Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Grading written assignments for content vs. spelling/grammar

That's great! It's not so much that it would kill their grade, but just having the 10% on there will make them realize that its important enough and that they really should proofread and that it matters for their professional future.

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Grading written assignments for content vs. spelling/grammar

I think that one of the biggest obstacles is when a department or program doesn't have all of the instructors on the same page. If there are instructors who don't take the time to grade or remove points for spelling and grammar, then the instructors that do end up looking "picky" instead of the norm. The fact that students complain about getting their work actually read and graded is really frustrating. But if every instructor did it, it would be the norm, and they might not think its something even worth complaining about because it's just standard throughout their courses.

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Lecturing on an Exam day

I like the plan of this. I definitely think it would reduce the anxiety that they have after an exam. I've done it this way before and the "discussion" part actually turned into them gaining up on me and arguing over certain questions. In retrospect, I should have put my food down, but it really was quite an intimidating experience to have them bombard me all at once like that.

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Grading written assignments for content vs. spelling/grammar

Sometimes I have students write a paragraph about an experience or a summary of an article. These aren't worth many points and some instructors, in a rush, may not even read them completely. I find that some are so completely incomprehensible that I cannot even decipher the content. Am I getting TOO distracted by the poor spelling and grammar? Should I send these papers back for proofreading? Or would that be insulting to the student? Is it unfair to not give credit to poorly-written work? It is hard for me to visualize a student in a professional setting who cannot… >>>

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Lecturing on an Exam day

I have had a problem with exam days and introducing new material on the same day. The way the class is designed is 4 hours. Often I will need to test on the same day as a lecture (being an accelerated program we don't have many class meetings). If I lecture before the exam, nobody pays attention to the material because they're too busy worrying about forgetting exam info. So, I tend to exam first, and then hold the lecture last. It just seems, then, that they are all paranoid about the exam they just took and can't focus on… >>>

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Integrating a Lab/Lecture Course

Hi. I teach anatomy that is designed to have 2 hours of lecture in one location and then 2 hours of lab in another. I find it really difficult to keep them interested in my lecture for the full time. Lab seems easy because I have all of these activities planned that are fun. What are some suggestions to integrating the two together when they are held in separate classrooms, and keeping the lecture portion relevant and as exciting as lab time?

Larisa Figueroa

Discussion Comment

Other Students Reporting Cheating

I taught a course before where students came to me and reported a few students cheating on an exam. I took it to the director and the dean and they both said that the information was hearsay. Basically they told me that if I didn't personally witness it, I could not enforce anything. I also couldn't punish the whole class by making them all retake the exam. In the end the director spoke with all of them as a class and they had to develop an honor code. Exams are now administered differently. I was curious to hear how other… >>>