Balancing Academic Integrity with Student Accountability
In the intro to the first module it mentions how many high school students were "coddled" during their time in HS. It then goes on to explain that that is not how career college classes should treat them. However, having taught for over 12 years, I find sometimes in a Career College setting that many students come in with a strong attitude of entitlement. I've even gotten the "I'm the customer, so I deserve a better grade" argument in the past. This gets coupled sometimes with an administrative undercurrent of "make the student's happy" due to pressures over maintaining retention numbers.
I guess I often feel stuck between a rock and a hard place regarding balancing between making sure the student is accountable to the level they must to be successful in the chosen field; and keeping some "entitled" students happy so as to not have to find myself on the wrong side retention issues.
How does one walk that fine line when sometimes the thing that the student is demanding is that coddling?
I too share your thoughts Aaron and Mia on balancing academic integrity with student accountability. I have accepted late assignments and sub-par assignment without penalty with the goal in mind of ultimate learning but then I realize being a business owner myself that I would never employ these students. Conversely,other students are sticklers on timely yet lacking true academic learning. I guess that being said my dilemma is that I am enabling my students using my bad parenting skills instead of appropriate teaching skills. I need to learn more skills!!!!
That has always been my philosophy with employees, Aaron, but it seems to be a gray area in an online learning environment.
With employees, there are strict guidelines about tardies and excused/unexcused absences, written excuses, etc. Most online environments do not require students to be held to the same standards when it comes to late work or lack of participation--and students use it to their advantage. If a student chooses to be a little lazy and misses a deadline, all they have to do is send an email saying they had a family crisis to get "off the hook". In an effort to retain that student, we are told not to require documentation and to work with them.
The lines get blurred all of the time. I have struggled with being the push-over teacher who, in my opinion, becomes an enabler that does not really prepare students for working in their chosen fields because we have essentially coddled them to keep them in the course and at the school; or we are the insensitive administrators that have no personal compassion for students who are trying to get their bearings and figure out how to make things work in an online education environment.
I've tried making my policies as clear as I can but it seems that students spend more time and creative effort trying to "get over" rather than meet deadlines. I've tried offering suggestions on time management and allowing extensions or providing feedback on assignments so they can be corrected.I've tried walking the straight and narrow and not accepting anything that wasn't submitted in time. It's been a real challenge with every term. I'd like to learn more about how to "toe the line" without crossing it (or allowing myself to be pushed over it).
Jared,
How can you fairly judge that then? Grading is not perfect, but in the real world their knowledge may not be enough. Don't students need to know how to take that knowledge and put it to use?
Jeff
I usually have a conversation with them about their expectations for the class and/or college. Then I lay out what it takes for a student to be successful. I ask the student to find the gaps and we discuss why (usually tie it back to being a successful professional).
Good question. I used to struggle with balancing student expectations with student accountability on a regular basis. I thought I was being compassionate in allowing students extra time to complete an assignment or otherwise bending the rules to be "nice". One day I realized that the compassionate thing to do is to stick to the rules. Now I do not accept late work unless there was a family medical emergency. I see as quite simple. If I will not tolerate late or subpar work from an employee then why would I accept it from a student. The compassionate thing to do is to gently enforce the rules.
Kerstin:
I think the standard one must use is a simple one, regardless of pressures from entitlement driven students or administration.
I try to think what combination of grades versus what I know the student has ACTUALLY learned will result in students whose placement in a job would not be an embarrassment to me professionally.
If a student gets a good grade in my class and uses that as justification for being hired performing work in that field, I do not want his or her employer to have a bad impression of me (as a professional) and my institution if the student demonstrates that they were poorly prepared for the field.
I find that letter grades can be an inaccurate measure of true learning, but at the same time I try to make my grading policy reflect it as best I can.
Well, students with acknowledged learning disabilities have proper paperwork via ADA regs and we accommodate them in appropriate ways. That's not the same situation as what I am talking about.
Putting this into the context of cognitive learning disabilities, is it possible that students may not achieve basic skills according to the standards? Would other students consider this a "lowering of the standards"? Also, how do you balance time management with IEPs?
Hi Kerstin,
You ask a very good question that many instructors are asking themselves. Instructors need to make sure the course content is based upon industrial/business standards. Through the use of advisory committee input instructors can show what the expectations of the real world in their career area really are. This sets the standard for the students. By having these essential skill sets and knowledge bases you can justify to both the college administration and students your standards.
If the standards are allowed to be reduced then it won't be long before the placement rate for graduates will start to drop since the employers won't be hiring graduates because they lack the knowledge and skills. This is why students must be held accountable to the standards and not be allowed to just skate through courses.
Gary
