December has arrived, and that means we have entered a time of year filled with traditions. For many, that means getting ready for Christmas and all of the trappings that go with it. For those of us in higher education, it means something different. This is the time of year that brings End of Semester traditions. There are many, but these are just a few.
This is the time of year when students:
Ask if extra credit is going to be offered.
Want to know their average going into the Final.
Try to turn in an assignment that was due a couple of months ago.
Wonder why they have been given a zero for something they didn’t turn in.
Question the grade scale even when that grade scale was explained to them on the first day.
Ask if they can take the Final early.
Say that they have another Final scheduled at the same time, which is impossible.
Want to know if they can do an extra assignment to improve their grade.
The list could go on and on, but you get the point. This is the time of year when people panic about their grade and scramble to do something about it. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when it is too late for that. There was an entire semester to get things done.
I tell all of my classes that if you do what I say and do what is in the syllabus, then you will pass the class. I guess that doesn’t sink in until this time of year.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 