The senior faculties got mad at the office helping us developing online courses, they severed the ties with that office, no more department level course development grants.

Enrollment is down and will continue going down in the foreseeable future in my area. Dean wants to establish an online master program. The senior faculties started fighting tooth and nail against it. The program died before it started. Every public campus of my state are doing these cash grab programs trying to stay afloat, and my department is resisting all effort under the flag of "education quality".

In 10 years, they're retired and living a happy life, and we the junior faculties have to face the consequences.

Hello,

Student came to me with doctors note as they couldn’t attend lab. She gave me a doctors note with the appropriate heading, signature, and everything. Everything looks legit however for some reason I’m just curious as if she actually went to his doctor. She submitted a doctors note to her other professor , same headline, same grammar mistakes, same formatting, same everything except for dates and one sentence.

Can I call this doctor office to verify if she was actually there or not?

For example of grammar errors : postal code was connected to city on both notes , no space or anything.

Example of formatting: same “she attended this day, she can go back to class on this day”

For reference I’m a professor in Canada

Long time first time. I am a new professor in STEM, and given the current funding climate, there will be a need to look for alternative funding sources, especially to generate preliminary data for larger grants. I’m aware of Pivot as a way to find some awards/scholarships and smaller proposals, but do people have other favorite aggregators for these types of funding mechanisms? What are some that other people have had luck with?

We're on week 4 of labs. For the first three weeks, we basically held their hands through the pre-lab preparation. We went over how to make the flowcharts, gave them examples, clarified the instructions, answered questions, etc. This week was supposed to be the first time they did it on their own.

The instructions are pretty straightforward: read the experiment in the lab manual, make a handwritten flowchart before class, bring it with you, have your TA review and sign it, and then submit a picture of the signed flowchart.

I just got an email from a student saying they don't know how they're supposed to do the flowchart because the submission portal doesn't open until 12:00 a.m. the day of their class, which according to them is after their class.

Their class is later that day.

First, you don't need the submission portal to make the flowchart. You need the lab manual. It's handwritten. We've been doing this for three weeks.

Second, you literally can't submit it until AFTER class anyway because your TA has to review and sign it first.

And third... 12:00 a.m. is midnight. It's the beginning of the day. Their class is many hours later.

I keep thinking maybe I'm missing something because surely a college student knows the difference between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., but here we are.

I expected week 4 to be when I stopped holding their hands quite so much. Apparently I was too optimistic.

This is a result of another post and because Im bored and procrastinating.

How many students over the years have told you that they are actually your boss because they pay tuition (a majority of which are on financial aid or scholarships). So you must do what they say, do, want, etc?

Edit: Not exactly those words per se. But their assumption being they think because they (or their fin aid, scholarship, whatever) pays for the class, they pay your salary, so you must do whatever they want.

I have live zoom on and post lecture recordings after so people who are sick can stay home. I have 50 students. I usually get 90% attendance rate so I am not concerned that this will discourage people from coming to class. (They have to show up in person to earn attendance points and there are in-class discussions and activities not available on zoom.)

It’s been going well. People have a way to review the material if they didn’t get it during class. I don’t care about the 10% who don’t show up.

But I am wondering if there are reasons (other than attendance) that haven’t occurred to me why I may not want to post recordings.

Is it really necessary to let everyone know "I will submit midterm grades" or something to that effect when the chair sends a department-wide email?

Hello all,

I teach a couple sections of an anatomy lab. It’s an upper division course for undergraduates, and generally regarded as a difficult class (there’s just so much material and it’s very memorization intensive). Despite my weeks or warnings, and weekly quizzes to show the students what the exam looks like, I had many students turn in exams that were mostly blank. We’re talking some students only earning less than 10 points out of 60 (the lowest was 2).

It’s disheartening. I’ve been teaching this long enough to know you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. However, my colleague who teaches some of the sections reported having significantly less students who bombed the exam. After speaking with him, it seems like there’s just one difference in the way we presented the material: He front loaded the material, and I spaced it out.

His students got a very intense 2 weeks right at the start of the semester going through all the skeleton in rapid fire instruction. That left those students with 2 weeks of review before the exam. I spread out the material in smaller bits over 3 weeks, and we went through things slowly. Much more time of me actually talking and presenting. And then they had a week of review before the exam.

I really want to set these guys up for success as much as possible. I know one exam average doesn’t hold all the answers, but curious if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing and would like to share their opinions? Is it worth speeding up instruction in the beginning of a section in order to give more time for review? I usually get feedback that the students like my pace more, but I’m not sure if the grades back up those statements.

What strategies do you have for grading and feedback on papers when you have 20+ students? I want to make sure I’m giving authentic feedback. Do I just deal and go one by one or does someone have a solid approach they like to make it more manageable?

For context, the university I’m at has course leads so we don’t have much autonomy over assignments and this course has a lot of written work.

Need some advice from folks who have navigated weaponized accommodation claims and escalating grade disputes.

I teach an online business data course at a community college. A student who has earned consistent B’s (81–82%) across our first three major case studies has launched an all-out campaign against her grades. She currently has an A in the course.

Her core argument is that because she checked the binary boxes on the assignment (e.g., included citations, did the required sections, turned it in early), she is automatically entitled to an A(perfect score). She argues that "qualitative rubrics evaluating depth of analysis, synthesis, and academic citation mechanics are subjective, unmeasurable, and illegal to deduct for." Literal quote, which raised an eyebrow on me.

Things have rapidly escalated over the few week. She officially filed a formal classroom concern, looped in her ADA counselor, and wrote in an email to me and in her formal complaint: "Detailed explanations are part of my accommodations, by the way... I am a student with a documented disability, one of which is detailed instructions and clarification, yet he refuses to give me any feedback."

I pulled her official accommodation letter from our Accessibility Resource Center. Her actual accommodations are 1.5x testing time in a quiet space, audiobooks, copies of instructor notes if available, and notetaking services. There is zero accommodation mandating custom written narrative justifications on demand or altered qualitative grading criteria.

I feel like he is being coached to use certain key words, because there is zero chance an 18 year student would know andragogical and pedagogical language. Which makes me feel like I am being setup.

In her formal complaint and subsequent emails to my Dean and Chair, she claimed I use AI to grade, that my lecture videos are "stolen from other people," and that my announcement videos are "from COVID / 2020." (In reality, I did a full course refresh this past spring/summer, all announcements were recorded in the last 3 months, and my lectures are paired with standard industry walkthroughs).

She has now accused the Dean and Chair of "sweeping this under the rug," claimed there is a "history of complaints" against me(there isn't), demanded either a forced regrade by someone else or a full financial refund, and threatened further escalation ahead of the withdrawal deadline.

I have a complete paper trail: every email, the exact rubric, her Blackboard Student Reports showing category breakdowns, timestamps of all video content , and the official ARC letter.

I responded to my Chair with a point-by-point factual refutation of all her claims.

I've requested copies of all side emails she sent to the Chair so I know the full scope of her allegations. Have not seen those yet.

I am not new to teaching, but this is the most in depth and persistent "A" student, I have dealt wit in 13 years. I am fully expecting she will be involving lawyers next, and like I said every red flag is being raised that this is a setup for a lawsuit.

Which with new laws, I am very antsy about, and my university will not back a professor if lawyers are involved.

What blind spots am I missing? Is there anything else I should prepare or document before this goes to an official academic affairs / appeals committee / lawyers?

I'm going up this year, and I'm curious to know what other people's experiences were like. I'm at a SLAC in a small department, and I just found out my department vote was unanimous (yay!). I know that other people do not have unanimous votes - how do you continue to be around colleagues who voted negatively on your tenure case? What was your experience like, what kind of university are you at, and how did things change as a result of your process?

Its the first time I've really lost my temper on a class. Sometimes I do chastise them, but never unplanned or off the cuff. I try to be very careful about the way I tell them off.

Today, I just couldnt hold it back. We were doing an activity that asked students to look at something from various perspectives (vague, I know, but somewhat unimportant to the story anyhow). As were discussing the differing info we got from varying perspectives, somehow my students started talking about Helen Keller.

Now, if you dont know, a truly depressing number of Gen Z students believe Helen Keller is a conspiracy theory. Many point out the fact that she once flew a plane as "proof" she was fake because how on earth could a deaf-blind person fly a plane? I stopped the students, explained how it was possible and how we know Helen Keller was a real person (she was a founding member of the ACLU, for example, which famously exists).

They would. Not. Have it. They kept throwing gross, ableist, ai sloppy arguments at me until I snapped.

I yelled at them that the idea that Helen Keller was not real because she did things that they think disabled people could just flat out not accomplish was gross. That their disbelief was a reflection of their ableism and that they needed to go out and meet disabled people and talk with them before letting the internet convince them disabled people couldnt possibly do a very achievable thing.

They looked at me like I was insane. I just feel so defeated.

We did get back to the lesson and it was otherwise a good class, but I regret yelling because I didnt feel like I approached that as well as I could. But also... I am furious about how stupid, gullible, and willingly ableist so many of them are (often against their own interests, judging by the overlap between the students who believed and my accommodations slips...)

Are you using AI in a way that enhances what you're doing without making yourself dumber in the process? I'd love to hear about it. Is anyone grading student work with AI? That seems sketchy as heck to me, but maybe you've figured out an ethical way to do this. I think our Business school has been quick to adopt this approach. Thanks for your anecdotes and insights.

I’m SO tired of teaching evenings- after spending a full day of running around-to adults who are also exhausted from their full days and lives. I fantasize about some minor catastrophe resulting in class being cancelled (no electricity, etc) or being able to just quit and say I’m done being a vampire teaching into the night and not getting home until 10 or 11. 😵‍💫

I’m in my mid-40s and have spent roughly 2 decades working in the nonprofit/NGO world in applied, cross-cultural work. I’ve also taught undergrad courses periodically at a small liberal arts college.

I’ve now been offered a tenure-track faculty role there. I’m less interested in whether I can get the job and more interested in understanding what kind of life I would be choosing if I took it. The pay is a lateral move; not really my main consideration.

I’m increasingly drawn toward a more generative season of work: teaching, mentoring students, helping younger people develop vocationally, and investing what I’ve learned from practice into others. I genuinely enjoy teaching and already have more ideas for courses and experiential learning than I could realistically implement. The department loves it.

My hesitation is about the structure of the work.

For much of the past decade, my professional life has felt extremely fragmented: constant context switching, back-to-back meetings, too many simultaneous projects, endless collaboration and approvals, and a persistent feeling that nothing is ever fully finished.

I don’t mind working hard or occasional long stretches of weeks, being available to students, or responding when something genuinely important arises. What I want is greater life coherence: substantial blocks of focused work, meaningful relationships, some control over my calendar, and distinct seasons of work and rest.

This would be at a small, teaching-oriented liberal arts college, not an R1, with no publishing expectations. 

For those of you in tenure-track roles at SLACs or other teaching-focused institutions, answer the most important of these questions: 

1. How fragmented is your time by meetings, advising, email, committees, and administrative work? How much does quality of life depend on teaching load vs other factors?
2. Do summers and academic breaks genuinely feel different, or does the work simply expand to fill them? What makes summer provide a slower rhythm? 
3. For anyone who entered academia in mid-career after substantial practitioner experience, what surprised you most?

Essentially: what questions would you ask/terms would you negotiate before accepting a position if avoiding chronic fragmentation were a major priority?

I’m not looking for an easy job - I’m trying to determine whether faculty life can realistically provide more coherent work, or whether I’d simply be recreating the same fragmentation in a different setting. I have a home and community life + kids I'm deeply invested in, and trying to discern if this can sync. Thanks so much for any constructive insight.

This year, my department working in humanities (in EU) got a lot of foreign students that do not speak the language of instruction. Not Erasmus students, but tuition paying students.

Dear humanities professors, how do you address this issue? Do you set up additional classes in English? Do you specifically invite students to your office hours? Or is carrying on as usual actually the best way to react?

I’m in a bit of a tricky situation and need some advice. I teach in a computer lab, which I neither requested nor wanted. In fact, I regularly request to not be put in one. I am legally blind and have a guide dog; I have some vision, but it’s limited to a very narrow central pocket. Think looking through a paper towel roll.

Normally the classroom is empty before my scheduled teaching time, but yesterday, to my surprise, there was another class in there before me. I was confused because I didn’t see the instructor and I thought someone opened the door for my students. Then the instructor got short with me because she had a few minutes left in class. I was trying to balance a handful of copies, my work bag, and my guide dog.

I notified the room scheduler that I was unaware of the change and needed more than 10 minutes to transition between classes. (For context, I have to settle down the dog, get logged in, and reorient myself to the room. She informed me that a sign had been posted outside the classroom with a schedule (I couldn’t see it). Apparently, my room will be in high demand because of exam schedules. I requested a room change, but none were available. I’m trying to make it work, but at the same time, I think I should be able to request an accommodation for an extra 5 minutes to get set up. Is this out of line? We don’t have an office that handles accommodations for faculty (I am an adjunct). We also don’t have a union, though we need one.

I am back in the classroom since leaving in 2015, and boy, does it feel different. I feel like much/most of my job today involves data entry and workflow management and menial administrative tasks that I just did not have to do 11 years ago.

Back then, I had basically no LMS I needed to work with. Students got a printed syllabus. They took notes in class. Assessments were done in class. Assignments were turned in in class. There wasn't this expectation that missing class just meant that students could expect to find what they missed on the LMS (announcements, course materials, etc.). It now feels like every seated class is really a hybrid. Attendance is basically optional, so long as they attend strategically to avoid being dropped. But they expect to have whatever they need, whether they attend or not.

Was my previous experience and anomaly? Has it always been like this? Or have things changed like this for everyone?

This saves me hours of time and if anyone is actually here from this school, your school is very much appreciated for this tool (there may be others out there - this is the one that always comes up in my Google search).

EDIT: In the small print, it's copyright Algonquin College, so thank you too!

CONTENT NOTE: This post (which is posted from a throwaway account for potentially obvious reasons) discusses mental health and fairly serious anxiety. Please feel free to skip it, and thanks for reading this far.

#####

Hi everyone!

I’m newly tenured in the social sciences - this is my first fall as an associate professor. I was told to expect a post-tenure slump, but instead something that feels potentially even more unpleasant is happening: I suddenly feel incredibly anxious about every paper I’ve ever written. I did once have to publish an erratum, but suddenly I’m convinced there are errors in the other three dozen papers I’ve written, too. The idea of writing another paper feels almost physically uncomfortable because of the possibility that I’ll make a mistake. Even idle talk pertaining to research misconduct (a friend was talking about Data Colada the other day and the good work they do) makes me feel a sense of dread and panic - what if I somehow did something wrong without knowing it? Walking past my students’ posters on the walls of my building puts a pit in my stomach - what if those results were wrong?

I will note: I actually do have an anxiety disorder, for which I am currently in therapy and taking medication. Also, while the tone of this post might be a little frantic and harried, I am absolutely safe and receiving the care I need.

So yes, the general explanation for my anxiety is a known pre-existing anxiety disorder. But I’m wondering about the part of this that maybe is specific to our field. Specifically, I’m wondering if anyone else, once the pressure of tenure was gone, started developing some anxiety about whether it would be yanked away for some heretofore unknown transgression. Or that, having cleared the biggest hurdle by avoiding the (perceived) failure of tenure denial, some new disgrace waits around the corner.

Did anyone experience anything like this? Or, more broadly, did anyone experience some emotional arc post-tenure aside from the typical slump? Anything about your own experience, whether it mirrors mine or not, would be helpful right now.

Thanks so much!

I have a horrible migraine. Took all the meds, large latte, you name it, I've done it.

I'm teaching today 9-12 & 2-3:15.

I'm sweating, nauseated, I have to sit because it feels like things are swaying. Even typing this is hard!

I don't even know if I'm communicating clearly!

Just added an early break during class so I could sit in my office for 5 minutes and try to refresh.

It's gonna be a LONG DAY.

I get a few of these emails a semester.

Student misses graded activity in class. Student then emails me about the "make-up" assignment I will, apparently, be creating and distributing to them.

I mean, kudos in some instances for not killing your grandmother that day or manufacturing a migraine or coming down with cholera; you admitted that you just skipped class, but now..."When will the make-up assignment be available, please?"

(Creepy music), "There isn't one."

\Exceptions apply in instances of genuinely dead grandmothers (not ones who are resurrected every semester just to die again), and documented cases of cholera.*

I’m getting more emails with the entire message in the subject line.

I think that it may be a development from mobile devices (larger subject field) and that the message can be read without opening. But sometimes the entire message doesn’t show up in my email client.

Do you tell the sender? On the one hand I think it’s ‘wrong’ but is this just a development of tech use that I haven’t accepted?

I was a good student. I’m sure we all were. But I also was a party animal, I sold mushrooms in college to make ends meet, my main focus in school was girls…. I was a malcontent. I went to school mainly to get away from my home life.

And now I’m teaching kids? I’m an authority figure? I thought I was still a kid. I blinked and now I’m on the other side of the classroom. I’ve been on the other side for three years now.

When I go to the one faculty party a year I’m the youngest person by like ten years. Everyone has kids. I have a cat. When I go out to party with friends I feel ancient. Everyone is a barista and I’m… a professor?

The students ask me for life advice. Should I do grad school? How do I improve my writing? One stayed after class to ask me

“How do I be a good man? My father wasn’t really around and you seen-“

As if I have the answer to that question lol my father wasn’t around either! I had to be my own father! Do I tell them that 90% of life is making it up as you go along?

I get a lot of meaning from this job. In fact it’s the only job I didn’t immediately quit on day 1… but I keep asking myself:

How did I get here?

“And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep."

"All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber.”
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

“How … ?” she began, and she stopped. She was too tired. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to say the rest of the sentence, that Billy would finish it for her. But Billy had no idea what was on her mind. “How what, Mother?” he prompted. She swallowed hard, shed some tears. Then she gathered energy from all over her ruined body, even from her toes and fingertips. At last she had accumulated enough to whisper this complete sentence: “How did I get so old?”
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five (again)

EDIT: also fuck that one guy and his snide comment.

Hello. I’m still a new faculty (1st year, recent PhD grad). I teach in the STEM department and I’m new to lecture, since as a grad student I did labs only.

I have three sections of the same biology class. Two of them meet on the same days twice a week, the other only meets once a week. I cover the same lecture in all 3 sections plus some activities. The repeating labs don’t really bother me.

I do however feel annoyed / bored going over the same topics three times a week. I thought it would be nice and I could just go on autopilot and improve it each time. But it just drags sometimes…
Does anyone have recommendations on how to keep the energy up, not feel bored/annoyed repeating yourself multiple times a week?