... the hard way.
This semester I started making students tell me they'd be taking the optional final exam.
This afternoon two students showed up for the exam -- but, they hadn't told me they wanted to take it.
I refused to give them the exam. They seemed stunned.
Of course, I announced it in class many, many, many times. It was clear from their grade report last week what they'd need to do in order to take the final etc.
Of course, these two had terrible attendance -- and when they managed to make it to class, they weren't prepared anyway -- so it isn't much of a surprise.
Although, I do wonder if one of them had some kind of learning disability -- or if he was just dense? I'd say things that seemed to be clear to other students and he'd look at me like I was speaking French...
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3 comments:
I like your approach.
I had two miss the final. One came two hours late and said he thought it would be when our class was. And why wasn't it in our classroom? (all things we talked about in class and were listed online). He missed the midterm, too, and I probably shouldn't have let him make that up so easily.
The other one was sick. So when could she come in and take it?
I feel completely ogre-like, but I turned them both down. This final was only if they hadn't done 8 other different outside resource options (any of them), so the final was really just a backup. Student #1 has been late to almost every class and misses most information. Student #2 hasn't turned in either of the last two essays and will not pass the class, with or without the final. So why should I come in and proctor 2 more hours of final for this pretend she can pass farce?
sigh.
I at least want them to pretend to prepare. If they don't tell me they're going to take it, it's because THEY didn't know they were going to take it, and thus weren't prepared.
I wouldn't have given either the exam. The first student needs to be more engaged with the course and the second must have serious medical issues to cause her to miss two essays and be too sick to take the final -- right?
I'd probably agree to let the sick student turn in the last two essays, along with a doctor's note stating she was too ill to write them. Of course, you and I know that she wasn't that sick -- but, then the burden of proving it is on her.
Really -- you're on sabbatical next year anyway, don't sweat this one!!!
Hard core. I love it. :)
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