I find by keeping everything real by explaining how the classroom is operated is a real eye opener to our students. I always explain in detail how things are in the real workforce and what employers are looking when hiring new employees in the kitchen. I feel that it's imparative to lay down the law on day one while going into great detail on the expectations in the classroom. Glenn

I know this may not work for every type of class but each term I have been working on converting 1-2 tests to online format. I have found that even the essay tests are easier to grade and the students appreciate getting to type them instead of write them. Then, I develop a "best" answer in the feedback and if the student is missing something I can just give them the answer that I developed. I don't have to rewrite the same feedback for each student that got the same question incorrect. I love it! Colleen

Just curious about what people think about giving homework points for completion and not accuracy? I teach a fundamental mathematics class and I toy with how to correct homework each term. I feel that the homework (at least in this class) is a time for the students to learn and master the skills from the course objectives and I don’t want to take points away from them for trying to learn things. I only assign homework that they have the answers to so they can validate their understanding, I start each class and “Fix” whatever the class didn’t understand from the homework, and then every meeting the class takes a quiz over the objectives we learned from the previous class. I would compare this system to a professional athlete getting paid to practice. Ultimately the only thing that matters is that they win the game, but they are still required to practice and penalized when they don’t.

Just a heads up, if you allow soda bottles in class watch out for the labels, I've seen students pull off the label, scan to a computer program and type in a cheat sheet where the ingredients and nutritional facts are. Makes you wonder why they don't put this effort in to studying huh?

Under the section "Strategies" this topic states that the angry student will be almost exclusively male, I found this to be the exact opposite. Maybe this is because I come off as intimidating to male students, maybe this is the nature of my industry and those types of people it attracts but, my position is one that deals with problem students that get out of their instructors control I can say definitively that 95%+ of what I consider angry students are female. "(the pronoun "him" is being used here because hostile and angry students will almost exclusively be male)."

I try to keep all of my students engaged by making personal connections with every student, every day. At the beginning of class we do a "line up" at which point I speak to the students on a "how are you today" basis, these daily discussions evolve as i get to know the students and can help with problematic students by adding an element of personal expectations. Once the students know that I truly care about their personal lives and that I am truly willing to assist in any way possible to help them be successful they develop a sense of pride and will do whatever it takes to be successful in my class at the risk of not letting me down.

The way you carry youself is important,it shows confidence.

I let the students know that the grade is important.The test is to help them figure out where they need to study/where they are lacking

Alot of students watch the clock, put important/interesting information at the end of class. The students forget about the clock and the last 30 minutes of class fly by.

Talking to the students weekly on the assignments that are due keeps them on top of what they need to do.

I was wondering if any of you have worked with these types of students and what methods you have found useful in dealing with them? How do you control them with regards to their impulsivity when it comes to answering questions, procrastination, etc? Thansk in advance.

I truly believe that having a glass or two of wine and beer can be beneficial to relieving stress. That's not to say one should abuse alcohol by any means, but there is much to say about the happiness and relaxing qualities a fine adult beverage can foster. There are also inherent health benefits, such as the French paradox and antioxidant qualities associated with red wines and dark beers specifically. Any thoughts on that?

Had a instructor that was hired on a saturday and started instructing on Monday ... students was very hard on her.

I have been utilizing Blackboard a lot in my classes. My students take in class exams online, so the grading is done for me, and they submit all of their assignments through Blackboard. This saves cabinet space and time. They also have access to a preview of my lecture which will help guide them in their reading. I think most are finding this delivery efficient.

one thing that on occasions has stressed me out is when Leadership gives me conflicting directions.generally this happens when you have more then one boss. quite often you then have to spend extra time to sort things out. this happens quite a bit in work places also.

Is it possible that by eliminating an unhealthy coping mechanism I have created more stress? I quit smoking and used to feel that it relieved stress. Once I quit, I thought it would be healthier for me, but I actually feel more stressed -- perhaps because I haven't found another healthy outlet to replace smoking. Thoughts?

I have a 45 minute commute and it is a source of stress, in that I have to drop off my daughter at school on my way in and barely arrive on time in the morning. On the way home, it has me coming home after 7PM, which eliminates the possibility of eating family meals or spending much time with my wife and children. I often arrive home achey and irritable, and this is clearly attributable to stress (particularly from the commute).

I use a variety of exams, depending on the subject matters. For certain classes, multiple choice and true/false makes the most sense but for a couple classes I teach I almost have to use essay exams. These classes are more on industry trends and opinions rather than concrete right or wrong answers, and an essay exam helps me evaluate how well students are truly comprehending the material and applying critical thinking. I know they take longer to grade, but I think they are far more accurate in assessing retention of material.

I just can't get in the habit of writing things down on a "to-do list" and find it difficult to adapt. I know I'm a bit of a procrastinator, but if things always get done on time and are of good quality, I find it hard to change my ways. My work seems to be better when I work under pressure. What difference does it make whether I have free-time now or later?

I find what stress me out is that I dont have enough time to get my on line stuff done. Once I finsh one item someone needes smoething right know. These people need to know that we need a little time to respond, to what they request. Like for example we finsh one paper and they e-mail us & say we need to do this paper by the end of the week. Sonetimes it is tuff, when you also have to teach.