Please Don’t Be a Helicopter Parent!

July 13, 2024 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

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Twelve years ago, when my husband John and I took our daughter to freshman orientation at Converse College, then an all-women’s college, now a co-ed university, the administration, very wisely, oriented the parents as well as the students, together and in separate groups. When parents met with faculty, staff, and administrators, the first item on the agenda was viewing a little animated film about “helicopter” parents, you know, the ones who are overly involved in the lives of their children. These parents tend to be overprotective and cloyingly attentive, often micromanaging their children’s activities and decisions.

The video was followed by some tips for avoiding helicopter parenting. “Try,” said one administrator tentatively, “not calling or texting your daughter for the first week and limit contact after that.” I felt the collective gasp by the parents in the room. Even though, as an English instructor, I had been on the other end of helicopter parenting for many years, I felt a little quake in my heart. A week is a long time when I am used to talking with my kid almost every day, I thought. I like my kid. I want to talk to her.

But I knew the administrator was right. My daughter needed time to figure out things for herself, to feel the power of making her own decisions, good or bad, and the learning experiences that brings. To deny her that might satisfy me and keep me from worrying and empower me as the one she ran to with all of her questions–me, me, me–but that wouldn’t help her. So, as hard as it was, we kept our distance during that orientation week and thereafter. And guess what? She did just fine without us. SHE did more than fine, actually, even though she had to navigate some pretty rough waters, including loneliness, anxiety, and heartbreak, she also gained insight into herself, conquered some of her fears, and learned how to persist through it all.

Of course, we were still active in her life. We were fortunate enough to live close and were able to attend her recitals and other activities. I loved getting to hear her sing in choirs as well as operas and even watched her fence! She came home for special occasions, and we would go visit, often eating at her favorite place, the Monsoon Noodle House. We didn’t abandon her. When she needed help, she asked for it, and we helped her, but she rarely asked. She liked making it on her own, and we loved watching her mature.

If you are parents of college students, don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunities they have to grow by being too involved. Please! Stay out of their classrooms, leave their professors alone, let them fight their own battles, or not, and let them learn to solve their own problems. Not every obstacle should be removed. Not every path should be made smooth. If you have learned to listen to your children, you will know when you must step in to protect them. It’s scary, but it’s necessary.

And it’s normal.

Herein lies the problem of helicopter parenting, I think. It seems to have become much too common for parents to blame a child’s educational institution for normal human development. Simply put, your adult children, whether they go straight into the workforce or choose college, are going to be different than you imagined they would be. If you are one religion, they may choose another or at least a different denomination. Perhaps they will choose no religion at all. They will likely have a different lifestyle, outlook, or political ideology. This is natural.

It is also normal that loving parents will be concerned if they watch their children take different paths than they had desired for them, especially if they turn away from the belief system in which they were raised. However, I have seen students time and time again turn away from their parents and their values only to turn back again as they moved through the rebellious period of youth. That’s natural, too.

What isn’t natural and is inevitably harmful to students is when parents and some in society blame educational institutions, especially instructors and professors, for “indoctrinating” students one way or the other. Don’t misunderstand me. I know that there are many valid concerns about some educational institutions that stifle certain points of view or claim inclusion but only for certain races, religions, and ideologies. That is an argument for another day.

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What I’m saying is much more basic than that. Increasingly, instructors and professors face interference and even harassment by parents who wish to micromanage their offspring’s education. For example, it is common for parents to not only question course grades but also grades for individual assignments, not just failing grades either. Some parents, especially those of younger, dual enrolled or early college students will demand that their child get an A instead of a B and claim, with no evidence, some wrongdoing by the teacher as a basis for their complaint. Sometimes, parents will question material that has long been part of an instructor’s curriculum, calling it “woke” or claiming that it violates their family’s beliefs. I know of one faculty member who was reprimanded for doing something that some parent told some board member who told someone high in the administration. The faculty member never found out what she said or did but was accused and now has a reprimand on her permanent record.

Educational institutions should value all students and be inclusive of all, no matter their race, religion, gender, or ideology, but if any student has an issue with an instructor or professor, that student should be the one to approach the faculty member, not a parent, regardless of the student’s age. At the college level, parents have important support roles, but the day to day, course to course, grade to grade issues should be up to the students and their teachers. Furthermore, barring serious ethical concerns, the teacher should remain the primary authority in the classroom for the sake of all students’ healthy intellectual and emotional growth–the goal of any college education.

Why Certify K-12 Teachers?

February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

In North Carolina, as in many other states, those who teach in kindergarten through twelfth grade are required to meet certain qualifications to teach in the public schools. Being a certified teacher means

Receiving a bachelor’s degree, including certain courses in education, depending on the institution. Appalachian State University, for example, requires 44 credit hours of general education for its English Education (secondary) degree, plus 24 hours of education courses, including
Completing, in addition, three credit hours of a foreign language, and of course, to teach English a student teacher must have a significant number of courses in the subject area, 43 credit hours, including six hours of British literature, six hours of American literature, six hours of world literature, three hours of Shakespeare, three hours of literary criticism, genre studies, or creative writing, nineteen hours in language, writing, and pedagogy, as well as two cognate courses, Psychology Applied to Teaching and Reading Instruction in the Senior High School, for a total of 120 credit hours. All of these courses require a C or better to count towards the degree. The average cost of a degree at App State is close to $48,000.
Passing two national standardized tests including the Praxis Core Academic Skills Test (required to enter most education programs) and the Praxis II test for every subject area to be certified. These tests are administered by the very large, supposedly non-profit Educational Testing Service (ETS), which has been widely criticized for the monopoly it holds on testing for teachers and students and for its continued non-profit status despite its huge profit margin (OlixAlex) Potential teachers pay out of pocket $90 to $210 for each exam.
Maintaining Licensure is also required. Every five years North Carolina English teachers must have completed either eight Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or 80 clock hours of professional development to maintain their certification. Most teachers pay for CEUs out of pocket.

Question for the North Carolina Public School System:

Why does North Carolina require certification for K-12 teachers when there are two major groups of non-certified teachers, not counting private school teachers, who can teach freely in North Carolina but are not required to have the same qualifications as K-12 public school teachers?

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The first group I will discuss is parents. Here are the requirements to teach children between seven and sixteen in a North Carolina homeschool, according to the North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education Homeschool Handbook:

A high school diploma or its equivalency, no minimum GPA is mentioned.
A notice of intent to operate a homeschool
Operation under either Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of the G.S. 115C as a religious or
non-religious school
Operation of the school on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months, excluding
reasonable holidays and vacations. Who checks this?
School disease immunization and annual attendance records for each student, although the parent is the one maintaining these records and there’s little oversight
Administration of a nationally standardized achievement test administered annually to each student. Parents get to choose which test from a recommended list, and not all of these exams require a proctor. There is no minimum score required.
Notification to DNPE when the school is no longer in operation

That’s it, folks! Oh, the state encourages those who homeschool to talk to professional educators from time to time, but this, of course, is voluntary, because, I mean, what do those certified teachers know?

The other group that is not required to achieve and maintain certification is community college instructors teaching dual-enrolled students. I was a relatively rare community college instructor who had taught at the high school level and been certified to teach grades 6-12. At one time or another I was certified to teach English and German in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Colorado, and North Carolina. Although instructors must have a minimum of a master’s degree in their subject area, few of them have had education courses or have studied adolescent psychology and classroom management because most of them never dreamed, not older faculty anyway, that they would be forced to teach 14-, 15-, and 16-year-old high school students.

And yet, more and more, not only are community college faculty expected to teach high school students within their classes on campus, but also online classes, and even in the high school itself. That’s right. More and more full-time college instructors are expected to leave the college campus and go to the high school to teach high school students exclusively, regardless of their level of training, experience, and comfort working with large groups of young teenagers in a high school environment. Believe me, teenagers in groups can be intimidating and even cruel. Not everyone can handle it. I couldn’t.

That’s one of the reasons I left teaching high school and got a job at a community college where I was happy until I was forced to teach large groups of young teenagers again. I retired early for a lot of reasons: teaching more and more high school students who were not prepared academically or emotionally for college-level work was one of the big ones. Don’t even get me started on the pressure from parents and administrators to lower academic standards for high school students.

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One-on-one or in groups of two or three, I did just fine, they did just fine, especially if the parents allowed the students to navigate the course as a college student should, without interfering. I love teaching teenagers under those circumstances. However, I know my strengths, and teaching groups of teenagers is not one of them. Dealing with parents, no matter how well-intentioned, is also not one of my fortes. However, it didn’t matter how many times I talked to the administration about how faculty were more and more frustrated with teaching high schoolers in large numbers and having to go to the high school to teach. Because the college is making money, because high schools and parents are saving money, this dubious educational process continues. In the end, it’s the high school students who lose sometimes two years of life experience they could have had learning to be independent thinkers if society would only think about the students first and find better ways to lower the costs of higher education.

Do you see what the problem is? It’s the incongruity. The state puts so much emphasis on testing and licensure, so much seeming concern about the qualifications it has for teacher education. “We only want the best, fully vetted teachers for our kids,” they opine. Except when it’s politically or socially inconvenient for the powers that be to have standards and fully vet the teachers. Or fully pay them.

Side Note: Of course, certification isn’t the answer either. Little supervision happens with any licensure program because it’s mostly bureaucratic hoops to jump through to provide data so politicians, school administrators, and the public can pretend they care about the quality of instruction. In reality, very few people truly care about the quality of education students receive, says the cynical retired community college instructor.

I can see the political gears turning: “Oh, I know, more people are mad at the schools and teachers than ever. They think their kids are being indoctrinated, so let’s take money away from the public schools that require teacher certification and give it to parents so they can start homeschools that have few standards, where the “teacher” only has to have a high school diploma or equivalent and the students have no minimum score to reach on a yearly national exam that may or may not have an outside proctor to administer it.”

And then there are the dual enrollment programs, Career and College Promise in North Carolina, Again, because it’s convenient and saves money, got to save the money even if it is bad for education, let’s just throw our oh so important teacher education courses out the window and toss our unprepared college instructors into the high school classroom, those who never planned to teach high school and often resent having to teach an age group that they may not have the aptitude, or attitude, to teach.

Oh, we’re so worried about those big bad liberal high school teachers out there that we want to pull our kids out of the public school and homeschool them, but by golly, if I’m gonna save some bucks on the kid’s college education, then let the indoctrination by those free-wheelin’, gender pronoun talkin’ professors begin.

Or not.

“If I don’t want my 15-year-old kid, who is going to bypass her first two years of real college, reading To Kill a Mockingbird, then I’ll just march down to that college and complain to the president.” Or “I don’t want my child feeling bad about slavery, so I’m just going to ask the professor not to make my baby read that slave narrative. The teacher just has to give him an alternate assignment. I mean, we just skipped all the history and literature that made us feel icky when we homeschooled him, and he still graduated.”

Of course, he did. Aren’t you so proud? Let’s just see how everything pans out when your baby wants to become a teacher (you should talk him out of it) and has to pay for and take the Praxis I exam and pass with a minimum score in order to get into the education program. Of course, I hear there are lots of Praxis prep courses he can take, only $399–a steal.

Banned or Challenged?

February 1, 2024February 1, 2024 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

Okay. It’s time for all sides in the book banning debacle to simmer down. If people would just chill, the world would be a better place. (And I am the chief non-chill person, so I’m talking to myself here, too.) I do think that people throw around the word “banned” a bit too freely, especially where school classrooms and libraries are concerned.

Take Florida, for example, where people are justifiably concerned about House Bill 1467 that requires extensive review of classroom materials by members of school boards, most of whom are not educators nor librarians with no training in curriculum development. It also requires principals to take on onerous clerical responsibilities for materials. In addition, only certified librarians, who are already certified in Florida, must go through further training on what is considered “appropriate” before they can review material and if they do not comply completely with the new law, then they risk being disciplined or removed from their positions.

Therefore, the decision by some Florida school districts has been to remove any book that could possibly be considered inappropriate until the librarians can be trained, or indoctrinated, into seeing a book the way those of a particular political persuasion sees that book. On the other hand, people, again justifiably so, are upset when they read headlines about books being removed from the shelves and see photos of those empty school library shelves.

But, here’s my thing, those books that are being pulled from the shelves, they haven’t been banned. They are being pulled for review. Now, I know I don’t know nuthin bout the running of the government and I’m just a little ole retired English teacher, but I’m just gonna say it. This Florida law is stupid. The way I read it is that for political purposes, the Florida legislature has passed this law to placate extremist folks of all kinds, many who could not care less about the true education of children, which involves the continual development of their ability to discern what is right and true and good. Think John Milton’s great speech on censorship, the Aeropagitica.

In reality, all this bill is doing is creating a bureaucratic, unenforceable mess. Already, teachers don’t have enough time in the day to actually teach students much of anything, much less form relationships with them so teachers can match instruction to the individual student’s needs. Librarians don’t have time to lead students in instruction on how to complete research or help them find books that they WANT to read or encourage them to love reading. How is a school board that meets once a month, is not compensated for their time, and more than likely does not have the knowledge of curriculum for all of the different subjects, with usually no training in determining grade level, how are they supposed to review ALL instructional material for the school? AND as I understand it, the law indicates that school boards must do this review in public and allow for public comment and input. It’s a ridiculous notion to think that compliance with this law will be possible.

This is one reason why everybody needs to chill. This is bad law. What needs to happen is people standing up and having a conversation about why it’s bad and challenging it.

Or not.

Perhaps I’m cynical. Perhaps I’m bitter. So, take my words with a grain of salt, but I just don’t think many people really care. In the end, the outrage on both sides will pass and teachers will be stuck with more rules to follow, forms to fill out, evaluations to be made, everything to take them away from what should be their focus, explaining, mentoring, encouraging, assessing, remediating–teaching.

To me, all of the bluster is intended to make people feel like they care about the education of children. To show that they are a true believer in either a religious or secular sense. “See, I go to school board meetings and speak out about showing pornography to our kids.” “Look at me! I go to school board meetings to speak out about freedom and against censorship.”

But the teachers and administration need to chill, too. There’s just too much reactionary activity on all sides. Florida passes a law. The admin and some teachers are worried about being sued or losing their jobs. I know there might be a chance of that happening, but life is risky. Look, I’m not trying to make light of that fear, but is a job at a school that consistently makes you go against your conscience really worth having?

Teachers, look at your situation. How likely is it that you will lose your job? How many times in your career has your job been threatened because of what and how you teach? I know there are some, but it is kind of like a police officer using a gun–many officers go through their whole career never firing their gun except on the firing range. A 2016 Pew Research Center study sponsored by The National Police Research Platform found that only 27% of officers fired their guns while on duty.

It seems to be even rarer for a teacher to be fired for cause. A fact check by 74 indicates that only 2.1% of American public school teachers are fired for cause, mainly for incompetence, not for their ideology, not for what they are teaching. I couldn’t find separate statistics for those directly fired because of the books they have on their shelves and in their curriculum, but it’s less than 2%.

I would never tell a teacher what to do, but I would encourage teachers everywhere at every level–stand up for yourself, stand up for what you believe, stand up for freedom of thought and against censorship. At the same time, admit when a book is inappropriate for your students. Avoid feeling threatened when a parent challenges a book. It’s their right. At the same time, encourage parents to come to you when they have a question about something you’ve said or about a book or some other aspect of the curriculum instead of going immediately to administration.

If you are an administrator or a school board member or a parent, please don’t leave the classroom teacher out. Ask them what’s going on. Have real discussions face to face with the teacher, instructor, or professor. Understand that what a student says about what a teacher says and does is not going to give anyone a complete picture of what is really happening in our classrooms. However, talk to our students about what is happening with book bans, challenges, and removals. They might surprise us with what they are able to “handle.”

So, let’s try not to overreact. Instead of leaping to review every book for any remote perception of something wrong, or more than likely to make our big important political statements, why don’t we allow teachers to make their own judgments while parents make theirs, recognizing that sometimes all we need to do is talk together about books and ideas and feelings, even if they make us uncomfortable. Sometimes, that’s when real education begins.

AI and the Changing Composition Classroom

November 21, 2023 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

Many instructors are fearful about artificial intelligence and what it will do to student writing in freshman composition classes. I understand their concern, especially with the recent announcement about changes in Open AI’s leadership; however, it seems to be clear that AI is here to stay and is quickly changing the school and workplace landscape. Composition instructors, therefore, have a choice. Fight a losing battle or change the way they teach so as to meet the needs of students and their future employers.

If I were still in the classroom, I would seek to use AI in constructive ways. Indeed, AI may prove to be a boon to overloaded, overworked, and overwrought composition teachers, helping them deal with the heavy courseloads they are given. The answer, as indeed in most things, is engagement. Have a curious and playful attitude when using AI in the classroom, discussing the ethical implications along the way.

One assignment I thought might be useful is to introduce a common topic that students in general might find relevant to their lives. Work together as a class to come up with one or two paragraphs produced by Chat GPT. Then, discuss the positive and negative aspects of the paragraphs. Also, teachers might want to pursue a discussion of the ethical considerations of students using AI. When would it be appropriate to use it? When would it be harmful? Why would it be counterproductive to submit a purely AI-written essay in any college classroom?

I asked Chat GPT to come up with a couple of paragraphs on the topic of pros and cons of mandatory classroom attendance for college students. At first Chat GPT just gave me lists of pros and cons, which seems to be its favorite style of writing, so I asked it to write the pros and cons in paragraph form. Here’s what it gave me:

College Classroom Attendance: Striking a Balance

The debate over mandatory attendance in college classrooms revolves around finding a delicate equilibrium between engagement and autonomy. On the positive side, compelling students to attend classes can create an environment conducive to active learning. In-class discussions, real-time feedback from professors, and collaborative projects thrive when students are consistently present. The communal aspect of the classroom, where ideas are shared and debated, contributes to a rich educational experience. Furthermore, mandatory attendance fosters a sense of responsibility and discipline, essential skills that students carry into their professional lives. The structure imposed by attendance policies can guide students in time management and the establishment of a routine, skills that are beneficial beyond the college environment.

However, the cons of mandatory attendance are not to be overlooked. College is a time for individuals to explore their independence and learning styles. For some, this involves engaging with course material independently, through readings, research, and self-directed study. A rigid attendance policy may stifle this autonomy, impeding students from developing the self-discipline needed for lifelong learning. Additionally, external obligations such as work commitments or family responsibilities may clash with a strict attendance policy, putting undue stress on students. In such cases, the emphasis on attendance becomes a hindrance rather than a facilitator of learning. Moreover, there’s a risk that attendance policies incentivize mere compliance rather than genuine intellectual curiosity. Students might attend classes to fulfill a requirement, but the focus on attendance metrics does not guarantee a meaningful engagement with the subject matter. Striking the right balance between encouraging attendance and respecting individual learning styles and circumstances is a nuanced challenge for educators.

I would hope some of the following points would come up in our discussion:

Paragraphs are well-written with few writing errors.
A strong thesis statement begins each paragraph.
The paragraphs are well-organized and uses effective transitions.
The paragraph is logical and makes good arguments for and against mandatory classroom attendance.
One issue is the phrase “there’s.” I teach my students to avoid contractions and the use of the expletive “there is.”
The diction in general is too formal and sounds rather pretentious for a college-level paper. Really need to get rid of “incentivize” in the second paragraph. Yuck!
The paragraphs need to be fleshed out with specific examples and details, preferably from the writer’s own experience, some things that show the pros and cons more clearly and make the paragraphs more interesting to read. With good examples, these two paragraphs could be the basis for an entire essay.
Use this opportunity to talk with students about the importance of developing their own unique voice.

Another great thing to do would be to see if any students disagree with Chat GPT. What do students think about the logic presented in these paragraphs? Encourage students to “argue” with Chat GPT or “defend” it. Maybe have a classroom debate about mandatory classroom attendance. What ideas did the classroom come up with that Chat GPT didn’t include?

Another idea is to help students brainstorm ideas about topics that they are interested in, a process that is not always easy, I found. But asking relevant questions like how to pay for college without going into debt or managing mental health without medication might spark a student’s interest and inspire them to THINK FOR THEMSELVES.

How about even being brave and venturing into controversial topics, like the difference between banning and challenging books in public schools, transgender rights, universal health care, and Black history studies. Yes, I know, it can be scary, and administrators may not thank you, but remember that college is meant for adult learners, many of whom are already wrestling in the real world with all of these topics. Furthermore, using AI may help remove some of the fallacious reasoning some students use when writing about sensitive topics. In fact, try using Chat GPT to start a discussion about fallacies of logic.

The main idea is to get them to realize that all good writing needs their real-life experiences and their own critical thinking to add interest, for the reader, sure, but especially for themselves because writing that the writer doesn’t care about will be dry as toast and not worth anyone’s time. Give students confidence in their own ideas through lively, mediated debate, and then ask them to write, by hand, if possible, right there in front of you.

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The old-fashioned way.

Process over Product

August 21, 2023August 22, 2023 / Katie Winkler / 3 Comments

Years ago, when I used to be encouraged to attend conferences, I worked with the head librarian at my college to develop a presentation called “Process, not Plagiarism” that addressed the growing concern English faculty had over the proliferation of plagiarized essays that we were seeing following the advent of the World Wide Web. More and more, students were able to easily copy and paste material from the sources they found on their topics. Plagiarism was rampant.

The thesis of our presentation was that rather than a punitive approach, zero tolerance policies, harsh penalties, and other such punitive measures, faculty might be better served to focus on the research and writing process as opposed to the actual essay itself.

We began our presentation by showing a short film called “Copy Cops,” intended to engage our audience and make our point in a lighthearted, entertaining way. Making the film was an educational experience for our students and was a project that I still remember fondly. Several IT guys helped my friend who headed the drama department and I with the filming and editing. The librarian’s husband, a professional sound technician, also lent a hand. Students from the drama department acted out the script I wrote.

The film opens with our cop pulling up to the college’s main building in a police cruiser, borrowed from the college’s law enforcement training program. He has his blue lights blazing and hop outs declaring that he got a plagiarism call. “Must be research paper time,” he says. Then, we see him sneaking down the dark hallway, crashing through the door. Three students who are typing away, stop and look up. Caught red handed.

Our cop interrogates each perp–the first one was trying to buy a paper off the internet–blatant plagiarism. The cop says, “Don’t you know we have software to pick that up.” The second plagiarist claims “I changed around a few words, so it’s okay.”

“No!” says the cop. He explains that he has committed mosaic plagiarism. The student bows his head in disgrace. The final plagiarist is a sad case, according to the cop. She had, she says, “50 MLA citations at the end” of her paper, but the cop explains that she also must have citations within the essay to show where she used which sources.

“But, I didn’t know,” she cries.

Our compassionate cop feels for her but arrests her anyway, along with the other violators of one of academia’s most serious offenses. As he puts her into the patrol car, he laments, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

Showing the video at the presentation set the perfect tone. Of course, it is ridiculous to consider plagiarism the kind of crime we can or should prosecute. Trying to contain the uncontainable is academic folly. What is needed, I would tell my audience, is preemption.

Then, the librarian and I would go through the methods we used to help preempt. Here are a few we would discuss in our sessions:

Develop research questions. Instructing the students to develop specific research questions helps focus the research and prevents students from writing researched essays that are too generic and easily plagiarized. In the last decade of my teaching, I required students to develop research questions that were specific to our college or one of the communities that the college served. This method worked particularly well in helping reduce plagiarism. Even if I couldn’t prevent the student from plagiarizing, the essay would usually receive a poor grade because it was too vague and general, not within the parameters of the assignment.
Multiple trips to the library accompanied by the instructor and the librarian. The more the instructor can observe the students work, the better. Also, our librarians were always looking for sources to help students once they knew what was needed.
Grade each step of the research process. Of course, I would offer low stakes assignments that gave their averages a boost but took little effort to grade. In exchange for a little extra work, I had continual contact with the students’ essays and could be aware of the progress each student was making.
Require an annotated bibliography. In the last few years, I shortened the length of the research paper and lowered the number of required sources from ten to six; however, three of the six sources had to be found in the college library’s databases, two had to be websites relevant to their specific local topics, like local news and government sources. The MLA citation included the information that would show the students were using the college’s resources. In addition, the annotations had to be more than a summary of the source. Students had to explain how they might use the source in the essay.
Require students to interview at least one local expert. This is a great way to observe the students’ progress as well as help engage students. Over the years, I have observed the wonderful effects interviews have had on students.

For example, once I had a student who was from a poor family and never could afford to go to the famous Biltmore House when he was growing up, but because he was interested in interior design and architecture, he had decided to write about how Christmas was celebrated at the Biltmore House. He wasn’t sure who to interview. I suggested contacting public relations, explaining his assignment, and seeing if someone there would have time for an interview.

“Can I do that?” he said.

“Of course, you can,” I assured him. “The worse they can say is ‘No’.”

The next class period, he came in with a huge smile, saying that he called and scheduled an interview with the head florist. I was so excited for him as we worked in class that day preparing the interview questions. And even more excited when, after the interview, he explained what had happened the day he went to mansion.

He was nervous when he went up to the gate house, he began. He had been told to give his name to the security guard who would tell him what to do. My student did as he was told and after the guard marked his name off the list, he was instructed to drive straight up to the house and park in the employee parking lot, which he did. The head florist greeted him warmly and proceeded to give him a 45-minute interview. Not only did she answer his questions, but she had a folder of materials for him to use on his essay, including photocopies of an article from Southern Living about the Biltmore House at Christmas and a copy of an actual purchase order for the mansion’s Christmas supplies from the time when the Vanderbilts lived there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the interview was over and the florist had given him multiple souvenirs from the gift shop, she asked my student, “Would you like to see the house?” He was ecstatic. It was more than he ever thought possible when he worked up the courage to make the call to the public relations office. After about a half hour tour of viewing and explaining the floral designs and other Christmas decorations at America’s largest privately owned home, the florist explained that she had another appointment, but she wanted him to stay at the house and tour the gardens as long as he liked, that he was her guest. She also told him to please be sure to send her a copy of his essay once he finished and to let her know if he had any more questions.

Over the years, I often told that story to my students, and to audiences of my “Process, not Plagiarism” presentation. They were eager to hear many more “Biltmore” type experiences that helped engage my students in the process of researching their topics. I still believe, even in these days of artificial intelligence and its implications for teaching composition, if students are truly interested in what they are writing about, they will be far less likely to plagiarize. What’s more, many of my students have come away with a life-changing experience because the focus was not on the final essay but on finding something they were really interested in and learning how to write about it well. Writing a researched essay can then become not about the end product but the process–the journey of discovery.

Chatting with ChatGPT

July 7, 2023 / Katie Winkler / 2 Comments

I had a chat with ChatGPT today. It was very interesting and actually quite encouraging. I know that a great many educators are extremely worried about what AI will do to the teaching of composition, and I have my concerns as well, even after my “interview” with Chatty (my pet name for it), but just as I said in a meeting with English faculty and administrators when ChatGPT was breaking in the news earlier this year, I think we should embrace AI and move to change the way we teach and assess research skills and writing.

So, here are some excerpts from my little talk with Chatty: Note: Together the two of us generated 2, 749 words in about 15 minutes. It took me longer to type my questions than it did for ChatGpt to answer in most cases.

Q 1–(truncated) How can English composition instructors combat students cheating with AI?

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A 1–To combat students cheating with AI in English composition classes, instructors can employ several strategies:

1. Clear Academic Integrity Policies: Establish and communicate a comprehensive academic integrity policy that clearly defines what constitutes cheating and the consequences for such behavior. Make sure students are aware of the ethical implications and the importance of original work.

3. Assign Original and Personalized Topics: Design writing assignments that require students to express their own thoughts, opinions, and analysis. Select topics that prompt critical thinking and reflection, making it difficult for AI tools to generate suitable responses. (I have long been a proponent of this technique. It has helped reduce plagiarism in my classroom)

4. Promote Authentic Assessment: Incorporate assessment methods that emphasize originality and creativity. Encourage students to engage in class discussions, presentations, and debates that showcase their unique perspectives. Use open-ended questions and prompts that elicit thoughtful responses. (Ditto on this technique)

5. Frequent Progress Checks: Break down assignments into multiple stages, such as topic selection, thesis statement, outline, rough draft, and final submission. Require students to submit their work at each stage, ensuring progress and monitoring the writing process. (And this one–problem is that even using a checklist or rubric, the grading load can be brutal if the instructor has to teach 16 weeks of material in 8 weeks)

8. Personalized Feedback and Revision: Provide individualized feedback on writing assignments, highlighting areas of improvement and offering suggestions for further development. Emphasize the value of the writing process and the importance of revisions. (Also can be brutal with a heavy teaching load, but I asked Chatty about that. See below)

9. Foster a Supportive Classroom Environment: Encourage open communication and foster a classroom culture that values originality and academic integrity. Engage students in discussions about the ethical implications of cheating and the benefits of personal growth through authentic learning. (Difficult when teaching online. It can be done, but it requires a great deal of work that overloaded instructors often don’t have.)

By implementing these strategies, English composition instructors can actively discourage and prevent students from cheating with AI while promoting the development of essential writing skills and fostering a culture of integrity.

Q2–What if I have over 100 students’ papers to grade? How can English instructors do the things you suggest when they have so much grading to do?

A2–Grading a large number of student papers can be time-consuming and challenging. However, here are some suggestions to manage the grading process effectively while still implementing the strategies mentioned earlier:

1. Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate your grading criteria, expectations, and the reasoning behind them to students at the beginning of the course. This will help students understand the parameters within which they should work and reduce the likelihood of cheating.

2. Use Rubrics: Develop a comprehensive rubric that outlines the key components you will assess in students’ papers. This will provide a structured approach to grading and ensure consistency across multiple papers.

3. Prioritize Key Assignments: Consider selecting a few key assignments that require more in-depth analysis and focus your efforts on providing detailed feedback on those. For less critical assignments, you can use more streamlined feedback methods, such as highlighting common errors or providing general comments.

5. Implement Efficient Grading Techniques: Explore strategies to streamline the grading process. For example, you can set a specific time limit for grading each paper to maintain consistency and prevent burnout. Additionally, consider using abbreviations or standardized comments to provide feedback efficiently.

7. Consider Sampling: Instead of grading every paper in its entirety, you can employ sampling techniques. Randomly select a subset of papers to grade comprehensively, while giving the others a lighter evaluation, focusing on key areas or specific aspects you want to assess.

Remember, it’s important to strike a balance between providing valuable feedback and managing your workload efficiently. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively grade a large number of papers while still incorporating the suggested methods to combat cheating with AI.

Q3–How can I incorporate AI into the English composition classroom? Can you give me a sample assignment?

A3–Incorporating AI into the English composition classroom can offer various opportunities for engaging and innovative assignments. Here’s a sample assignment that integrates AI technology:

Assignment: Exploring AI in Writing Analysis

Objective: To critically analyze the impact of AI on writing and language usage.

Instructions:

1. Research: Begin by conducting research on the applications of AI in the field of writing and language analysis. Explore topics such as automated grading systems, AI-powered writing assistants, and language generation algorithms.

2. Case Studies: Select at least two case studies or examples where AI has been utilized in the context of writing analysis. These could include plagiarism detection tools, grammar and style checkers, or content summarization algorithms.

3. Comparative Analysis: Compare and contrast the strengths, limitations, and ethical implications of each AI tool or system you have chosen. Consider factors such as accuracy, bias, privacy concerns, and the impact on creativity and originality in writing.

4. Critical Reflection: Write a reflective essay that addresses the following points:

a. Describe your experience using AI writing tools, if applicable. How did they impact your writing process and outcomes?

b. Evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools in detecting plagiarism, improving grammar, or enhancing writing style. Reflect on their strengths and weaknesses.

c. Discuss the ethical considerations associated with AI use in writing analysis. Explore concerns related to authenticity, privacy, and the potential suppression of unique voices.

5. Recommendations: Based on your analysis and reflection, provide recommendations for students, instructors, and policymakers on how to navigate the use of AI tools effectively and ethically in writing contexts.

6. Class Discussion: Engage in a class discussion where students share their findings, insights, and recommendations. Facilitate a dialogue on the benefits and challenges of integrating AI into the writing process, while considering the broader implications for education and society.

By assigning this project, students can deepen their understanding of AI’s impact on writing, critically evaluate its benefits and limitations, and develop informed perspectives on the responsible use of AI tools. Additionally, class discussions allow students to engage in collaborative learning, exchanging ideas, and exploring diverse viewpoints.

(I love these ideas. I am not going to teach much longer, so I won’t have a chance to try them out in the classroom; I retire on July 28, but I certainly will encourage faculty to use some of these techniques through this blog and in my upcoming book about teaching. I hope to have it finished by the end of the year.)

Q4–I feel that educators are going to end up using computers to grade computer-generated material produced by students. Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening?

A4–(truncated) If you have concerns about the potential over-reliance on computer grading systems, here are some suggestions to prevent or mitigate the exclusive use of such systems:

1. Emphasize the Value of Human Evaluation: Educators can highlight the importance of human evaluation and the unique insights and perspectives that human graders bring to the assessment process. Promote the understanding that human evaluation encompasses qualities that automated systems cannot fully capture, such as creativity, critical thinking, and context-based analysis.

2. Educate Stakeholders: Engage in conversations with administrators, fellow educators, and policymakers about the limitations of computer grading systems. Share research and evidence that supports the benefits of human grading in assessing complex skills, such as writing, where context, nuance, and originality play crucial roles.

8. Involve Students in the Discussion: Foster open dialogues with students about the value of human evaluation and its impact on their learning experience. Encourage their active participation in the assessment process and seek their feedback on the benefits and limitations of different grading methods.

By actively promoting the importance of human evaluation, engaging in advocacy efforts, and encouraging a balanced approach to assessment, educators can help prevent an overreliance on computer grading systems and ensure that the value of human assessment is recognized and upheld in the educational setting.

Q5 omitted

Q6–Write a paragraph about how a college can improve its online teaching using at least one academic source cited in MLA 9 format

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A6–Improving online teaching in colleges requires a comprehensive approach that considers pedagogical strategies, technological infrastructure, and student engagement. According to Smith (2020), incorporating active learning techniques in virtual classrooms can enhance student participation and deepen understanding. One effective method is the use of breakout rooms, which allows for small group discussions and collaboration. Additionally, integrating multimedia elements, such as videos and interactive simulations, can facilitate content comprehension and engagement (Jones, 2019). To ensure equitable access to online education, institutions should prioritize providing necessary technology and reliable internet access to all students (Johnson et al., 2021). By implementing these strategies and considering the recommendations from academic sources, colleges can enhance the quality of online teaching and create a more interactive and inclusive virtual learning environment.

References:

Jones, A. B. (2019). Enhancing engagement in online courses through multimedia learning materials. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 15(4), 160-177.

Johnson, K. D., Veletsianos, G., Seaman, J., & Henderikx, P. (2021). U.S. Faculty and Administrators’ Experiences and Approaches in the Early Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Online Learning Journal, 25(2), 6-24.

Smith, J. M. (2020). Active Learning in Online Instruction: Evidence-Based Practice and Future Directions. Online Learning Journal, 24(4), 198-213.

(Very impressive in some ways, especially that Chatty generated this paragraph in a few seconds; however, the citations are in APA 7 style, not MLA 9. Knowing this, I can warn students ahead of time that if they use AI to generate their papers, they still need to know MLA 9 well enough to make changes to the citations. Another thing missing is the database name, url, or doi that I require to indicate where the student found the article. AI is not able to generate that but students should be required to provide it.)

Q7–Can you use a source from NCLive to support the previous paragraph?

A7–I apologize for the inconvenience, but as an AI language model, my responses are generated based on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available data. I have not been directly trained on specific publishers or have access to proprietary publishers like NCLive. I should note that while I strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, my responses may not always reflect the most current research or publications in the field.

I encourage you to consult NCLive or other reputable sources directly to obtain the necessary information and academic sources in MLA 9 format to support your paragraph on improving online teaching in colleges.

(I was quite encouraged by this answer. If instructors will craft their assignments in such a way as to require more local or regional resources to support more specific, personalized subjects, then students will be less likely to be successful in using AI to generate an inordinate amount of material for their compositions.)

Q8–I am a teacher trying to discover how to prevent cheating by using AI. You have given me some good information, but I don’t know how to convince students of the importance of academic integrity when society seems to care mainly about the final grade a student receives in any given course. Any suggestions on how I can convince students of the importance of academic integrity?

A8–(truncated) Convincing students of the importance of academic integrity requires a multifaceted approach that combines education, engagement, and fostering a culture of integrity. Here are some suggestions to help convey the significance of academic integrity to your students:

1. Start with the Why: Begin the conversation by explaining the underlying principles and values that academic integrity upholds. Emphasize that it goes beyond just obtaining a grade and is essential for personal growth, ethical development, and long-term success in academia and beyond. (In an 8-week online course, I try to do this through frequent recorded sessions. Students are required to attend live or view the recording)

2. Create Meaningful Connections: Connect academic integrity to real-world examples and situations that students can relate to. Discuss the impact of dishonesty and plagiarism on professional reputation, the trustworthiness of research, and the consequences in various fields and industries. (Hard to do in an accelerated online course)

5. Explain the Learning Process: Help students understand that the primary purpose of assignments and assessments is to promote learning, critical thinking, and skill development. Emphasize that by engaging in academic dishonesty, they are robbing themselves of the opportunity to grow and succeed based on their own abilities. (I also use the recorded sessions to explain the learning process.)

6. Teach Research Skills and Citation: Offer guidance on proper research methods, citation practices, and the use of academic sources. Demonstrate how correct citation and referencing strengthen their arguments, demonstrate credibility, and contribute to the scholarly conversation.

7. Showcase Academic Achievements: Highlight and celebrate instances of exemplary academic work, original thinking, and creativity. Recognize and reward students who demonstrate a commitment to academic integrity, reinforcing the value and importance of ethical conduct. (I wish I had more time to do this technique, but it is tough with a heavy teaching load and accelerated classes.)

10. Lead by Example: Demonstrate integrity in your own teaching practices. Clearly communicate expectations, provide fair assessments, and model ethical behavior in the classroom. Be available to answer questions and provide guidance when students face challenges.

By consistently promoting the value of academic integrity, fostering open dialogue, and providing support and guidance, you can help create a classroom environment where students recognize the significance of academic honesty and are motivated to uphold it.

***

Chatty certainly offers some excellent advice and demonstrates an impressive command of educational techniques. However, like so many other technological tools to help students and educators, Language AI is not the savior nor the threat that so many seem to take it. It is a tool to be used for good or ill, as a valuable time-saver or as a debilitating crutch. It is only as good as the human using it.

In the end, education doesn’t happen through the use of impressive technology. Even in the age of AI, teachers still reach students the same way they always have, through building relationships, one student at a time.

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Do I Help Too Much?

March 16, 2023 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

Simply put, yes!

Of course, I tell myself that I help so much because I care, and I do; more than that, I truly like my students–no matter what their age or socio-economic status. However, just like a too-permissive parent, sometimes I help simply because it is easier to do so than not. Yes, I could say that I’m being pushed to help my students more and more, but the reality is, I am helping more to help myself feel better. If I work more and they work less, while they still maintain an A, or in some cases a B, then maybe they will like me, and they, or their parents, won’t complain to the administration or give me a poor evaluation. Maybe I can keep my retention and success rates up so that the administration will see me as a good and effective instructor because the data will prove it, right?

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Therefore, I assign work due on a regular schedule and reinforce the due dates with reminders in the morning on the day something is due. These reminders appear on a Course Announcements forum and in the students’ college e-mail, but I am aware that many students do not check their college account regularly, so sometimes I go to our college’s retention management system where I can send messages to the student’s personal e-mail as well. If their grades get too low, I report that to the student through the LMS, copy that message, and send an alert through the advising and retention system, which sends messages to a team of people, including a “success coach,” an advisor, and sometimes one of the counselors. BTW, students can access their gradebooks at any time through the LMS and know exactly where they stand as I make sure to keep up with my grading, especially recording zeros when students miss work.

I also answer student e-mails and messages during each work day, usually within minutes, and often after 8:00 pm in the evening, on weekends, and vacations. If students say they need the assignment explained more clearly, I explain it again. They miss class and need to have more explanation than the thorough instructions already given on the LMS? Okay, I supply that explanation in an e-mail.

Why am I over-helping? I never did it before the advent of the early college or before so many online classes. Perhaps I never helped this much because all of society knew that to be successful in college, students would have to take on more personal responsibility for attending regularly, reading important material, following instructions, working diligently, and meeting deadlines. You know, like they will have to do in real life. For whatever reason, I’m helping too much, and I need to stop because it is bad for my students. Now that I’m teaching seated classes again, including a large number of high school students, I can see that doing too much leads to dependence and a lack of confidence, something I began to see in my students before March 2020.

The pandemic only exacerbated a growing tendency to lower our expectations for the sake of younger or underprepared students. High school students should be treated differently than college students, apparaently. I mean, how can we expect them to perform as college students when they are facing so much and times are so hard? Almost all of our students have to work, so we shoud be more understanding and offer more extensions on assignments when many of us already offer a more than generous late work policy.

We educators breed some of these problems because we want, we need, our students to perform better, on paper anyway, because that is how we are judged as educators by our data-driven society. We can’t afford to let the students figure out how to do things for themselves because then they might receivie less than desireable grades, withdraw, or fail, and if that happens, it is a poor reflection on us, so we provide as much as we possibly can. To do anything less would be wrong, wouldn’t it?

But now I ask myself, isn’t it equally as wrong to deny my students the opportunities to build the all important life skills that will mean more to them, and their employers, than anything else–skills like reading comprehension, time management, clear and concise communication, problem solving, critical thinking, respect for authority, persistence, and resilency?

Students acquire these skills only by being challenged. In order for that to happen, I have to stop trying to make the way quick and easy by smoothing over every trouble and answering every question. I must take the much harder route of leading them, sometimes painstakingly, to answers they discover for themselves.

Is Convenience Overrated?: An Educational Fable

February 12, 2023February 13, 2023 / Katie Winkler / 1 Comment

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So let me tell you a story:

The English instructor was in a rush that day, like too many other days, and she needed convenience. She hadn’t eaten much, and as a Type II diabetic, she needed to, but there was no time to go in, sit down, and have a decent meal, or so she thought. She decided, against her better judgment, to stop by a fast food place. She had heard that some places were offering more healthy options and that nutrition information is listed for the customer’s convenience, so she could just quickly get in line and get a salad or something.

That wouldn’t be too bad, would it?

The first place she saw she just passed on by because the line was so long. The next two places were no different, but the fourth place was a charm–short line. She got up to the board and found out why. The choices were limited–not really any healthy options as she had hoped– and the service was extremely slow and unfriendly. She didn’t blame the worker, though. Who wants to work for $7.25 an hour at a burger joint? And with the staffing problems these days, probably working double shifts as well.

Finally got her food. A Combo #1 because she mistakenly thought that would be the most convenient. Not exactly the healthy option she had hoped for. On top of that, it wasn’t really the kind of food that she could safely eat while driving, so she pulled into the parking lot to eat it while sitting in the car.

She thought it might be good to check her work e-mail while she was eating in case a student had a question or concern. For the convenience of the students, the faculty had been told to answer questions for students as soon as they can, you know. She reached over to grab the phone, accidentally hitting the lid of the container that held her food, including the three packets of ketchup that she had squirted out to put on her French fries. All of the ketchup and some of the greasy fries ended up on her skirt and blouse.

Therefore, when she returned to the college, she had to go to the restroom to clean up. Fortunately, she thought, she had a convenient little emergency laundry pen she carried in her purse for just such occasions that would take care of that ketchup in a jiffy. However, once she got to the restroom, she couldn’t find that little pen anywhere, even after searching through her purse for a few seconds, so she just gave up and did the best she could with a wet paper towel and a bit of soap.

Smelling still a bit tomatoey, she headed to her English composition class for workshop day, an opportunity for students to read each other’s essays and ask for advice, but before the workshop could begin, one student informed the instructor that he would have to leave in thirty minutes for a doctor’s appointment. Two students came up together saying they were up late the night before closing at the restaurant where they worked, so they didn’t have time to write the rough draft. Could they have an extension?

The instructor, having been told by her supervisors to do everything possible to accommodate the customers and to “find a way to say ‘yes,'” took the first student’s essay and told him that she would do the workshop herself, scan her feedback, and e-mail it to him, and of course, she would give the other two students their extensions. Then, they packed up their computers and began to leave, saying it would be more convenient for them to work on the essays together at home since they had the same work schedule. Of the remaining ten students in the class (there were 18 enrolled), two had partial drafts written in their notebooks and four students had rough drafts without the required in-text citations and works cited list. Only four had completed rough drafts with the proper documentation.

The instructor passed out the workshop worksheets and went to the computer closet down the hall to bring two students who had forgotten to bring computers despite numerous convenient reminders during class and through the LMS (Learning Management System). She came back to find that another student had packed up and left. “They said their hand was raised but you ignored it and then just left the room, so they went to ask last semester’s teacher for help,” said another student.

Then, there was Greg. Unbeknownst to the instructor, the previous day Greg had worked until six as a pharmacy assistant. He had taken the job to see if he was interested in becoming a pharmacist. It wasn’t easy balancing the job with all of the other things he had to do, but he was saving up to transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill, his dream school. After work, he had gone by to pick up his little sister who is a junior at one of the local high schools. She was at basketball practice, and his mother, a widow, didn’t get home until late some nights, so he was glad to help. He had to wait for his sister a little, but it gave him time to check on his classes. He saw the reminder from his English instructor that the rough draft of one of the class’s major essays was due for a workshop the next day. He hadn’t even started.

At home, he and his sister whipped up some whole wheat spaghetti noodles and heated up a bottle of his mother’s homemade spaghetti sauce that she had canned the previous weekend since she knew it was going to be a busy couple of weeks. They made a salad with some fresh vegetables from the garden to go along with it. Since their dad died, they were on a pretty strict budget, and the vegetables from the garden their mom started saved them a pretty penny. Even better, working in the garden was a good chance for them to relax and be together as a family. His sister loved it so much she was planning to take a class in horticulture at the college in her senior year. Right now, though, she wanted to concentrate on doing well in her high school classes, playing basketball, and helping out around the house.

Their mom got home about the time Greg and his sister sat down to eat. She joined them and they had a nice meal, talking about their days and laughing together, but Greg could tell how tired his mom was. She was a nurse and the long hours at the understaffed hospital where she worked were really getting to her. Plus, she was still grieving for their dad. They all were. His sister had some tough discrete math homework to do, and he remembered how hard that was, so he volunteered to do the dishes while his mom went to watch some TV and have a little downtime. His sister sat at the table and shot him questions when she ran into a tough problem. After he finished, he sat down beside her to help some more. It felt good to get off his feet.

He had some other homework to do and a test to study for, so it was getting close to midnight when he finally started working on the essay, but he knew it was only a “messy” draft, and as long as he met the basic requirements, a complete three pages, double-spaced with at least two sources cited in the text, and works cited list, he would get full credit. He was pretty tired and tempted to just not worry about the draft, but then he remembered his dream of going to Chapel Hill and becoming a pharmacist like he promised his dad he would. He went back to work and finished the paper around 1:30 am.

The next day in class, Greg waited patiently for his English instructor to look at his essay, but time was running out. Finally, she came around to him with about five minutes of class left. “I’m so sorry, Greg,” she said, “Now that classes have been shortened again for the convenience of students, we’re almost out of time.”

“That’s okay.” He tried to sound cheerful but was a bit disappointed. She had been an English teacher for a long time, and he valued her opinion.

“But I feel bad.”

He believed her.

“Listen, do you have time to stay and come to my office? I could take a better look at the essay and give you some feedback.”

“Sure,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

They went to her office, and she spent thirty minutes with him talking about organization, sentence structure, and word usage. He even started understanding comma splices better, finally. He was definitely sleepy from staying up late the night before, but in the end, it was worth it.

After Greg left and his instructor turned to the dozens of assignments she had to grade before she could allow herself to go home, she smiled, thinking the same thing. Definitely worth it.

The End

And the moral to the story: A homemade education slow-cooked with care and concern by students, faculty, and staff beats a fast, “millions sold per day” credential designed, not to satisfy, but to placate. That kind of education wears off awfully fast, leaving the “customer” malnourished, yet ravenous, once again.

Higher Education?

September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 / Katie Winkler / 1 Comment

I know college costs too much–not my fault. Anybody who sees my paycheck can tell you that. I know community college is often seen as pseudo-higher education–I have no control over people’s perceptions. I only know that I will continue to hold my students to a high, but reachable, standard. I know some instructors do not expect college-level work from their students–I’m not one of them. I know some advisors and administrators sincerely feel sorry for those with difficult life situations that often interfere with student success. I understand. I empathize with them as well. However, I can’t allow that to affect my judgement. I cannot, repeat cannot, let any of these considerations interfere with my assessment of students’ performance in my class.

To do so would be unethical.

Consider this: Let’s say I’m teaching a fully online foundational English composition course to a first-semester freshman. The student sends an e-mail the night the first major essay is due and says that they will not be submitting the assignment on time because they were working a double shift and were too worn out and sleepy to turn in their best work, so they are requesting, very politely, an extension.

Some people would say, “Oh, come on, give the kid a break!”

I say the kindest thing to do is, as gently as possible, deny the extension. Why? Because….

I accept late work that carries a significant grade penalty, allowing the student to begin to learn important soft skills while still salvaging their grade.
the student may begin to understand that in the “real” world, people are expected to meet deadlines
the penalty stings enough to begin teaching the student a valuable lesson about time management
the student may learn that making excuses and blaming circumstances are only short-term solutions
the student has a better chance of developing a growth mindset, learning from their mistakes and becoming not only a better student but also a better person.

It is true that denying any student anything nowadays carries with it certain risks. There is always the chance that the student, or the student’s parent, will complain, not to me, an instructor with no tenure and little power, but to one of my many supervisors, saying that I am being unreasonable and that I should not only accept late work for assignments that students have known about for weeks or even months but that I should also award points for punctuality to an essay that was not turned in on time.

But I am willing to assume that risk for the student’s sake. I learned long ago that enabling students only helps make my life and the lives of my bosses easier. It does nothing to truly help the student or to foster the higher education that my college claims to provide.

Student Teacher–Teacher Student

July 30, 2022July 30, 2022 / Katie Winkler / Leave a comment

If I can put aside my oh-so-fragile ego, I can learn a great deal from my students. I am trying to listen more to what they say. One way I am learning from my students is by requiring my first semester freshman English composition students to write a short researched persuasive essay on a topic that is relevant to our college specifically or to one of the communities it serves.

Students can choose from a list of research questions I brainstormed, or they can submit their own questions for approval. Most of the time, the students pick one of my groups of questions. One set that became much more popular during the pandemic has been about online learning:

What is our college doing to help retain online students? Is it enough? Why? or Why not? What are some things that other schools are doing that our college might do to help retain online students? Is our college doing any of these things?

This short summer semester, without any prompting from me, two of my best students chose the same group of questions. After research, including separate personal interviews with the college’s Director of Teaching and Learning, my students argued two different, but similar, theses. Happily, both recognized the students’ role in their own success and offered suggestions for what students could do to help themselves complete online courses with the desired results.

However, one student emphasized the faculty’s role in improving online retention, and the other argued that the administration could take steps to help more students achieve success. I found both viewpoints interesting and insightful.

So, what did I learn?

The two big takeaways–Faculty should interact more with students, and administrators need to lighten instructors loads so that students can do so. Wow! I mean, my students didn’t teach me anything I didn’t know already. I’ve been saying it for years; however, what is new is hearing about the importance of interaction and building a personal relationship from online students themselves, one who has had six semesters of online classes at my institution.

Both students indicated how helpful it is when instructors quickly respond to inquires and return graded material as soon as possible. This is the first time, however, that I have had a student discuss the administration’s responsibility to be sure that faculty do not have an overload.

Their arguments are well-taken.

A case in point was my schedule this summer. I had three classes and a shortened semester of ten weeks instead of sixteen. Since I have been teaching sixteen-week English composition in eight weeks the past couple of years, ten weeks seemed like a summer vacation. With the lighter load, I was not only able to communicate more often and with more detail but also had time to develop my courses and further refine them for our mutual benefit. In addition, I was able to hold more live virtual sessions and record them for the sake of students who could not attend the sessions. Students mentioned how helpful these sessions were.

Both students mentioned the need for proper advisement when students are registering for online classes. Sometimes, they said, students are ill-prepared for the rigor of online classes and may not possess the time-management skills to be successful. I have found that some of my eight-week online students are not even aware that they are taking an accelerated English course and quickly drop out.

One student mentioned in their essay the problem of recruitment taking precedence over retention. This point resonated with me. For example, on more than a few occassions, I have had developmental and other ill-prepared or otherwise weak students placed in my eight-week courses, or even worse, with advising restrictions removed since the pandemic, students are signing themselves up for classes, which can easily lead to misplacement. Most of these students withdraw; the expectations and pace are simply too much.

The hope is that administration will return to advising restrictions, but the lure of classes filled beyond capacity, and the funds that generates, so far seems to be too strong. As long as enrollment numbers are considered above all other considerations, including limiting the number of students in online classes, hiring more instructors, and better preparing them, I, and two of my most talented students, recognize that we will most likely continue to have low retention and success rates in online classes despite the efforts of even the most dedicated and talented faculty.

Hey, Mrs. Winkler!

Musings and Mutterings About Higher Education in the South

Classroom Management