I'm soooo tired right now, but before I go drink hot chocolate and watch "The Office" (and then go to bed). I just have to share:
The reviews of your manuscript, [paper] are complete. I am pleased to inform you that your paper has been conditionally accepted for publication in [journal].
Hooray! Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, know that it took me WAY longer than it should have to get this paper submitted and now it's been accepted (pending minor revisions). I'm so relieved that I have enough pubs for tenure and that the paper I wrote all by myself passed inspection (as if I didn't write my dissertation or subsequent papers myself, but my diss adviser was co-author on those). Even though I need to make some revisions, I am still very happy (but too tired to really enjoy it).
tags: academia research publishing
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Student writing
I do not teach writing, but I require all of my students to write papers in my classes. In the process, I encounter a range of recurring issues (as all you Lit/English profs out there get to enjoy daily, I'm sure!) I have papers due in two of my classes this week. Today, I received an email from a student in a class where they submitted first drafts. Like many of this student's classmates, s/he used a vast number of direct quotations in the paper. Now, in my field it is NOT standard practice to use direct quotes, unless you are citing a legal document, personal account, or some other special case. I find myself marking student papers with comments like "do not use direct quotes" or "paraphrase". I have also referred them to this site to explain the way I expect sources to be cited. It remains a problem, though. The above mentioned student sent an email today including this:
I don't understand why it's better to paraphrase than it would be to use the direct words out of the sources. I feel that by using the direct quotes from the sources it strengthens your argument.
I responded with:
It is standard in the social sciences and sciences to NOT use direct quotes, the way they are used in the humanities. See this link: (link above). If you are citing a specific law or code, it's OK to use a direct quote, otherwise you should synthesize the information from your sources into your own words.
Good luck, Dr. N.
I wonder if others encounter the same issues? This student is about to graduate and will be teaching high school next fall (not in the humanities, I might add!)! Does anyone else see reason for alarm? Am I wasting my time to require these papers? I often wonder if the only writing the students are doing is in their English courses- most of them cite in MLA format (not appropriate for any of the courses I teach) or use footnotes or other schemes of their own. My U is supposed to have excellent students from the tops of their classes, but I am not impressed with most of the writing I see. Any other rants out there- since many of us will be heading to grading jail soon?
ETA: See the comments below (including my response)- I'm getting some great perspectives from those who teach composition. Thanks, everyone!
tags: teaching grading students writing
I don't understand why it's better to paraphrase than it would be to use the direct words out of the sources. I feel that by using the direct quotes from the sources it strengthens your argument.
I responded with:
It is standard in the social sciences and sciences to NOT use direct quotes, the way they are used in the humanities. See this link: (link above). If you are citing a specific law or code, it's OK to use a direct quote, otherwise you should synthesize the information from your sources into your own words.
Good luck, Dr. N.
I wonder if others encounter the same issues? This student is about to graduate and will be teaching high school next fall (not in the humanities, I might add!)! Does anyone else see reason for alarm? Am I wasting my time to require these papers? I often wonder if the only writing the students are doing is in their English courses- most of them cite in MLA format (not appropriate for any of the courses I teach) or use footnotes or other schemes of their own. My U is supposed to have excellent students from the tops of their classes, but I am not impressed with most of the writing I see. Any other rants out there- since many of us will be heading to grading jail soon?
ETA: See the comments below (including my response)- I'm getting some great perspectives from those who teach composition. Thanks, everyone!
tags: teaching grading students writing
Friday, November 24, 2006
T-Day Re-cap
I was almost going to get up to join the crowds this morning, but decided to sleep in instead. I think I slept for 9 hours! It's probably best, because D is coughing all over the place and I'll be lucky to NOT catch it- the extra sleep will help. So we saw Happy Feet yesterday and it was OK. The animation was incredible, the penguins were adorable, and the music was fun, but the plot was a bit lacking. It will be nice when D is a bit older and we can go to see more grown-up movies as a family. We didn't have a huge dinner, but I did try out Nava Atlas' "Aztec Platter" recipe. It was very good and easy enough that I may start making it during the week! All you have to cook is some quinoa and the only chopping is red peppers, parsley, and squeezing lemons! Isn't it pretty?
I also made an apple crisp for dessert from my new copy of Vegan Lunch Box. The house smelled wonderful while it was baking! I have a lot of grading and organizing to do this weekend, but think I will do some more cooking today. Have a great weekend, everyone!
tags: movies vegan cooking thanksgiving
I also made an apple crisp for dessert from my new copy of Vegan Lunch Box. The house smelled wonderful while it was baking! I have a lot of grading and organizing to do this weekend, but think I will do some more cooking today. Have a great weekend, everyone!
tags: movies vegan cooking thanksgiving
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving thoughts from a liberal vegetarian
WARNING: If you are traditional or conservative, STOP reading here- this post may will annoy you!
This will be my 15th Thanksgiving without eating turkey and my daughter's 8th Thanksgiving without turkey (she's been a vegetarian since birth). Since we're here in Smalltown without any family to get together with (or friends for that matter), we have come up with our own Thanksgiving traditions. My husband is not American, so he has no cravings for turkey and stuffing- or even eating a special dinner today. I like to use it as an excuse to try out new recipes and cook things that I wouldn't usually do on regular days. Last year, we started a new tradition of going to the movies, too. However, I have generally mixed feelings about Thanksgiving on so many levels. From the food standpoint, it's hard for me to get excited about foods that I don't eat any more and how the entire holiday is centered around a dead bird. I'm starting to get tired of people complaining about their relatives, too. I have my own complaints about my relatives, but when they're too far away to see on holidays, I start to appreciate the times I lived closer to them. I am also saddened by the history connected with Thanksgiving: we (colonial settlers) celebrating the indigenous people's helping us to survive here, then essentially exterminating them over the next couple of centuries. I know I wouldn't be here if this history hadn't occurred, but it still makes me sad when I think about the people who lived here for thousands of years, but are now gone. I also know that I am so far out of the American mainstream that most of you will likely disagree with me, but I just felt like sharing my thoughts on the subject.
I hope everyone enjoys their day- you can think of me eating dishes made from "New World" ingredients like quinoa, beans, vegetables and cornmeal with apple crisp for dessert- we're going vegan this Thanksgiving thanks to recipes from Nava Atlas and Jennifer McCann. btw- if you haven't seen it, watch The Meatrix and buy organic, free range meat (if you must eat it)!
tags: thanksgiving vegetarian liberal vegan
This will be my 15th Thanksgiving without eating turkey and my daughter's 8th Thanksgiving without turkey (she's been a vegetarian since birth). Since we're here in Smalltown without any family to get together with (or friends for that matter), we have come up with our own Thanksgiving traditions. My husband is not American, so he has no cravings for turkey and stuffing- or even eating a special dinner today. I like to use it as an excuse to try out new recipes and cook things that I wouldn't usually do on regular days. Last year, we started a new tradition of going to the movies, too. However, I have generally mixed feelings about Thanksgiving on so many levels. From the food standpoint, it's hard for me to get excited about foods that I don't eat any more and how the entire holiday is centered around a dead bird. I'm starting to get tired of people complaining about their relatives, too. I have my own complaints about my relatives, but when they're too far away to see on holidays, I start to appreciate the times I lived closer to them. I am also saddened by the history connected with Thanksgiving: we (colonial settlers) celebrating the indigenous people's helping us to survive here, then essentially exterminating them over the next couple of centuries. I know I wouldn't be here if this history hadn't occurred, but it still makes me sad when I think about the people who lived here for thousands of years, but are now gone. I also know that I am so far out of the American mainstream that most of you will likely disagree with me, but I just felt like sharing my thoughts on the subject.
I hope everyone enjoys their day- you can think of me eating dishes made from "New World" ingredients like quinoa, beans, vegetables and cornmeal with apple crisp for dessert- we're going vegan this Thanksgiving thanks to recipes from Nava Atlas and Jennifer McCann. btw- if you haven't seen it, watch The Meatrix and buy organic, free range meat (if you must eat it)!
tags: thanksgiving vegetarian liberal vegan
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
I'm hangin' on!
As seen as Dr. Brazen Hussy's place:
Given my recent blogging hiatus, I'm surprised I made even the "D-List"! I'll have to check again in a month or so!
tags: blog traffic blogging
Given my recent blogging hiatus, I'm surprised I made even the "D-List"! I'll have to check again in a month or so!
tags: blog traffic blogging
Monday, November 20, 2006
Winding down...
Well, the end of the semester is almost here (hooray!!) and I am back from my blogging absence. This semester has been stressful and hectic, but I can't exactly tell you why. Oh yeah- I know one reason: I've been teaching EVERY DAY! For my U and especially my department, that is pretty unusual, but since I only teach one class that doesn't have a lab, scheduling three classes in one semester can be a logistical nightmare. Next semester, I am on my two-class load, so that will be a relief. Here are the things I have to complete in the next few weeks (in no particular order):
Hmm... I think I will sleep early tonight and get some organizing of my brain done in the morning. Cheers, everyone! It's good to feel bloggy again!
tags: grading end of semester stress
- grade 90 term papers (yes, I am insane)
- grade 21 final drafts
- grade two sets of labs
- write one take-home final exam
- revise two in-class finals
- organize a journal assignment for one class
- watch 20 student presentations and grade them
- various other things
- oh yeah- remind myself where my research is!
Hmm... I think I will sleep early tonight and get some organizing of my brain done in the morning. Cheers, everyone! It's good to feel bloggy again!
tags: grading end of semester stress
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Academic Workload
Look! A post with substance! I thought I would take advantage of the increased traffic and put a topic up for discussion.
Here at my U, there is quite a disparity in teaching load between departments- even within the same college (i.e., Arts & Sciences). A handful of our departments have PhD programs, many have Master's programs, and some have no grad programs. Some of the differences in teaching load can be linked to these grad programs (or lack thereof), but there are still differences among departments with the same highest degree. For example, some departments give their pre-tenure faculty a reduced load for the entire probationary period. Others (such as mine) give a reduced load for the first year on the job, but then go to full load. Recently, our administrators have been discussing an 'equitable workload' policy and at the same time, my department has been recommended to develop our own policy on the subject. There is much bitterness and controversy over this idea and discussion. The bottom line is that certain faculty (who are more research-active) would teach the same or less than now, while others would teach MORE than they do now. Some fear that this would make teaching a punishment for not being active enough in research. Meetings we've had on the subject have not made much progress. My feeling is that under our current policy (based solely on number of courses taught and NOT on credit-hours, number of students, or class size), we already have variable teaching loads. Some people teach lots of seminars that meet once week and have less than 10 students. Others teach several 4-credit classes with labs, or even 3-credit classes with labs. Some teach 90-student general education courses, but there are others who rarely do so. Some teach Tuesday/Thursday only, while others are here every day.
My questions to everyone out there is this: How does your department or university determine teaching load? Are there variations between faculty in the same department? I think my department needs to see how others do it elsewhere and see if any of those fit for us- otherwise, our discussions are going nowhere!
tags: academia teaching workload
Here at my U, there is quite a disparity in teaching load between departments- even within the same college (i.e., Arts & Sciences). A handful of our departments have PhD programs, many have Master's programs, and some have no grad programs. Some of the differences in teaching load can be linked to these grad programs (or lack thereof), but there are still differences among departments with the same highest degree. For example, some departments give their pre-tenure faculty a reduced load for the entire probationary period. Others (such as mine) give a reduced load for the first year on the job, but then go to full load. Recently, our administrators have been discussing an 'equitable workload' policy and at the same time, my department has been recommended to develop our own policy on the subject. There is much bitterness and controversy over this idea and discussion. The bottom line is that certain faculty (who are more research-active) would teach the same or less than now, while others would teach MORE than they do now. Some fear that this would make teaching a punishment for not being active enough in research. Meetings we've had on the subject have not made much progress. My feeling is that under our current policy (based solely on number of courses taught and NOT on credit-hours, number of students, or class size), we already have variable teaching loads. Some people teach lots of seminars that meet once week and have less than 10 students. Others teach several 4-credit classes with labs, or even 3-credit classes with labs. Some teach 90-student general education courses, but there are others who rarely do so. Some teach Tuesday/Thursday only, while others are here every day.
My questions to everyone out there is this: How does your department or university determine teaching load? Are there variations between faculty in the same department? I think my department needs to see how others do it elsewhere and see if any of those fit for us- otherwise, our discussions are going nowhere!
tags: academia teaching workload
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Inside Higher Ed Strikes Again
Wow! My posts have been sporadic this semester, so imagine my surprise at the sudden increase in hits (187 so far today, compared to 50 yesterday) and influx of anonymous (and negative) comments! OK- it's only two comments, but I have now disabled anonymous commenting. I liked leaving that open, since it makes people less shy about 'de-lurking', but the point of this blog is not to argue! It's a venue for me to share my experiences.
My take on negative comments is this: if you don't like what you read, then click to another page! This is MY blog and you are welcome to completely ignore it if it annoys you. I apologize to anyone who prefers to comment anonymously, but I've had to go the way of being restrictive (like many other bloggers!)
Cheers, everyone!
My take on negative comments is this: if you don't like what you read, then click to another page! This is MY blog and you are welcome to completely ignore it if it annoys you. I apologize to anyone who prefers to comment anonymously, but I've had to go the way of being restrictive (like many other bloggers!)
Cheers, everyone!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Is the semester over yet???
A sampling of emails I have received in the last week...
From a senior graduating next month:
Dr. N:
I have to take my dog into the vet this morning to get her skin checked. This is the only time I could get (I guess the [town] vet is really busy)for like a month and she really needs to get in to see him. I'm sorry I'm missing [other student]'s presentation and I will just drop the lab off in your mailbox later today.
What else is there to say?
From a senior graduating next month:
Dr. N:
I have to take my dog into the vet this morning to get her skin checked. This is the only time I could get (I guess the [town] vet is really busy)for like a month and she really needs to get in to see him. I'm sorry I'm missing [other student]'s presentation and I will just drop the lab off in your mailbox later today.
What else is there to say?
From a student in my freshmen-level class- note the formal greeting:
Hey,
I’m not sure if you have posted it or not cause it has been a while, but have you graded lab 9 yet? No worries if you have not, but I just want to make sure I was graded for that because I did complete it. Thanks!
Is this student unaware that the TA grades all the labs?
From a sophomore in my junior-level class
Dr. N:
My name is [student] and I am in your T,TH class. Yesterday I ended up driving back home ([6-hour away town]) and after I got home, spent about 6 hours in the ER. Later this week I have appointments to see two different specialists reguarding my condition. Im sorry I couldnt make it to class today but I hope to be back on Tuesday. Thanks for your understanding.
I have no idea what the "condition" is
From a student in my freshmen-level course
Hi Dr. N,
This is [student]. I emailed a copy of my paper, due to printer/internet problems. Today in lab [TA] did not find a graded copy of it. It also is not listed as a grade on blackboard. I was wondering if you did not receive it or if any other problems or if it was just lost in the shuffel. Thank you for your time and help.
I had "forgotten" to print the paper that was emailed to me without my consent. The student lost some credit for emailing it.
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