my life

I was debating if / how to contact you just to say I enjoy your postings on II/BB … I suspected you were a teacher but I am impressed that not only are you a college level instructor but at The Air Force Academy … After reading how packed your daily schedule is how do you find time/ energy to post on the II / BB ??

Long time, no post.
Hope you get a holiday break from your posh job.

Oh My,
Are you allowed to post any of the papers? This sounds great! Not the eating of children of course, but I always fancied an argument: Why women should be statutorily required to always say “YES!” - Just think of the world peace (pun intended) involved. I would love to quote the many sources.

Hi diana, this is mnala.

Our department here uses turnitin. It amazes me that students KNOW that they can be discovered yet still plagarize. Then, like you described, they deny, deny, deny.

After going to work yesterday and discussing my misgivings and subsequent plans with two colleagues–each of which has also run into problems with this paper with their students–I decided instead to create a rubric. I arranged it in four major areas: Mechanics (worth 40 points), Organization (worth 25 points), Argument (worth 20 points), and Documentation (worth 15 points). At this point, I’m unforgiving in mechanics, as they know my standards. Mechanical requirements in this paper were nothing new. Moreover, I feel strongly that this basic skill is the building block of all the others; it is easily the most important of the categories (in a comp class). Organization also was worth a great deal because (1) we’ve done it before, and (2) I gave them the outline to use. There was no guesswork involved. We’ve discussed some argument, but I placed the most emphasis upon logos, ethos, avoiding unsupported assertions and addressing obvious counterarguments (if I got some pathos, I was tickled pink). Documentation is largely a matter of being bothered to look something up and follow directions, but they’re new to it; hence, it was worth only 15 points of the total.

Each major area is broken down into compartments which are worth a certain amount of pointage. For example, 10 points of Mechanics is dedicated to punctuation, spelling, capitalization, notation (knowing how to properly note titles), and…something else. Thus, for copious errors in any or all of those specific areas, the student may lose no more than 10 points on the paper. This is to keep me from becoming disgusted and marking it down a letter grade because he can’t figure out commas or something.

I’ve graded 15 today (between 0600 and 1500, when I took my first break) by the rubric, granting as many points as I could bring myself to. Interesting result: almost none of the grades changed. In three instances, the grades actually dropped several points.

These grades will stick. No Santa. Most of their grades were based on things they should have already mastered.

Today, I gained a great deal of confidence in my ability to be objective even without the rubric. However, I plan to use rubrics henceforth–and give them to the students when I assign the paper, so they know what I want. After I fill it out, they know exactly why they got the grades they did, and they know–if they care–what to work on to improve their grades.

d

Diana,

I suppose that’s part of learning discernment: knowing which parts of the job are open to interpretation and which parts are not.

Still, you have a point: if everybody did poorly, there’s probably a common point of difficulty that’s outside the students’ control. And if the students in the other classes did just as poorly, it’s not likely to be a single instructor, either.

Based on how you’ve described the assignment here it doesn’t seem like a hard concept to grasp: identify a problem, propose a solution, support the solution and address likely complaints. And use made-up sources. (Are you teaching these people to work for the NY Times?) But for kids who’ve spent all their lives in school, maybe the concept of a piece of non-fiction based on fictional data is just too much of a stretch.

Dave

I’ve always had the same problem with curving, Dave. I feel as though I’m going against my own basic principles on this matter. However, almost none of them apparently “got” the assignment. I’m afraid the grades as they stand will just crush them without accomplishing anything. Of course, my goal is to teach, and I don’t see this as teaching anything, and I can’t be certain that the assignment (or my explanation of it) wasn’t somehow flawed, in order for them ALL to do so poorly.

Our course director thunk up the assignment. I thought it was a fresh and interesting idea to TELL them to create their own sources and their own supporting facts. I’m afraid I didn’t emphasize the need for those sources to pretend to be reliable and authoritative (yes…I have heard of “shock the teacher” ;)) and the support to contribute to thoughtful, well-balanced support for their proposal.

The whole assignment is a train wreck, and as the conductor, I can’t plead complete innocence. Hence, I’m rethinking my position.

I’ve come to realize that when I tell them to enjoy writing their papers, they interpret that to mean that anything goes. To a man (so to speak), they lose sight of the educational purpose of the exercise.

d

Diana,

Once again I wish I was in your class. I think that assignment sounds like fun. I’ve been making things up and building elaborate stories around them for years. (Once upon a time I thought it would be fun to write science fiction. Still do, in fact.) Having to make up references would be even more fun. (Ever play “Shock the Teacher"?) But I guess not everybody is quite the nerd that I am.

Who developed this assignment? You said all the freshman English teachers had to use it. Is it a “we’ve always done this” thing, or somebody trying out a new theory of education? (When Dad taught drafting the school had to do some sort of weird state-mandated record keeping for each student. At an advisory committee meeting I said it sounded like somebody’s PhD thesis. Found out later it was - some kid who had a friend on the state Board of Education had come up with the idea for his dissertation.)

I never cared much for curve grading, although I tended to do well when it was applied. It just seemed wrong that my grade was based on other people’s performance. I guess I wasn’t what you’d consider a team player.

Dave

Early modern. Marlowe, Johnson, Shakespeare…~17th C to ?

Chaucer is fun. Depending on the audience, natch. ;)

d

Diana,

Believe me, I understand not having the time. life’s been hectic here too, and I imagine my own journal entries reflect that. They’re pretty terse.

I figured you could do the freshman comp stuff in your sleep. The literature is what seems to excite you.

What sort of lit is Brit lit? Or rather, what period would that encompass? (My older PhD candidate friend had a hell of a good time teaching Chaucer.)

Dave

Hi, Dave. :)

Sorry for my hiatus. As you can see, I haven’t had time. I got today off, but only because I wasn’t teaching (they designated Vet’s Day as a “teach and go” day for those who have classes; I have no class, so I stayed at home).

I’m quite sure I’ll be more comfortable with the material next semester, even though I’m selecting almost all new texts for my lit course (not only will this expand my repertoire and prepare me for a PhD program, but it will be more interesting than retreading texts I’ve become bored with). However, my boss strongly suggested I audit a Brit lit class next semester in addition to the courses I’m teaching in order to extend my literature education and prep me for the PhD.

I’m already pretty comfy with the freshman comp classes. I’ll completely rework my syllabus next semester because this one strikes me as backwards, but I can teach the day-to-day classes without much trouble.

Oh…I just found out this week that my tour here is four years instead of three. I may still leave at the two-year point to start my PhD…or it may be wiser for me to wait three years before starting it. More on that later.

d

Diana,

It’s good to hear from you again. I was beginning to think the topic of your previous post might have sapped your enthusiasm for your job. I should know better. Feel free to chastise me as you see fit for doubting you.

Wasn’t the Peace Corps supposed to be “the toughest job you’ll ever love"? Sounds like you’ve found an alternative. (I think parenthood is, myself, but I’m not up to herding as many teenagers as you do.)

As for feeling like a two-bit hack, most people who feel that way are actually above average. The people that don’t feel that way either don’t care about their jobs or have an overly high opinion of themselves. I’ve had all kinds of teachers; give me one who’s willing to learn and we’ll both do well.

(Funny story on being “good enough": President Bush was at a town meeting here last year to talk about Social Security and spoke to a college sophomore. He asked the student if he was getting all As, and the student said he hoped so. The President replied, “Well, don’t worry about it. That won’t disqualify you from being President.")

I suspect after you’ve taught for a few semesters (or whatever time unit you use) you’ll know your material well enough that you won’t be spending quite so much time in prep. I don’t believe you’ll slow down, though. I believe you’ll find other things to occupy your time.

I agree with you on scheduled visits by superiors and the associated preparation. If they want to see the “state of the business” they’re not getting it, they’re getting a dog & pony show instead. But when your regular day still compares well against everyone else’s best efforts, you know you’re doing well. (And so do the visitors. They usually see through the facade.)

Dave

Hi, Judy. :)

No. Nothing. This could draw out for months, from what my colleagues* have told me.

* This sounds so inclusive when Maj Lovrak uses it in reference to all of us in the department, even those of us she outranks both militarily and academically. Somehow, it feels mildly pretentious when I use it. Hm.

I’ll let y’all know when more develops and what comes of it. I can say, however, that Ted is still in my class, having chosen to not WF (withdraw failing). He may pass my class, but does not have much of a shot at a good grade, even with my unbiased-as-possible grading.

d

Any further developments? I’m on tenterhooks.

Diana,

Evil hates the light of day. As long as you and he were the only ones that knew about his transgression he could keep his nerve. Word’s getting out now.

I wonder if his parents know about the trouble he’s in.

Dave

Ted began to show signs of stress in front of the cadet “investigating committee,” if that’s what you call them. Not much, mind you, but I can now see signs of strain and, yes, mild concern on his part. He came in and admitted that he’d either been lazy or stupid, but that he had not understood that even using ideas from his sources was plagiarism. He claimed to have gone to other online sources to get his ideas (and admitted not citing them as he now realizes he should have) then claimed he had not seen the essay in question online nor had he ever accessed this source.

Oh, wait a minute. There’s more. Allow me to fill you in.

In prep for this meeting (called the “formal clarification"), I typed into Google the first line of the essay he’d turned in hard copy for a grade and it took me straight to GradeSaver.com (ClassicNotes). The entire essay was there. (The electronic copy he’d submitted to me when I asked for it was different from the hard copy). It turns out that the hard copy was 6 full pages of lifted material directly from the same source with the exception of 37 words, which he’d changed. He’d also obviously removed references to professional critics, as well as some of the words I forbid my students to use (the easy ones to remove, that is; it was too much work to get the more difficult ones out, which was most of them).

When I took showed this evidence to the honor cadets, the main one–the firstie who was leading the proceedings–told Ted pointblank (twice) that he thought he was lying. The firstie was trying to decide whether the lie should be pursued through a separate honor board….

About that point, Ted began to show some stress.

The jury of his peers will have no pity. I’m quite sure of it. (If they do, I wonder what would be necessary, then, to prove plagiarism: a videotape of him in action cutting and pasting then revising and handing it in shot by the pope himself?)

d

Argument from the Heart:
My heart beats when I am asleep or unconscious. Therefore God exists.

I heard this yesterday at IIDB Existence of God/s forum. I thought I’d heard them all, but this just stunned me so much so that I couldn’t even reply.

Kathy,
I didn’t think you were being harsh enough! But then I’m an admitted control freak as well. And that’s what we train these kids to accept and even become. (not that delegation isn’t a requesite as well)

Rog

Hi Roger,

Just to clarify: I wasn’t suggesting that _Diana_ would be too controlling if she booted the kid. I just threw in the “rigid control freak” line to explain where _I_ was coming from, in case I seemed a bit harsh.

K

Are you kidding? Give him both barrels and see where the chips fall. These guys (and gals) all knew what they signed up for when they entered the academy. Sympathy is found between two other nasty words in the dictionary. Is his position tenable for a freshman? Maybe at a junior college. Not a academy. Sorry, but where Kathy hinted it would be controlling, I would say “Yup. that’s the goal”
I know that I had ABSOLUTELY no tolorance (Not to go there again) when it came to another Cadet even thinking about cheating (or plagerism) as the case may be. It’s true you will have a significant impact on this kids future if he gets booted. But then the system is set up so only so many of them will get through anyway. What if his plagerism gets him through and some honest kid falls below the minimum. When I was at USSMA the dean put out a memo (and being federal public knowledge we found it quickly) that said our class was not experiencing the attrition we should, so all professors please increase the difficulty of testing to more will fail. Wow! You wanna see kids run for the hills. There was not a study group for 2 quarters - every man for himself. The good news is that he didn’t get caught in his 1st Class year - That’s a tough one.

Love,
Rog