance. Your eyes are guaranteed to glaze over! Woot!) I know, for instance, that student evaluations of me are positively correlated with their evaluations of the textbook (r = 0.498 last time I calculated). This is useful information: it’s really important to find a textbook students like. But, duh, I know that anyway. Why is this related to me, is it just spurious?
But I have not, do not, and will not calculate or correlate my evaluations with student performance. I’m not going to take any student rating of my teaching and compare it with the median, mean, or mode of the marks in any of my classes. Why? I don’t want to know. If I’m unconsciously, unknowingly giving out higher marks to get better evals, that’s one thing. But if I’m doing that willfully, consciously, that’s unethical--it’s just wrong.
It may look like I’m preoccupied with evaluations. I do mention them in class, and even put the evaluation date on the syllabus (we are supposed to tell students when evals are going to take place, ya know--I read the fine print). But telling you about how good my evals are, I think, makes my job harder: your expectations increase. In contrast, if I tell you that I really suck and then I kinda don’t, maybe you’ll be happy and give me a good rating.
So maybe it works against me. You think you’ve got this instructor who thinks he’s hot as snot, but turns out to be awful. So you burn me on the evaluations. I welcome that. As long as you tell me what I did wrong, I can still learn and improve. I can try harder next time. Maybe someday I can be as good as the instructors who inspired me to go into this psychology business in the first place, like my graduate supervisor.
I’ll address the remaining concerns expressed by Anonymous in my next post.
Why aren’t you studying?
References:
Marsh, H. W., & Roche, L. A. (1997). Making students’ evaluations of teaching effectiveness effective: The critical issues of validity, bias, and utility. American Psychologist, 52, 1187-1197.
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