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[slac_vap]

This e-mail message came from a student in my 10:30 class; it was sent at 10:45.

"dear dr. grinnellns--i'm kinda not in class right now.  where are u?  can i come turn in my paper?"

Actually, my favorite part is the "kinda not in class" part.  As my mother would say, is she also kinda not pregnant?

[scheherazade]

This e-mail message came from a student in my 10:30 class; it was sent at 10:45.

"dear dr. grinnellns--i'm kinda not in class right now.  where are u?  can i come turn in my paper?"

Actually, my favorite part is the "kinda not in class" part.  As my mother would say, is she also kinda not pregnant?

My favorite part was the "where are u?" question during class time.  As if the professor would email back, "At coffee shop.  Skipped cls.  Meet 4 brkfst?  Thx!"

[comp_queen]

Wow, redding! Nicely done! May I borrow your so-diplomatic wording for my next Snotleigh?

The student does have a small point though.

You, or someone else in charge, should have left a sign or note in the original room for the duration of the event.

Even someone who HAD arrived on time could have stepped out to the bathroom and missed the switch.

[octoprof]

Dr. Octoprof,

Hi im sorry to bother you again but i have read over chapter 7 over and over
and i cant seem to understand how to get the variances for the sales volume,
the flexible budget or the efficiency variance. I am stuck on how to work
that problem on the practice exam. I have went over my homework and the
text. I really am having a hard time with this i dont understand why. Please
help me understand this material i have to do good on this exam and i really
want to im going to continue to study no matter what i just wish i
understood this material so i could do extra problems for practice. Please
expalin to me ho to get this i know the formula for the efficiency variance
but i cant seem to get it to work for anything i do. Im having a hard time
with the must have chocolate and the comfy chair problems. Again im sorry to
bother you i just really want to do good on this exam but i cannot move on
from these problems.

Thank You,

Mary Jones

Context: Junior level course, so student is junior or senior.  All exercises or completely similar ones have been solved in class. 

[maybe]

HELLO PROF. JMAYBE  I'M STUDENT-WHO-WRITES-IN-ALL-CAPS.I JUST WANTES TO KNOW SOMETHING.ARE WE SUPPOSE TO GO TO THE CLASS ON MONDAY OR WE GO RIGHT AHEAD TO THE COMPUTER LAB?I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!TAHNKYOU!

[oseph]

I don't think I've ever heard of 'must have chocolate and comfy chair problems' cited as reasons for failure -- at least I assume that's how they are being used in octoprof's student's email.  In any case, I may start including that on syllabi --

3.  You are allowed two unexcused absences each term.  No additional absences will be permitted unless a serious circumstance arises (e.g., hospitalization, major family emergency, etc. -- documentation will be required).

4.  Each assignment is due at the beginning of class on the date listed on the syllabus.  No late assignments will be accepted.

5.  Failure to turn in assignments will result in the loss of 5 points off of your final grade.  No exceptions will be made, since you have ample opportunity to ask questions about the work in class and in section, as well as during my office hours.  Unfortunately, this policy is firm, even when you encounter such serious obstacles as must have chocolate and comfy chair problems.

[mountainguy]

Dear Professor Mountainguy:

I really liked the homework assignment we did last class. It was nice of you to ask us for our personal opinions becuze it makes it easy for me to answer. Most of your other assignments were really hard because I had to do the reading and stuff. BTW, I will be missing class next week so I can start my spring break trip early (LOL). Will I be missing anything important?

sincerely,

Clearly Clueless

----------------------------------------

Considering that the homework directions said NOT to include one's personal opinions in their answers,  Ms. Clueless doesn't have much left to miss.

[octoprof]

I don't think I've ever heard of 'must have chocolate and comfy chair problems' cited as reasons for failure -- at least I assume that's how they are being used in octoprof's student's email.  In any case, I may start including that on syllabi --

"Must Have Chocolate" is a problem about a company that makes chocolate truffles for which the student must calculate flexible budget variance, sales volume variance, materials price variance, materials efficiency variance, etc.

"Comfy Chair Company" is a problem in which the student must compute overhead variances for a company that manufactures recliners.

I try to make the accounting as un-boring as I can!  I also had a problem for cost allocation in a service firm in which the students owned a political consultancy company and their (two) clients were the current democratic frontrunners. "How much indirect cost should be allocated to Obama?" "How much direct labor cost should be allocated to Clinton?"

See, it's not all just about the numbers. :o)

And, I might bring chocolate truffles to class for test day.

[yemaya]

And, I might bring chocolate truffles to class for test day.

You wouldn't have any of those chocolate truffles around now, would you.  *Hopeful look*

[oseph]

Thanks, octoprof.  Although I liked it better when I thought that the student was unable to work the problems because s/he was in a food coma induced by chocolate s/he could not resist, said food coma made worse by the comfy chair s/he had chosen.  I suspect these elements are responsible for student failure more often than we know...

[math_prof]

This just in:

Hi i was wondering if you could possibly put the solutions to the practice
test you gave us i know you posted the answers but i wanted to see the steps
of how to work them so i can see what im doing wrong since we didnt get a
chance to work through them in class!!!!! That would be of great help.

Thank You,

Melanie Smith




Context: This is a 300 level accounting course. They are mostly second semester juniors or later.  I gave a practice exam in class and provided answers to it. I did not solve all the problems in class, but worked more homework problems on the same topics (they'd already previously worked homework on these topics). I was going for the maximum amount of reinforcement in the time available.

She is not asking for the answers to the practice test (I gave those in class and on the website), but solutions showing the detail of how to work each problem, I presume like the solutions in the "solutions manual."  These problems didn't come out of a manual, I made them up. I want them to learn how to work them (I've worked at least two examples of each type in class by now, sometimes three or four), which does require a bit of effort on their part.

Here is my response.  What do you think?


Melanie,

The answers to the practice exam are on the website. There are no handy "solutions" files for these practice exams, which I have created just for your class.

You should be able to work through each problem (they are all similar to homework problems you have already worked).  This is the purpose of the practice exam: For you to get practice. 

If you can't work through a particular problem, then go back and look at the similar problems you have worked in your homework (and we have gone over in class).  This is a form of studying.  Additionally, you might want to review the related section of the textbook, yet another way to study.

Since you also have the answers to look at, that should help you figure out any mistakes that you haven't yet figured out by going back to your homework notes or using the textbook.  This is also a form of studying.

I'm not at all trying to be sarcastic in my response, but rather I'm trying to help you learn how to study.  Using a variety of study methods and problem solving methods will help you learn the material better (in this class as well as others).  In fact, I might post these suggestions on the website for the whole class.

If you get stuck on any, after trying both to work them and also to solve them using the answers if you can't work them, you are welcome to email me with specific questions or drop by the office and we'll work one together.

Dr. O.

OP:  You are completely justified in thinking that this student is asking for too much here.  You have already gone out of your way to provide a practice exam at all...many professors wouldn't have gone that far.  I am in the same position right now, having posted a practice exam as well as an answer key but without completely worked out solutions to each problem.  I won't be providing these for the same reason as you- they're not going to learn anything if they can just look at the whole solution process.  They have plenty of worked out examples from their class notes and textbook examples.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your response except for the "I'm not trying to be sarcastic..." line.  Your email doesn't sound sarcastic, so there's no need to call attention to it.

[octoprof]

Thanks math_prof. I know this student pretty well and didn't want her to think I meant to be rude. I tend to stick with the facts and folks say sometimes I come across as sarcastic when I have no intention to be so.

I think we in accounting and math have some very similar problems, for sure.

Thanks for your comments.

This student and I have exchanged several emails today helping her with a particular problem. I never mind that at all. If they tell me "I did thus and so and it didn't work," I'm always happy to help them figure out what they did wrong. It's the lack of doing anything that gets to me.

[dr_evil]

This just in:
"Hey,
Are we going to be covering chapter 8 as fast as chapter 7?  None of us can keep up."

1) I slowed down how fast we went over chapter 7 compared with previous terms.
2) Snowflake dares to presume everyone is as far behind as hu?

[octoprof]

This just in:
"Hey,
Are we going to be covering chapter 8 as fast as chapter 7?  None of us can keep up."

1) I slowed down how fast we went over chapter 7 compared with previous terms.
2) Snowflake dares to presume everyone is as far behind as hu?

Don't you just love how students who are complaining are very likely to speak in the plural (in email or in person) because they, of course, speak for everyone in the class...?

[conjugate]

This just in:
"Hey,
Are we going to be covering chapter 8 as fast as chapter 7?  None of us can keep up."

1) I slowed down how fast we went over chapter 7 compared with previous terms.
2) Snowflake dares to presume everyone is as far behind as hu?

Don't you just love how students who are complaining are very likely to speak in the plural (in email or in person) because they, of course, speak for everyone in the class...?

Tapeworms.  Gotta be some kind of parasitical thing going on here.  I get this from students when the rest of the class is doing just fine, and they know I know this.  The only explanation I can conceive of is that they are referring to themselves in plural.