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[octoprof]

Dear Dr. cms99,
First of all I would like to apologize for missing the class periods I missed. After you gave me the notice that I was not enrolled any more I went to Student Business Services and they told me that I was dropped from all my classes and that I wasn't allowed to go to class untill fixed. They even said that because I was an international student, I was on a list of getting deported, however, thankfully I managed to fix my situation and I should be enrolled again.
I was wondering if I missed something important last week specially something that includes a grade. I was also wondering, if now that I am enrolled if I could receive the 2 previous grades. And one last thing, I know now that the writing assignment is  due on Friday, but I did not get the e-mail concerning the content of the paper. If you would like to do this during a student/teacher meeting, I would be glad to come see you at your most convenient time, or if you would like to correlate through e-mail.
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Joe Smith

Why do I get all the crazy cases in our department?

Call me crazy, but I think it's a bit extreme to require the student to get fixed before allowing him back into class.

I mean, it's unlikely he's getting any action anyway.

However, he can correlate through email. That's a special talent!

[t_r_b]

I had a student in my office today who wanted to know why she didn't get an A on a writing assignment. I glanced over it, and pointed out that one of the first words she used made no sense in the context in which she used it. Whatever she was actually trying to communicate, she had not chosen the right word.

She explained that she hadn't been sure what word to use, and she typed out this one, and the little red line thingy didn't appear on the computer, so she figured it was okay.

Update: new email from the student, complete with a pasted definition of the word in question from an online dictionary. Two problems: she highlighted the definition of a noun, but had used the word as a verb. More important, the definition she said she had intended didn't actually fit the meaning of the sentence she had written. And of course, none of this changed the fact that she used a word without knowing what it meant, simply because it passed the spell check. Grr...

[mountainguy]

Call me crazy, but I think it's a bit extreme to require the student to get fixed before allowing him back into class.

I mean, it's unlikely he's getting any action anyway.

Maybe the student meant he had been trapped by the Humane Society!

[t_r_b]

One week from the midterm, and I get this:

Dr. Babe,
 
My sister is getting married in Jamaica the weekend of October 25th and I will be leaving early Thursday morning.  I will not be able to attend class October 23rd for the mid-term exam.  What can I do to make it up?  I take you Class 111 in section 1.
 
Thank you for your time,
John Doe

For the record, the date of the midterm exam is given in the syllabus, in boldface, no less. They've had the syllabus since the first week of class. It is now the seventh week of class. I've been talking about the upcoming midterm during each class meeting for at least the last week. Students have asked me about the midterm in class at least twice a week throughout the semester.

I'm not sure how to reply. "Sucks to be you" would be impolitic, but I'm having trouble coming up with any acceptable solution that doesn't involve creating more work for myself in order to accommodate this kid's trip to Jamaica. I could let him take the exam after he gets back, and penalize him one letter grade for every 24 hours he is gone. I've done that in the past when students have missed exams for better reasons than his. Of course, in this case he'll be taking the exam at least four days late, so the one letter grade/day penalty would be roughly equivalent to "sucks to be you."

I would welcome any appropriate replies the infinitely wise forumites would care to suggest.

On another note, I'm not familiar with this student personally (100+ students in this class), and I haven't yet looked at his grade. Would anyone care to guess at his pre-midterm average?

And on yet another note, I have to say I still get a kick out of being addressed as Dr. Babe.

[the_myth]

One week from the midterm, and I get this:

Dr. Babe,
 
My sister is getting married in Jamaica the weekend of October 25th and I will be leaving early Thursday morning.  I will not be able to attend class October 23rd for the mid-term exam.  What can I do to make it up?  I take you Class 111 in section 1.
 
Thank you for your time,
John Doe

For the record, the date of the midterm exam is given in the syllabus, in boldface, no less. They've had the syllabus since the first week of class. It is now the seventh week of class. I've been talking about the upcoming midterm during each class meeting for at least the last week. Students have asked me about the midterm in class at least twice a week throughout the semester.

I'm not sure how to reply. "Sucks to be you" would be impolitic, but I'm having trouble coming up with any acceptable solution that doesn't involve creating more work for myself in order to accommodate this kid's trip to Jamaica. I could let him take the exam after he gets back, and penalize him one letter grade for every 24 hours he is gone. I've done that in the past when students have missed exams for better reasons than his. Of course, in this case he'll be taking the exam at least four days late, so the one letter grade/day penalty would be roughly equivalent to "sucks to be you."

I would welcome any appropriate replies the infinitely wise forumites would care to suggest.

On another note, I'm not familiar with this student personally (100+ students in this class), and I haven't yet looked at his grade. Would anyone care to guess at his pre-midterm average?

And on yet another note, I have to say I still get a kick out of being addressed as Dr. Babe.

See this thread.

Here was my suggestion there.  I whole-heartedly recommend it!

In the future, try this strategy, which I have used to good effect:

Give *NO* make-up exam *until* the end of the semester.

Make a cumulative exam from Hell to give to *everyone* who ever missed *any* exam during the semester.  Give it once, and if they have a schedule conflict ----> zero!

You look like you "really, really tried" to be helpful, and their failures rest solely on their heads.

I highly recommend essay exams!  It'll be the end of the semester and they will more than likely NEVER ask to see how hard you graded their lame responses!

Likewise, you'll be super-impressed by the good students who do well.

[t_r_b]

In the future, try this strategy, which I have used to good effect:

Give *NO* make-up exam *until* the end of the semester.

Make a cumulative exam from Hell to give to *everyone* who ever missed *any* exam during the semester.  Give it once, and if they have a schedule conflict ----> zero!

I like it in principle, but it fails the "no extra work for me to accommodate his trip to Jamaica" test.

[the_myth]

In the future, try this strategy, which I have used to good effect:

Give *NO* make-up exam *until* the end of the semester.

Make a cumulative exam from Hell to give to *everyone* who ever missed *any* exam during the semester.  Give it once, and if they have a schedule conflict ----> zero!

I like it in principle, but it fails the "no extra work for me to accommodate his trip to Jamaica" test.

You can't think up 5 essay questions in under 15 minutes?

The only extra work will be proctoring, which you have to do anyway for the make-up.

And, again, use this for *everyone* who pulls this during the semester.  One test. One time. One chance. For everyone.

Or else just give Destination Wedding dude a zero and forget about it.

[geonerd]

TRB, On the plus side, one week of heads up is more then we usually get from snowflakes like this.
Do you have any statement in your syllabus about missed exams and what constitutes an acceptable reason for missing exams? If yes, you could fall back on "As explained in the syllabus, make ups will only be granted in the case of documented, unforseen emergency situations that interfere with your ability to meet your academic responsibilities." End of story.  When the student inevitably complains, then I like the idea of a cumulative final that subs for the missed exam. I use that method. While it is one extra exam to write and grade, it has greatly reduced my time lost and my stress gained from dealing with lame excuses for missing exams. As excuses go, a family member's wedding isn't the worst I've ever heard. Make the student bring you a copy of the wedding invitation and the customized cocktail napkins with the bride and groom's names, for proof of the blessed event. :) Good luck!

[t_r_b]

You can't think up 5 essay questions in under 15 minutes?

It's not an essay exam. It's a multiple choice/short answer exam. There will be lots of questions. Writing decent questions takes time. Time devoted to this schmuck is time not devoted to students who need my help.

TRB, On the plus side, one week of heads up is more then we usually get from snowflakes like this.

True that. Hence the dilemma.

Do you have any statement in your syllabus about missed exams and what constitutes an acceptable reason for missing exams?

No, there is no such statement in the syllabus. There is merely a statement that the midterm will happen on Oct. 23.

As excuses go, a family member's wedding isn't the worst I've ever heard.

No: I've heard worse myself. But he has presumably known about his sister's wedding plans for a while. He has known about the midterm since day 1 of the course. So I'm not feeling much sympathy here.

[mended_drum]

In the circumstance you describe, I tell the student that he or she must take the exam early and must arrange for a proctor and a time with Student Services.  I do usually have a slightly different exam, as well, but it's minimal extra work for me. 

[cms99]

Crazy probably wasn't the best term to use for this student.  He's trying, and we've got everything worked out.  What I meant is that if there's anything out of the ordinary, that student will, with probability exceeding 95%, be enrolled in one of my courses.
 It's been a week, I think some wine is in order.

[grasshopper]

You can't think up 5 essay questions in under 15 minutes?

It's not an essay exam. It's a multiple choice/short answer exam. There will be lots of questions. Writing decent questions takes time. Time devoted to this schmuck is time not devoted to students who need my help. 

So? You're the boss of all this. You can make it an essay exam. With one question. A big one.

[geoteo]

I also give a makeup exam at the end of the semester.  My syllabus states that the exam will consist of essay, problem, and application questions.  Some advantages to this method include doing it at 8 am on Reading Day (the day between the end of classes and the beginning of finals), so a number of the students sleep through it, and offering it after most of those who needed to drop have done so.  Nevertheless, few students do well.

Since my goal is to get the students to learn, I offer them an inducement to avoid the makeup test by dropping the lowest test grade of students who are present in class to take all four exams and earn at least 55%.  So far it's working pretty well.

[octoprof]

Since my goal is to get the students to learn, I offer them an inducement to avoid the makeup test by dropping the lowest test grade of students who are present in class to take all four exams and earn at least 55%.  So far it's working pretty well.

I've done something similar before in an intro level class.  It's amazing the difference it makes in the number of excuses that pop up for missing an exam.

[scheherazade]

TRB, the student may have little choice in the matter.  Assuming Mom and Dad are paying for school, they may have told the kid he must be at Sis's wedding and to work it out with his "teachers."  Family may not have given a lot of notice of the date, either, especially since it's in Jamaica.  I've seen families that toss an important date out in a week or two and expect everything to be dropped for it.  On the other hand, student may just be clueless.

Is your final cumulative?  If so, I'd just count it as double.