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[lemonbar]

This may seem like a dumb request, but I'm looking for a method that does not take up a lot of time, is orderly, and does not involve me having to yell out the names of lots of students.

Last time, I had students line up and pass by the front desk to retrieve their tests. This seems to have worked ok, but I am wondering what others do.

[johnr]

How many students are we talking about?

[cgfunmathguy]

Conjecture: In any class with n>20, it is not possible to pass back tests (1) in an orderly manner, (2) in a short amount of time (t < 3 minutes), and (3) does not involve calling out any names of students.

Now, if I could find a proof, I'd publish CG's Impossibility Theorem.

[harsh_critic]

Because on most days, I have students work in assigned groups I have assigned seating in the classroom (to prevent 5 min of people shuffling around to start the group work). After grading exams, I spend 3 minutes sorting them by row. Quizzes and homework I have them pass their papers to the end of the aisle and pick them up front to back--already sorted for returning.

When I hand them back, I simply walk down the row plopping the test/quiz/homework on the desk. No calling out names, no wasted class time handing stuff back. Typically done just prior to class starting.

This is the first semester I tried assigned seating, and it has worked out well with my 30 student classes.

[magistra]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

[cc_alan]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

I also get to class earlier than usual and start passing them back before class starts. We start discussing it as soon as I finish passing them out and I catch any stragglers as soon as they walk in until we are finished with it.

It works pretty well and doesn't take up too much extra class time. But, my classes have less than 50 students.

Alan

[mookie]

I have decided that if it is a test or a paper that I am handing back, I wait until classtime is over.  I usually just have the exams in alphabetical order and tell them that they are coming back in alphabetical order, so they can line themselves up if they want to.   If I give exams back right away at the very beginning of class, students are too preoccupied with their exams to focus on the new material for that day. 

Obviously if I hand things back at the very end of class, I can't go over the exam with them.  What I have done lately is the next class right after I give an exam, at the very beginning of that class, I put the exam on the overhead projector or on the large screen and we go quickly through the exam that way.  Students will "shout out" the right answer and I can push them to give more detail or to explain to other students why they answered the way that they did.  It helps them to relax while they are waiting that week for me to grade the exams and they get instant feedback on how they did without having to wait for me to finish.  The material is also really fresh in their minds since they just recently studied for the exam, they have a better chance of remembering what they did wrong and understanding why what they did wrong is a wrong way of thinking.

[frogfactory]

I have ~25 students/section.  I switch homework/graded quizzes and homeworks by yelling student names and having them put the stuff for handing in in orderly piles on the front bench as I hand their work from the previous week back to them.  Advantage - work tends to stay in the same order all semester, and I learn everyone's name in a couple of weeks.

[magistra]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

I also get to class earlier than usual and start passing them back before class starts. We start discussing it as soon as I finish passing them out and I catch any stragglers as soon as they walk in until we are finished with it.

It works pretty well and doesn't take up too much extra class time. But, my classes have less than 50 students.

Alan

Fewer than.

Speaking of, has anyone seen Pedanterast lately?

[wiley]

I have between 20 and 45 students in a class, depending on how near the start of the semester we are.

I hand mine back at the end of class and it only takes about 10 minutes to do so. As I get to know the names and the class gets smaller I can go faster. Also, If someone is texting I skip over them and push their test to the bottom of the pile.

[cc_alan]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

I also get to class earlier than usual and start passing them back before class starts. We start discussing it as soon as I finish passing them out and I catch any stragglers as soon as they walk in until we are finished with it.

It works pretty well and doesn't take up too much extra class time. But, my classes have less than 50 students.

Alan

Fewer than.

Speaking of, has anyone seen Pedanterast lately?

Ack.

Reminds self: fewer = counting.

Alan

[gavia_immer]

Fewer than 30 students is easy. Organize them by where they usually sit, come a little early and pass them out, or do it in the last 10 minutes.

In my big lectures (>150 students) it's mildly organized chaos. Last week I had my two TAs come in, we each took a third, arranged alphabetically, so the students knew who to listen to, and we bellowed. It was pretty fast.

[galactic_hedgehog]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

I also get to class earlier than usual and start passing them back before class starts. We start discussing it as soon as I finish passing them out and I catch any stragglers as soon as they walk in until we are finished with it.

It works pretty well and doesn't take up too much extra class time. But, my classes have less than 50 students.

Alan

Fewer than.

Speaking of, has anyone seen Pedanterast lately?

Ack.

Reminds self: fewer = counting.

Alan

But, but... the supermarket!  They say "10 items or less!"

[cc_alan]

If I'm worried about time, I'll try to organize them at least vaguely around where the student normally sits, so I don't have to keep walking back and forth around the classroom.  Also, I'll try to get there a few minutes early so I can pass them out to the students who are there.  If the class tends to come right on time, though, that doesn't always work as well as I'd like. 

I also get to class earlier than usual and start passing them back before class starts. We start discussing it as soon as I finish passing them out and I catch any stragglers as soon as they walk in until we are finished with it.

It works pretty well and doesn't take up too much extra class time. But, my classes have less than 50 students.

Alan

Fewer than.

Speaking of, has anyone seen Pedanterast lately?

Ack.

Reminds self: fewer = counting.

Alan

But, but... the supermarket!  They say "10 items or less!"

I forgot about supermarkets... I'm off to get a note from a manager excusing me from properly distinguishing between "fewer" and "less" so I can give it to Magistra.

*whew*

Thanks, Galahog.

Alan

[galactic_hedgehog]

Pick up some Ben and Jerry's for me, would ya?  Thnx.