next »

[rowan1]

my nightmare student from this summer missed day one, was promptly auto dropped from the class and had to re-add himself to the course.  It was interesting (enjoyable) watching him squirm when he complained about not being able to make up the 10 point assignment given on the first day since he was a late add, which I clarified by explaining he was a late add because he failed to show up on day one.

I always have stuff going on on day one.

[voxprincipalis]

It's far more likely that there will be late add students there that are not yet on the official role, than that one who is on the role doesn't show up.

I think that for some of us this is a factor. We've had previous threads about whether or not we should assign graded work that's due before the add/drop deadline, and if we do, then what should we do about students who add the course after the first meeting? I suspect that some profs figure there's no point assigning "real" assignments until after the add/drop deadline has passed, so as not to have to accommodate late adds. I can't say I blame them.

Fortunately, this semester I have had three students add one of my classes and *every one of them* emailed me to ask what the assignment is for the next class meeting so they could be prepared and on-track with assignments. I had to scrape my jaw off the floor with a pancake flipper.

VP

[mystictechgal]

Warning: most students know better, but a small but annoying number of them don't check their school email, favoring their "hotchyck69@yahoo.com" address. So the preemptive first email is about 95% effective. Which is OK, because it lets the other 5% know they've already started to blow it.

My college doesn't assign email addresses so whatever they put in when they first register is their official one unless they choose to change it later. Which leads to the occasional issue of a parent responding to an email when I send one out using the email-of-record for the student...

Alan

By contrast, we just went to a new system that promises us a free email account at the college for life.  For all students.  Not just for the students who eventually graduate.  You enroll; you get an email address; you get to keep the email address forever.  Yes, storage is cheap now compared to what it used to be, but I still think their IT Manager must have been smoking crack when he promised this--in writing.  (Mental note to self: print promise and file.)

I'm willing to bet that your campus e-mail is outsourced.

To the extent that it is Microsoft Outlook's "cloudland" (which also comes with "cloudland" access to Office products, you are correct.  Nonetheless, it goes through campus servers and is subject to campus configured filters and blockers.  "Forever" is a long, long time.  As a former IT Manager, there is no way in hell that I'd promise a "forever" on the back of any outside company or resource.  Not even Microsoft is likely to be a "forever" proposition.  I've been in IT long enough to have seen the once super-powers reduced to either oblivion, merger, or "yeah, still around" status.  I've met this guy.  He's got absolutely no clue about IT cycles, neither those that have occurred in the past, nor those likely to occur at some point in the future.  (And, I'd be willing to bet that the "promise" either wasn't vetted by the lawyers, or they have no clue, either, and simply passed it based on his say-so.  

There's not an "out" in sight in the promise that was made--not even one for misuse, much less one for the company it's outsourced to going out of business.  There is, undoubtedly (I would think), some kind of Terms and Conditions they could try to pull out, but we never have to read one, and we certainly don't have to click on anything that says we have read it and agree to abide by it. I've looked.  I can't find it, if it exists.

Heck, I didn't have an elegant way to do it.  I sent an e-mail, read receipt required.  I got the receipt within 72 hours and saved it, or your account got terminated until you contacted me to get it reinstated and promised to read the terms email.  If nothing else, I could prove you'd seen it.  Only ever needed to use that proof a couple of times.  It stood legal scrutiny in both cases.  And, in both cases, the person decided they'd really like to resign.  

   

[magistra]

I think it also depends on what level you teach (as well as how long, as has been discussed).  I've found that the poor freshmen are literally looking for the building, so it doesn't pay to start on the dot and plan to do lots of stuff.  The buses never work the first week, parking is ghastly, classrooms are hidden, buildings share the same name....

My routine: syllabus & introduction.  As was well put upthread, that alone is important, especially if they're freshmen and they really don't know about the ADA stuff & the compliance office.  Even for non-freshmen, well, how often do we complain that they miss basic course policies?  I'll also do notecards and introduce the subject a bit to ease them in.  That'll usually take most of the time, then I let them out about 10 minutes early so they have a chance at getting to the next class on time.

I mostly have 50 minute classes, though, and plenty of freshmen.  But truth be told, I'm usually so frazzled the first day or two, going over the syllabus is usually about all I can manage!

[luvstowrite]

Not to confuse the issue with the whining about textbooks ("I don't have mine yet....") from another thread, I had some of my students mention "Wow, you get down to business on the first day of lecture and lab"  and that they needed to get off the stick and get their class materials.

Um, yeah, this is college and every hour counts. That's why I posted everything to the wonderful Blackboard for you to see before classes began. It's amazing what I hear about other profs, spending a week on the syllabus and how to use the CMS. When do they start teaching? October?

[jacklouis]

I used to put a lot of effort into getting students who missed the first day or two get caught up. Now, I put it on them. I make a "First Day Assignments" sheet, where they are given instructions on where my website is, how to access the syllabus, various reviews and such I assign, and the information on the textbook so they can buy it. I tell them to get notes from a classmate. Then, it's up to them. Some do what I say, many don't, and I find those who miss the first class or two generally just disappear after awhile anyway. I don't worry about it anymore. Some email before the beginning of the semester to say they can't make the first day for various reasons (usually because they're out of the country and trying to get their student visa renewed), and I just email them the information and tell them to come to office hours if they want to get caught up. Again, most rarely do. I have learned in my short time as a tenured professor to put the responsibility on the student for things like this. I've knocked myself out in the past for no reason.

[larryc]

GBrown, don't tell us, tell them. The next time a student claims that someone at the university told them that the first day of class was a blow off, ask them who exactly told them that. Pick up the phone and call that person. Read her the riot act. Then follow up with an email, with CCs to your chair and dean. You can change the culture.

[canadatourismguy]

If we divide tuition out at my institution, class is worth approximately $73.33 (out of state) OR $34.54 (in state) per student. 

I will not waste their money by not teaching the class on the first day (I would do the same if they were paying $1.00 per class).  They are paying for a service and I am going to provide it and try to give them value for their tuition dollar. 

CTG

[octoprof]

I think it also depends on what level you teach (as well as how long, as has been discussed).  I've found that the poor freshmen are literally looking for the building, so it doesn't pay to start on the dot and plan to do lots of stuff.  The buses never work the first week, parking is ghastly, classrooms are hidden, buildings share the same name....

Good point. Of course, I never teach first year students, but if I did, I'm sure I'd be more lenient on the first day of fall semester.

[janewales]

My administration actually cancels all classes on the first day of the school year, so that students can attend orientation events. So we start them off by telling them, as officially as possible, that classes just aren't that important. Sigh.

[octoprof]

My administration actually cancels all classes on the first day of the school year, so that students can attend orientation events. So we start them off by telling them, as officially as possible, that classes just aren't that important. Sigh.

Merciful heavens. Will you PM me the name of your school so I will never apply there, please?

[pgher]

I saw this thread right before I checked the news about the football season starting.  Here's an analogy: Does the first game of the NFL regular season matter?  It counts just the same as the last game, and arguably more.  Similarly, I always get started right away (after about 10-15 min of syllabus stuff; I use the whole allotted time) on material that will be a foundation for the rest of the semester.

[bigstateu]

I have a three hour once a week class and for that class I email everyone with a reading assignment due on the first day of class and explain that we will be covering class content on day one.

In my one hour classes I just go over the syllabus on the first day because students are still adding, dropping, shopping around. Thus the informal advice they get than they can blow it off is basically correct.

I think the latter is the norm at my university and I can't really fault staff and students for understanding the norm and not advising people based on the exceptions to the rule.

I think it should be obvious that a 3 hour course would cover material on day one, but just to be sure that they know this, I email all the students (we have a way to send mass emails to all on our class roster so it doesn't take long) to take the issue out of the hands of informal advice from advisers, peers, staff, cousins etc.

Problem solved.

[tuxthepenguin]

I don't teach much on the first day, but I go through the syllabus, a more detailed overview of the course, discussion of what I expect, comments from previous students, and then a brief summary of the entire semester. It takes 30-40 minutes, but it's probably the most important class. I can't imagine trying to take the class without that information.

[professor_pat]

My administration actually cancels all classes on the first day of the school year, so that students can attend orientation events. So we start them off by telling them, as officially as possible, that classes just aren't that important. Sigh.

Ummm ... why not just officially start classes the next day? This makes no sense.