Hi my name is Mary, I'm in your ESP and Aliens course. I just wanted to let you know that there was a problem with the exam you gave today. Everything was fine until the end, where you asked [a question about a video]. Remember that you had technical problems that day, and we couldn't watch it in class. Last night I tried very hard to watch all the videos, beginning with the first day of class, but I had similar technical problems.MaryIt was not my fault that I could not watch this video, and I do not want this to affect my grade.
Dear Mary,
Let me make sure I understand which video you're talking about. Wasn't this the one that we were to have watched over two weeks ago? This is the one where I said that everyone needed to watch it at home before the next class, right? And I think I mentioned at the time that it would be fair game for the exam? I think the question also referred to a scene from that video that we discussed during lecture on the following day, right? I think that discussion occurred over a week and a half ago, and I recall saying again at that time that you would be responsible for watching the video if you hadn't already. Then I'm pretty sure that I reminded everyone again last week before the exam that the videos would be covered on the exam. Right?Angry Professor
Are ya pickin' up what I'm puttin' down here?
6 comments:
Are ya pickin' up what I'm puttin' down here?
Someone's been channeling Dr. Cox from Scrubs.
You go, AP.
hey, creepo, yer student said she had technical difficulties.
do yer damn job and pick videos that work next time.
Sweet anonymous coward: well, she has "technical difficulties" trying to watch the videos the night before the exam ("Last night", she writes).
From what AP writes, there was more than one occasion available to actually try and watch the videos. I understand that evenings might be booked out with parties and all, but doing stuff like this on the night before the exams sucks precisely because if you have technical difficulties you are hosed.
If Mary had tried to access the videos right away and failed, she could have written to AP and pointed out the problem and AP could have gone to the IT department with a big stick and beat them up about it. She can't do that after the fact.
If we make'em read books, they bitch they want videos. If we make'em watch videos, they have technical difficulties and want the points for free.
Maybe we should have them install USB connections in their heads and we just upload the course content?
I have "Mary"s in my classes, too....
Wisewoman - the funny thing about my "technical difficulties" is that they had nothing to do with the video: the audio cable was pulled out from the computer, which was inside a locked cabinet.
I found anonymous amusing.
I've got an older student trying his damnedest to get by on what he thinks is "charm" - when that doesn't work he rapidly devolves to excuses. Few things will irritate me more quickly.
We have a weekly paper, for which the policy is: you can miss one paper for free, but no late papers are accepted. He didn't come to class last week, didn't email me about it, brought last week's paper to this week's class, and is now aggrieved that all the rules apply to him too - no credit for either paper (since he didn't write this week's). The other students who have missed class have emailed their papers with no problem. But he "can't keep up with these young pups," and he's got a family and job and other classes and "oh I must have handed in the wrong paper I know I spell checked it can my grade be brought up," and and and surely you see professor none of this is my fault.
I'm venting here, so that I can get some sleep tonight. Thank you.
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