College Chronicles: I Don’t Play

January 25, 2009 by nina
Filed under Blog It Out, Bitch

I am so annoyed that my hands shake as I type this.

I’m taking a Biology class, and it’s accompanying lab, online. Each week the quizzes, homework, and other assignments for the lecture are due on Friday and the lab materials are due on Monday.

This past week, the last anyone had heard from the instructor was on Tuesday the 20th. During the week, several students had expressed confusion over the materials, assignments, and due dates. And even though in the syllabus the instructor requests that we address all concerns on the message boards (so that when she answers for one, she is potentially helping several), she never responded. At some point I helped another student:

I just stopped on my hw. I couldnt understand the graph on12.1. Before I answered any more questions I need to understand how to interpret it. For ex: I only see one column of era’s listed, but she ask for different era’s. Plus I cant figure out how to determine when the abudance is high or low, and where that figure comes from. I studied till I couldnt stand it any longer ha! Any help from anyone would be most appreciated.

Diana

Diana,

This is what I think you want to do. Anyone who disagrees, please feel free to correct me.

Ok, looking at the graph on page 148…

Let’s take Eurypterids for first example. The graph goes from oldest to newest from bottom to top. So, that white area surrounding the Eurypterids is what you’re you looking at and the bottom point of it is when they first appeared. Looking over to the left you see that they first appeared in the Cambrian period and looking further left, you see it was during the Paleozoic era. Now as the white area goes upward, notice how it gets wider? Wherever it’s the widest is where the Eurypterids were the most abundant. I think it’s widest in the Silurian period (though she only asks for eras) and looking further left it’s still within the Paleozoic era. Now, if the white area stops at a point that means it’s extinct. As this one does. You see that the point is right at the line that marks the beginning of the Carboniferous period, and again, still within the Paleozoic era.

Now, look at the insects on the same graph. They first came about where their white area starts looking bottom to top. So, they began right at the start of the Carboniferous period and within the Paleozoic era. See how wide it is up top? They seem to have been most abundant in the Cenozoic era and because the white area doesn’t end in a peak before the graph ends, they’re not extinct, but extant.

I hope that makes sense, and I’ve interpreted this wrong, again, anyone feel free to correct me.

Diana, if you want to go over another example here to confirm that you got it, I’m game. Oh, and you read figure 12.2 the same way.

Nina

So, the week goes on without any word from the instructor. On Friday night I began working on the week’s assignment (Chapter 15) which was due on Saturday by midnight. By this point I had not only called her during her office hours (and gotten no response), but I also had emailed her… again, no response. Fed up on Friday night, I posted this to the message board with the subject, “Very Frustrated.”

1. There is still no word on if we are to turn in the table we filled out using the image bank from the lab exercise, and if so, how we should go about doing that. Those who tried to attach it to an email were told that was wrong.

2. I read Chapter 15, went through the study guide and both PowerPoint presentations. Then I did the practice quiz. There were at least four questions on there clearly marked “Chapter 18″ with words and phrases not covered in chapter 15.

3. I just did the homework for Chapter 15 and again the fill in the blank questions were vague and hard to understand. There were grammatical errors that seriously affected what your answer might be. One question on directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection was worded in such a way that it could have literally applied to two answers.

4. I read the lab chapter covering the same material, but the activities for that lab are not yet available under the learning module so that was only a small help.

I’ve tried reaching out to other students, and everyone else seems just as lost. If there are those out there on top of things, they’re not responding. We never got the study group chat room. There are no responses to our inquiries on the discussion boards, and my email and phone calls (during office hours) have not been returned.

I really do not want to log in tomorrow and flunk the Chapter 15 quiz because things aren’t clear, and any attempts at receiving clarification have gone unanswered. I took a lot of time out from four other classes, plus a five month old that’s not sleeping through the night, to study this chapter and it’s very frustrating to feel like you’re not going to do well. According to the syllabus, Mrs. Smith doesn’t check iCollege on the weekends except once on Sunday, yet everything is due by midnight tomorrow.

Yes, very frustrated. And now iCollege is going down in eight minutes until tomorrow morning. Perfect. Anyone who can provide any assistance is welcome to email me at my personal email nina@blogitoutb.com

This post received more than 20 responses from students who all agreed with me and expressed their frustrations. The same students who had been voicing concerns all week.

The instructor FINALLY logged on today (Sunday) and started responding first to the many comments on the lab’s discussion board. She thanked me for helping Diana, she addressed concerns that were now moot because students had submitted work for the deadline. She even posted a new thread saying she appreciated the comments because it showed that we were actively involved. I responded thanking her for recognizing that and even said that I understood that just like this wasn’t the only class most of us were taking, I’m sure it wasn’t the only class she was teaching.

I shouldn’t have been so nice. So, I logged into the lecture next and found this response to my “Very Frustrated” post:

Nina,

I know that this is easy to do, but I think that for comments like this. You should go to mail. I will not make any judgements about anything until I check the assignments submitted. If changes need to be made, I certainly will make suggestions or alterations.

I do know that if you do your homework assignments well, you will do on the tests.

Suppose you made 96 on the assignment? Then you have spent all of this energy for naught. And then brought on more confusion in the class.

I have seen you be very positive on other responses, I expect that from you in the future also.

For the others behind you. I will not make any comments. If you need to vent, and have concerns, we can talk personally. You can call my office at (insert number from which she doesn’t return calls here.) If I am not there please leave your telephone number so I can call you. Thanks for your cooperation.

Yes. She. Did.

The 96 she is referring to is my grade on the quiz for Chapter 15 in which she had questions for a chapter not assigned. Yes, I did well despite her mess of an exam.

Then I checked my email and found this email from her with the subject: “Chaos.”

Nina,

Please do not create chaos in my class. If you need to talk to me personally, please consider calling me at (useless number here.) I will call you back if I am not there.

YES. SHE. DID.

So then, I said…

I really don’t see how I caused any chaos or confusion. As stated in the syllabus, we were encouraged to voice questions and concerns in the message boards as they may be shared by several students and when you addressed them, that would ensure they were addressed for all.

All week there had been confusion as many students were voicing their questions and concerns to no response. Confusion and frustration that had nothing to do with me. As you noted in the lab discussion, I even helped other students when I was able to get a grasp on material others hadn’t.

I really don’t think it’s fair that I am being singled out in your online response when there’s a week’s worth of other students also voicing frustration and it is clearly encouraged in the syllabus. Why were the other students who responded not singled out?

I think it is completely reasonable to expect students to address concerns about vague questions, questions that seem to come from other chapters, and clarification on submission requirements in the message boards.

I did call you, I did email, and didn’t receive an answer until today, 24 hours after the material was due. My reaching out was not to cause confusion or chaos, or even criticize, it was done because I pay good money for these classes and I take my grades seriously. I don’t believe in asking questions after the deadlines. I had one bad experience with an online class and was advised by the department head to always voice such concerns ahead of time and in the open. I thought your policy listed in the syllabus supported the same. I guess I was wrong.

In the future, I will keep any questions or concerns I have over the material to emails or phone calls.

Thank you,

Nina

She JUST responded:

If you did well on the assignments, would you be fair enough to apologize to the students for causing such as uproar. Because again all was for naught.

Maybe we should meet with the dean and discuss our issues. We have a long way to go this semester, and I am not willing to communicate with you in a hostile manner each day.

Again, if you have personal issues, please call me on the phone, so that we can resolve issues in an appropriate manner.

I’m trying really hard not to lose my shit. For real. My response?

I don’t understand why I would need to apologize. One, I didn’t cause anything. Again, there are days and days of comments from other students voicing frustrations before I wrote one word on the message boards. My comment went up at five minutes to ten p.m. on Friday night. Students were complaining from Tuesday. How did I cause that? Secondly, I did well because I studied. I did well despite having to guess on questions in a chapter 15 quiz that were clearly labeled chapter 18.

We can definitely meet with the dean because of the fact that you equate asking questions in an open forum, as encouraged in the syllabus, and disagreeing with you in private with being hostile.

This is so far from personal. I am actually enjoying the material, and just want to make sure that what’s expected on exams, quizzes, homework, etc., is fair, clear, and consistent.

It’s really regrettable that you find this exchange hostile and personal, because it’s truly not on my part. I just honestly did not understand how I was labeled the “cause” of confusion that started before I said anything, AND managed to help others when I did.

I’ve never had to schedule a conference with a dean, so if there’s something I need to do on my part, just let me know.

Thank you,

Nina

Am I wrong? Seriously… tell me if I am.

I think she’s just mad because I said whatever everyone else had been saying, but prettier.