How to deal with a “protest” assignment?












8












$begingroup$


I just received one assignment (by email) from a student. Out of 6 questions, "I don't know" is the answer to 4 of them.



There is also a comment at the end of the assignment which suggests




  1. my lectures are not helpful for solving problems

  2. I am assuming students already know many of the things that I am talking about, so things are very confusing in class


I replied that I will improve my lectures and go over basic things more clearly. And I also offered one-to-one tutoring to help him catch up. (Though I had a feeling that he will not take it up--he didn't ask any questions previously through email and he did not come to office hours)



Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion. His assignment certainly is far from complete. But I feel that if giving him 0 will further antagonize and discourage the student.



Also, traditionally, assignments are not mandatory but only serve as bonus points in final evaluation. So less than half of the students will actually do the assignment. It seems that answering two questions are already better than most other students.



How would you deal with such an assignment?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
    $endgroup$
    – Brahadeesh
    14 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    "Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
    $endgroup$
    – Joel Reyes Noche
    13 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
    $endgroup$
    – Amy B
    10 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
    $endgroup$
    – Selkie
    8 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
    $endgroup$
    – chepner
    5 hours ago
















8












$begingroup$


I just received one assignment (by email) from a student. Out of 6 questions, "I don't know" is the answer to 4 of them.



There is also a comment at the end of the assignment which suggests




  1. my lectures are not helpful for solving problems

  2. I am assuming students already know many of the things that I am talking about, so things are very confusing in class


I replied that I will improve my lectures and go over basic things more clearly. And I also offered one-to-one tutoring to help him catch up. (Though I had a feeling that he will not take it up--he didn't ask any questions previously through email and he did not come to office hours)



Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion. His assignment certainly is far from complete. But I feel that if giving him 0 will further antagonize and discourage the student.



Also, traditionally, assignments are not mandatory but only serve as bonus points in final evaluation. So less than half of the students will actually do the assignment. It seems that answering two questions are already better than most other students.



How would you deal with such an assignment?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
    $endgroup$
    – Brahadeesh
    14 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    "Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
    $endgroup$
    – Joel Reyes Noche
    13 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
    $endgroup$
    – Amy B
    10 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
    $endgroup$
    – Selkie
    8 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
    $endgroup$
    – chepner
    5 hours ago














8












8








8





$begingroup$


I just received one assignment (by email) from a student. Out of 6 questions, "I don't know" is the answer to 4 of them.



There is also a comment at the end of the assignment which suggests




  1. my lectures are not helpful for solving problems

  2. I am assuming students already know many of the things that I am talking about, so things are very confusing in class


I replied that I will improve my lectures and go over basic things more clearly. And I also offered one-to-one tutoring to help him catch up. (Though I had a feeling that he will not take it up--he didn't ask any questions previously through email and he did not come to office hours)



Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion. His assignment certainly is far from complete. But I feel that if giving him 0 will further antagonize and discourage the student.



Also, traditionally, assignments are not mandatory but only serve as bonus points in final evaluation. So less than half of the students will actually do the assignment. It seems that answering two questions are already better than most other students.



How would you deal with such an assignment?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




I just received one assignment (by email) from a student. Out of 6 questions, "I don't know" is the answer to 4 of them.



There is also a comment at the end of the assignment which suggests




  1. my lectures are not helpful for solving problems

  2. I am assuming students already know many of the things that I am talking about, so things are very confusing in class


I replied that I will improve my lectures and go over basic things more clearly. And I also offered one-to-one tutoring to help him catch up. (Though I had a feeling that he will not take it up--he didn't ask any questions previously through email and he did not come to office hours)



Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion. His assignment certainly is far from complete. But I feel that if giving him 0 will further antagonize and discourage the student.



Also, traditionally, assignments are not mandatory but only serve as bonus points in final evaluation. So less than half of the students will actually do the assignment. It seems that answering two questions are already better than most other students.



How would you deal with such an assignment?







undergraduate-education assessment






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 12 hours ago







ablmf

















asked 14 hours ago









ablmfablmf

1777




1777








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
    $endgroup$
    – Brahadeesh
    14 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    "Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
    $endgroup$
    – Joel Reyes Noche
    13 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
    $endgroup$
    – Amy B
    10 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
    $endgroup$
    – Selkie
    8 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
    $endgroup$
    – chepner
    5 hours ago














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
    $endgroup$
    – Brahadeesh
    14 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    "Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
    $endgroup$
    – Joel Reyes Noche
    13 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
    $endgroup$
    – Amy B
    10 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
    $endgroup$
    – Selkie
    8 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    "I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
    $endgroup$
    – chepner
    5 hours ago








1




1




$begingroup$
Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
$endgroup$
– Brahadeesh
14 hours ago




$begingroup$
Perhaps this question is more suited to Academia SE, since the situation is not uniquely about mathematics education?
$endgroup$
– Brahadeesh
14 hours ago




1




1




$begingroup$
"Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
$endgroup$
– Joel Reyes Noche
13 hours ago




$begingroup$
"Though I had a feeling that he will take it up" Is this what you really meant? Perhaps you meant to say "won't"?
$endgroup$
– Joel Reyes Noche
13 hours ago




2




2




$begingroup$
If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
$endgroup$
– Amy B
10 hours ago




$begingroup$
If you grade assignments by completion, tell him you will give him a chance to finish before grading. However, it should be pointed out that he has a responsibility to ask questions in class and not just criticize everything you are doing. If he wants to learn and not just criticize, tell him you are willing to answer questions in and out of class.
$endgroup$
– Amy B
10 hours ago












$begingroup$
"I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
$endgroup$
– Selkie
8 hours ago




$begingroup$
"I don't know" isn't a complete answer to a question. I would have no issue marking those as "incomplete", because they clearly are.
$endgroup$
– Selkie
8 hours ago












$begingroup$
"I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
$endgroup$
– chepner
5 hours ago




$begingroup$
"I don't know" isn't any kind of answer; it's passive-aggressive whining. If your lectures aren't sufficient for the student, throwing up their hands and claiming they have no way of learning the material (rather than attending office hours or seeking additional help on their own initiative) is ridiculous behavior for a college student.
$endgroup$
– chepner
5 hours ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















13












$begingroup$

You need to slam him on the grade. That is what he earned. Don't be so easily manipulated by his comments on your teaching.



Also I would not have sent an email apology. Just offered to meet with him to discuss his concerns. But still slammed him on the assignment.



If you let these kids walk over you, you'll never survive. You're in charge. Doesn't mean your teaching is great (or not). But don't be a wimp. That doesn't help regardless.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
    $endgroup$
    – Rusty Core
    8 hours ago





















4












$begingroup$


Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion.




I don't see a problem if you were clear about how the assignments will influence the final grade, perhaps something like "The grade on the assignments will be included in the final grade if and only if the grade on the assignments is better than the grade that would have been given without the assignments."



Then I would grade each assignment "normally" which would be a failing grade for at most 33% completion.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$





















    3












    $begingroup$

    I am not a mathematics educator but I feel the need to chime in from the student side of this. I have taken numerous hard math classes during my BSc, and I have had my fair share of feeling hopeless, lost, and frustrated. You didn't indicate which math class you teach, and to be honest it is irrelevant.



    Unlike the other answers I don't feel like this is necessarily an attempt to control you.



    Point (1) sounds like something I commonly heard from fellow students who struggled not because the professor didn't try to help, but because they are taught "the solution is the goal". They get quickly discouraged, and at points frustrated enough to write smarmy marks and protest. Perhaps to address this point you could talk to the class about an anonymous assignment that said these things. Talk to them about how its more important to show how they arrived at their solution and open up the floor for a few minutes to let people tell you what they think. A quick way to find your flaws is to do this. Many complaints will be down right ignorable (this class is too hard, you're not good enough, etc) but occasionally a student will call out a character flaw worth addressing. Maybe you're not making something clear enough? Generally students don't protest unless they truly feel hopeless. A few classes will do this (mathematical statistics, proof-based math courses, etc) so it would be useful to figure out why at least. He could have came to your office to complain directly and start a dialog with you - so he gets a 0 if only to demonstrate snark wont be tolerated.



    Point (2) is sort of addressed inside of point (1). You're an undergraduate educator. The student has arrived at your class having either:




    1. Taken an entrance exam demonstrating the minimum level of competence for the course

    2. Passed pre-requisites satisfactorily showing competence in the material


    At any rate, people forget. There is a great book I'm sure you've heard of called How To Solve It by Polya. In the book he talks about how if a student cannot grasp the harder stuff you need to prod them with questioning until you find out what they do know and build them up from there. If you're unwilling or unable to do this, then you need to look at your department. Students struggling this much generally are being passed by easier professors or lax examiners. A certain level of struggle is acceptable, but I have been in classes that felt hopeless for that exact reason - the professor was unwilling to help us learn what we didn't know quickly, and the department pre-requisites didn't prepare us for the class at all. Many of us nearly failed, and the professor smugly proclaimed we were all incompetent. It's not a good experience being that lost, and it's worth digging into the root cause so you can address it directly either at the department level, or assisting the class with their shortcomings. Either way, there are mature ways to deal with this at the student level so he gets a 0 regardless of what you choose to do.






    share|improve this answer








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    $endgroup$





















      1












      $begingroup$

      I'm not an educator, though I've been involved in the admin side of university-level education and did a heavily mathematical degree at university.



      But I'm wondering about two things.



      Does he actually understand how to study maths? I didn't when I was a student. I think I had the idea that I should be able to go to the lecture, understand the material, then go away able to do the assignment, and that a maths textbook could be read like an ordinary book.



      Do the prerequisites for the course, as taught, actually provide what's needed? I say "as taught" because the way topics are listed in a course outline might not be a guide to how thoroughly each one is covered in the actual sessions. If something essential for your course isn't being adequately covered in one of the prerequisites, then you could probably do with knowing that—since other students might well be affected too.



      As for the grading, I think you jjust give the honest grade for what was handed in (one that would, say, convince an external examiner that you're applying identical criteria to everyone). It's perfectly consistent to both do that and try to find out what caused him to do so badly. Also being clear that it's done objectively might make it easier for the student not to take the grade personally, so he's more open to being helped.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$













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        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes








        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        13












        $begingroup$

        You need to slam him on the grade. That is what he earned. Don't be so easily manipulated by his comments on your teaching.



        Also I would not have sent an email apology. Just offered to meet with him to discuss his concerns. But still slammed him on the assignment.



        If you let these kids walk over you, you'll never survive. You're in charge. Doesn't mean your teaching is great (or not). But don't be a wimp. That doesn't help regardless.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        $endgroup$









        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
          $endgroup$
          – Rusty Core
          8 hours ago


















        13












        $begingroup$

        You need to slam him on the grade. That is what he earned. Don't be so easily manipulated by his comments on your teaching.



        Also I would not have sent an email apology. Just offered to meet with him to discuss his concerns. But still slammed him on the assignment.



        If you let these kids walk over you, you'll never survive. You're in charge. Doesn't mean your teaching is great (or not). But don't be a wimp. That doesn't help regardless.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        $endgroup$









        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
          $endgroup$
          – Rusty Core
          8 hours ago
















        13












        13








        13





        $begingroup$

        You need to slam him on the grade. That is what he earned. Don't be so easily manipulated by his comments on your teaching.



        Also I would not have sent an email apology. Just offered to meet with him to discuss his concerns. But still slammed him on the assignment.



        If you let these kids walk over you, you'll never survive. You're in charge. Doesn't mean your teaching is great (or not). But don't be a wimp. That doesn't help regardless.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        $endgroup$



        You need to slam him on the grade. That is what he earned. Don't be so easily manipulated by his comments on your teaching.



        Also I would not have sent an email apology. Just offered to meet with him to discuss his concerns. But still slammed him on the assignment.



        If you let these kids walk over you, you'll never survive. You're in charge. Doesn't mean your teaching is great (or not). But don't be a wimp. That doesn't help regardless.







        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.









        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer






        New contributor




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        Check out our Code of Conduct.









        answered 10 hours ago









        guestguest

        14612




        14612




        New contributor




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        New contributor





        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        guest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.








        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
          $endgroup$
          – Rusty Core
          8 hours ago
















        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
          $endgroup$
          – Rusty Core
          8 hours ago










        1




        1




        $begingroup$
        Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
        $endgroup$
        – Rusty Core
        8 hours ago






        $begingroup$
        Email is a trail. OTOH, the core of the issue is absence of national curricula in the U.S. (is this happening in the U.S.?) so one can never know what the students learned, and if they did not learn something, did it happen because they slacked off or because their school considered it unimportant.
        $endgroup$
        – Rusty Core
        8 hours ago













        4












        $begingroup$


        Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion.




        I don't see a problem if you were clear about how the assignments will influence the final grade, perhaps something like "The grade on the assignments will be included in the final grade if and only if the grade on the assignments is better than the grade that would have been given without the assignments."



        Then I would grade each assignment "normally" which would be a failing grade for at most 33% completion.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$


















          4












          $begingroup$


          Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion.




          I don't see a problem if you were clear about how the assignments will influence the final grade, perhaps something like "The grade on the assignments will be included in the final grade if and only if the grade on the assignments is better than the grade that would have been given without the assignments."



          Then I would grade each assignment "normally" which would be a failing grade for at most 33% completion.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$
















            4












            4








            4





            $begingroup$


            Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion.




            I don't see a problem if you were clear about how the assignments will influence the final grade, perhaps something like "The grade on the assignments will be included in the final grade if and only if the grade on the assignments is better than the grade that would have been given without the assignments."



            Then I would grade each assignment "normally" which would be a failing grade for at most 33% completion.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$




            Now the problem is, I announced that assignments are graded by completion.




            I don't see a problem if you were clear about how the assignments will influence the final grade, perhaps something like "The grade on the assignments will be included in the final grade if and only if the grade on the assignments is better than the grade that would have been given without the assignments."



            Then I would grade each assignment "normally" which would be a failing grade for at most 33% completion.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 9 hours ago









            JasperJasper

            674411




            674411























                3












                $begingroup$

                I am not a mathematics educator but I feel the need to chime in from the student side of this. I have taken numerous hard math classes during my BSc, and I have had my fair share of feeling hopeless, lost, and frustrated. You didn't indicate which math class you teach, and to be honest it is irrelevant.



                Unlike the other answers I don't feel like this is necessarily an attempt to control you.



                Point (1) sounds like something I commonly heard from fellow students who struggled not because the professor didn't try to help, but because they are taught "the solution is the goal". They get quickly discouraged, and at points frustrated enough to write smarmy marks and protest. Perhaps to address this point you could talk to the class about an anonymous assignment that said these things. Talk to them about how its more important to show how they arrived at their solution and open up the floor for a few minutes to let people tell you what they think. A quick way to find your flaws is to do this. Many complaints will be down right ignorable (this class is too hard, you're not good enough, etc) but occasionally a student will call out a character flaw worth addressing. Maybe you're not making something clear enough? Generally students don't protest unless they truly feel hopeless. A few classes will do this (mathematical statistics, proof-based math courses, etc) so it would be useful to figure out why at least. He could have came to your office to complain directly and start a dialog with you - so he gets a 0 if only to demonstrate snark wont be tolerated.



                Point (2) is sort of addressed inside of point (1). You're an undergraduate educator. The student has arrived at your class having either:




                1. Taken an entrance exam demonstrating the minimum level of competence for the course

                2. Passed pre-requisites satisfactorily showing competence in the material


                At any rate, people forget. There is a great book I'm sure you've heard of called How To Solve It by Polya. In the book he talks about how if a student cannot grasp the harder stuff you need to prod them with questioning until you find out what they do know and build them up from there. If you're unwilling or unable to do this, then you need to look at your department. Students struggling this much generally are being passed by easier professors or lax examiners. A certain level of struggle is acceptable, but I have been in classes that felt hopeless for that exact reason - the professor was unwilling to help us learn what we didn't know quickly, and the department pre-requisites didn't prepare us for the class at all. Many of us nearly failed, and the professor smugly proclaimed we were all incompetent. It's not a good experience being that lost, and it's worth digging into the root cause so you can address it directly either at the department level, or assisting the class with their shortcomings. Either way, there are mature ways to deal with this at the student level so he gets a 0 regardless of what you choose to do.






                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.






                $endgroup$


















                  3












                  $begingroup$

                  I am not a mathematics educator but I feel the need to chime in from the student side of this. I have taken numerous hard math classes during my BSc, and I have had my fair share of feeling hopeless, lost, and frustrated. You didn't indicate which math class you teach, and to be honest it is irrelevant.



                  Unlike the other answers I don't feel like this is necessarily an attempt to control you.



                  Point (1) sounds like something I commonly heard from fellow students who struggled not because the professor didn't try to help, but because they are taught "the solution is the goal". They get quickly discouraged, and at points frustrated enough to write smarmy marks and protest. Perhaps to address this point you could talk to the class about an anonymous assignment that said these things. Talk to them about how its more important to show how they arrived at their solution and open up the floor for a few minutes to let people tell you what they think. A quick way to find your flaws is to do this. Many complaints will be down right ignorable (this class is too hard, you're not good enough, etc) but occasionally a student will call out a character flaw worth addressing. Maybe you're not making something clear enough? Generally students don't protest unless they truly feel hopeless. A few classes will do this (mathematical statistics, proof-based math courses, etc) so it would be useful to figure out why at least. He could have came to your office to complain directly and start a dialog with you - so he gets a 0 if only to demonstrate snark wont be tolerated.



                  Point (2) is sort of addressed inside of point (1). You're an undergraduate educator. The student has arrived at your class having either:




                  1. Taken an entrance exam demonstrating the minimum level of competence for the course

                  2. Passed pre-requisites satisfactorily showing competence in the material


                  At any rate, people forget. There is a great book I'm sure you've heard of called How To Solve It by Polya. In the book he talks about how if a student cannot grasp the harder stuff you need to prod them with questioning until you find out what they do know and build them up from there. If you're unwilling or unable to do this, then you need to look at your department. Students struggling this much generally are being passed by easier professors or lax examiners. A certain level of struggle is acceptable, but I have been in classes that felt hopeless for that exact reason - the professor was unwilling to help us learn what we didn't know quickly, and the department pre-requisites didn't prepare us for the class at all. Many of us nearly failed, and the professor smugly proclaimed we were all incompetent. It's not a good experience being that lost, and it's worth digging into the root cause so you can address it directly either at the department level, or assisting the class with their shortcomings. Either way, there are mature ways to deal with this at the student level so he gets a 0 regardless of what you choose to do.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






                  $endgroup$
















                    3












                    3








                    3





                    $begingroup$

                    I am not a mathematics educator but I feel the need to chime in from the student side of this. I have taken numerous hard math classes during my BSc, and I have had my fair share of feeling hopeless, lost, and frustrated. You didn't indicate which math class you teach, and to be honest it is irrelevant.



                    Unlike the other answers I don't feel like this is necessarily an attempt to control you.



                    Point (1) sounds like something I commonly heard from fellow students who struggled not because the professor didn't try to help, but because they are taught "the solution is the goal". They get quickly discouraged, and at points frustrated enough to write smarmy marks and protest. Perhaps to address this point you could talk to the class about an anonymous assignment that said these things. Talk to them about how its more important to show how they arrived at their solution and open up the floor for a few minutes to let people tell you what they think. A quick way to find your flaws is to do this. Many complaints will be down right ignorable (this class is too hard, you're not good enough, etc) but occasionally a student will call out a character flaw worth addressing. Maybe you're not making something clear enough? Generally students don't protest unless they truly feel hopeless. A few classes will do this (mathematical statistics, proof-based math courses, etc) so it would be useful to figure out why at least. He could have came to your office to complain directly and start a dialog with you - so he gets a 0 if only to demonstrate snark wont be tolerated.



                    Point (2) is sort of addressed inside of point (1). You're an undergraduate educator. The student has arrived at your class having either:




                    1. Taken an entrance exam demonstrating the minimum level of competence for the course

                    2. Passed pre-requisites satisfactorily showing competence in the material


                    At any rate, people forget. There is a great book I'm sure you've heard of called How To Solve It by Polya. In the book he talks about how if a student cannot grasp the harder stuff you need to prod them with questioning until you find out what they do know and build them up from there. If you're unwilling or unable to do this, then you need to look at your department. Students struggling this much generally are being passed by easier professors or lax examiners. A certain level of struggle is acceptable, but I have been in classes that felt hopeless for that exact reason - the professor was unwilling to help us learn what we didn't know quickly, and the department pre-requisites didn't prepare us for the class at all. Many of us nearly failed, and the professor smugly proclaimed we were all incompetent. It's not a good experience being that lost, and it's worth digging into the root cause so you can address it directly either at the department level, or assisting the class with their shortcomings. Either way, there are mature ways to deal with this at the student level so he gets a 0 regardless of what you choose to do.






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    $endgroup$



                    I am not a mathematics educator but I feel the need to chime in from the student side of this. I have taken numerous hard math classes during my BSc, and I have had my fair share of feeling hopeless, lost, and frustrated. You didn't indicate which math class you teach, and to be honest it is irrelevant.



                    Unlike the other answers I don't feel like this is necessarily an attempt to control you.



                    Point (1) sounds like something I commonly heard from fellow students who struggled not because the professor didn't try to help, but because they are taught "the solution is the goal". They get quickly discouraged, and at points frustrated enough to write smarmy marks and protest. Perhaps to address this point you could talk to the class about an anonymous assignment that said these things. Talk to them about how its more important to show how they arrived at their solution and open up the floor for a few minutes to let people tell you what they think. A quick way to find your flaws is to do this. Many complaints will be down right ignorable (this class is too hard, you're not good enough, etc) but occasionally a student will call out a character flaw worth addressing. Maybe you're not making something clear enough? Generally students don't protest unless they truly feel hopeless. A few classes will do this (mathematical statistics, proof-based math courses, etc) so it would be useful to figure out why at least. He could have came to your office to complain directly and start a dialog with you - so he gets a 0 if only to demonstrate snark wont be tolerated.



                    Point (2) is sort of addressed inside of point (1). You're an undergraduate educator. The student has arrived at your class having either:




                    1. Taken an entrance exam demonstrating the minimum level of competence for the course

                    2. Passed pre-requisites satisfactorily showing competence in the material


                    At any rate, people forget. There is a great book I'm sure you've heard of called How To Solve It by Polya. In the book he talks about how if a student cannot grasp the harder stuff you need to prod them with questioning until you find out what they do know and build them up from there. If you're unwilling or unable to do this, then you need to look at your department. Students struggling this much generally are being passed by easier professors or lax examiners. A certain level of struggle is acceptable, but I have been in classes that felt hopeless for that exact reason - the professor was unwilling to help us learn what we didn't know quickly, and the department pre-requisites didn't prepare us for the class at all. Many of us nearly failed, and the professor smugly proclaimed we were all incompetent. It's not a good experience being that lost, and it's worth digging into the root cause so you can address it directly either at the department level, or assisting the class with their shortcomings. Either way, there are mature ways to deal with this at the student level so he gets a 0 regardless of what you choose to do.







                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer






                    New contributor




                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    answered 7 hours ago









                    CL40CL40

                    1311




                    1311




                    New contributor




                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





                    New contributor





                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    CL40 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.























                        1












                        $begingroup$

                        I'm not an educator, though I've been involved in the admin side of university-level education and did a heavily mathematical degree at university.



                        But I'm wondering about two things.



                        Does he actually understand how to study maths? I didn't when I was a student. I think I had the idea that I should be able to go to the lecture, understand the material, then go away able to do the assignment, and that a maths textbook could be read like an ordinary book.



                        Do the prerequisites for the course, as taught, actually provide what's needed? I say "as taught" because the way topics are listed in a course outline might not be a guide to how thoroughly each one is covered in the actual sessions. If something essential for your course isn't being adequately covered in one of the prerequisites, then you could probably do with knowing that—since other students might well be affected too.



                        As for the grading, I think you jjust give the honest grade for what was handed in (one that would, say, convince an external examiner that you're applying identical criteria to everyone). It's perfectly consistent to both do that and try to find out what caused him to do so badly. Also being clear that it's done objectively might make it easier for the student not to take the grade personally, so he's more open to being helped.






                        share|improve this answer









                        $endgroup$


















                          1












                          $begingroup$

                          I'm not an educator, though I've been involved in the admin side of university-level education and did a heavily mathematical degree at university.



                          But I'm wondering about two things.



                          Does he actually understand how to study maths? I didn't when I was a student. I think I had the idea that I should be able to go to the lecture, understand the material, then go away able to do the assignment, and that a maths textbook could be read like an ordinary book.



                          Do the prerequisites for the course, as taught, actually provide what's needed? I say "as taught" because the way topics are listed in a course outline might not be a guide to how thoroughly each one is covered in the actual sessions. If something essential for your course isn't being adequately covered in one of the prerequisites, then you could probably do with knowing that—since other students might well be affected too.



                          As for the grading, I think you jjust give the honest grade for what was handed in (one that would, say, convince an external examiner that you're applying identical criteria to everyone). It's perfectly consistent to both do that and try to find out what caused him to do so badly. Also being clear that it's done objectively might make it easier for the student not to take the grade personally, so he's more open to being helped.






                          share|improve this answer









                          $endgroup$
















                            1












                            1








                            1





                            $begingroup$

                            I'm not an educator, though I've been involved in the admin side of university-level education and did a heavily mathematical degree at university.



                            But I'm wondering about two things.



                            Does he actually understand how to study maths? I didn't when I was a student. I think I had the idea that I should be able to go to the lecture, understand the material, then go away able to do the assignment, and that a maths textbook could be read like an ordinary book.



                            Do the prerequisites for the course, as taught, actually provide what's needed? I say "as taught" because the way topics are listed in a course outline might not be a guide to how thoroughly each one is covered in the actual sessions. If something essential for your course isn't being adequately covered in one of the prerequisites, then you could probably do with knowing that—since other students might well be affected too.



                            As for the grading, I think you jjust give the honest grade for what was handed in (one that would, say, convince an external examiner that you're applying identical criteria to everyone). It's perfectly consistent to both do that and try to find out what caused him to do so badly. Also being clear that it's done objectively might make it easier for the student not to take the grade personally, so he's more open to being helped.






                            share|improve this answer









                            $endgroup$



                            I'm not an educator, though I've been involved in the admin side of university-level education and did a heavily mathematical degree at university.



                            But I'm wondering about two things.



                            Does he actually understand how to study maths? I didn't when I was a student. I think I had the idea that I should be able to go to the lecture, understand the material, then go away able to do the assignment, and that a maths textbook could be read like an ordinary book.



                            Do the prerequisites for the course, as taught, actually provide what's needed? I say "as taught" because the way topics are listed in a course outline might not be a guide to how thoroughly each one is covered in the actual sessions. If something essential for your course isn't being adequately covered in one of the prerequisites, then you could probably do with knowing that—since other students might well be affected too.



                            As for the grading, I think you jjust give the honest grade for what was handed in (one that would, say, convince an external examiner that you're applying identical criteria to everyone). It's perfectly consistent to both do that and try to find out what caused him to do so badly. Also being clear that it's done objectively might make it easier for the student not to take the grade personally, so he's more open to being helped.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 2 hours ago









                            timtfjtimtfj

                            3137




                            3137






























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