I have a test-tacular* month approaching. It starts tonight with my second chem exam, resumes next week with my first calculus exam and ends in November with my 4th kyu Aikido test. I was most nervous about my calc exam because it constitutes 1/3 of my grade, but then I received an email from my professor that contained this:
"I was frightened by how the "in-class group quiz" went last night. I want to encourage you all to devote a significant amount of time to preparing for this exam. If you have only been doing the "hand-in" assignments and not doing the homework problems assigned from each section this is NOT enough. I highly recommend that you take the time to go back and do these problems. They are listed on the course website."
UGH! The in-class group quiz wasn't a quiz. Basically, Professor Calc handed out last year's test and asked us to do five of the problems before leaving class. She wrote the answers to the problems on the board, so we just had to show all our work to get credit. The five problems would constitute a quiz grade.
Before the class took the in-class group "quiz," we took a 15-minute break. It was obvious that, during the break, Annoying Geology Guy, I Don't Get It Dude and I Hate School Dude got stoned. How do I know? Maybe it was the skunky marijuana smell that filled the room after they came back in. Or, perhaps it was their dilated, bloodshot, glazed-over eyes. They were the people that had a hard time with the quiz...and let everyone know with their loud sighs of frustration. It's no wonder the quiz was difficult for them...
In the end of her email, Professor Calc let us know that we could use a 3X5 note card for the exam, which she was completely opposed to before the in-class quiz catastrophe. I wish that she would let each and every one of those guys just fail. After all, it's their lack of effort, not her teaching, that's screwed them.
*Yes, I am aware that this sounds like "testicular."
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2 comments:
Wait, so your professor is changing some of the rules of the class because of three students' behaviors? How many people are in your class?
I sucked at calculus when I took it, so if I were in your situation I'd probably be relieved...but I still understand why you're upset. The class shouldn't be dumbed down because of some lazy outliers.
Yes...she is. There's only about 18 of us in the class. I'm sure more than three of the students had a hard time, but that's to be expected (it's a test on ALL the material we've covered and I'm sure nobody bothered to review it all at this point).
I'm pretty happy about the notecard. It'll make things easier. But you're right; dumbing down the class is, well, dumb. If people don't understand Calculus, then they need to be in another class. It goes back to the "life isn't fair" thing.
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