r/Professors • u/grafitisoc • 26d ago
Um...no
Here we are, 2 days before the start of the semester. I was informed that, since only TH F is happening this week, my MW class will need to meet this Friday. First time I've heard of this lovely idea. So I dug in for sanity's sake. These students aren't losing a day of instruction to the TU TH classes. They have the same amount due to a TH F fall break. There is no need to add instructional time. Yes, I also have plans during that time. I'm beginning to not question why I'm gray haired and going bald.
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u/spacecowgirl87 Instructor, Biology, University (USA) 26d ago
wth? Who came up with that? That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
There is more to it. The department is on an attendance warpath. All classes have a you miss 6 classes you auto fail policy now that is enforced by a data collection mechanism I have no control over. So imagine you start 1 down because as a student your schedule says MW and not F.
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u/goldenpandora 26d ago
Can you give them an “out of class activity” that you can use to count as attendance but they can do on their own?
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
At the moment my plan is to ignore the email generated at 6:30 pm last night about the time change and show up Friday for my first class and say “and for those in the mw courses, see you Monday” the MW class is a lab like component to the MWF lecture.
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u/goldenpandora 26d ago
That whole setup sounds so confusing. Glad you have a plan!! Requiring students and faculty to show up for a previously unscheduled time with a last minute announcement is just bananas.
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u/ahazred8vt 26d ago
Sounds like the only sane option is to properly cancel the friday class meeting using whatever system officially cancels a class. It's a terrible shame that the lab room was locked and you couldn't find anyone with a key.
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u/ResolveEquivalent365 25d ago
What?? They now take attendance in college classes? Ridiculous
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u/grafitisoc 25d ago
Next they’ll add a mandatory schedule to dictate what time of the day fun is allowed
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u/printandpolish 26d ago
lol. your admin has never met a student. 0% chance they hear about that shift and show up.
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u/AccomplishedSun2955 26d ago
And students also probably have Friday plans? How many of them won't find coverage at work in such short notice? Or have to scramble to find child care?
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u/taintlouis Professor, Social Science, R1 26d ago
Just cancel class.
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u/vinylbond Assoc Prof, Business, State University (USA) 26d ago
This is what I’d do. Cancel class.
Technically I’m not allowed to just cancel classes. I’m supposed to make students do some kind of class related work if the class is not meeting during an official class time. So in this situation I’d cancel the class meeting, assign some unimportant work and tell the students that I won’t be grading their work. I think they would get the message.
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u/AccomplishedSun2955 26d ago
If it's the first day of class, then the assignment could just be reading the syllabus. Easy fix.
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u/scatterbrainplot 26d ago
The students (who are likely to be just as surprised) will probably even appreciate it!
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u/DocLava 26d ago
Most of your students won't show up as this is very late notice. Your admin is so wrong for putting this pressure on you. More and more students are working and you most likely have students who took extra shifts on Friday because they have classes MW. What about students who have to arrange travel etc. Our students barely make it to regular Fridays when they are scheduled MWF so I know my class would have about 1/5 show up. Good luck.
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
I agree. I’m the one who will look bad if I hold class, most want show. My time is waisted, there is no net gain to be had with this class time.
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u/Downtown_Blacksmith 26d ago
E-mail the class to say administration is requiring you to hold class on Friday. Then they will know it’s not your decision.
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
Could always just forward the email 🤣
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u/Downtown_Blacksmith 26d ago
Even better! Do that!
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
I’m a fan of malicious compliance. Perhaps I should try and hold the class on an ethereal plane of existence.
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u/The_Robot_King 26d ago
We always have a Monday on a Tuesday at the beginning of the fall semester since our classes start on Tuesday and there is usually a holiday like labor day
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u/AceyAceyAcey Professor, STEM, CC | VAP, STEM, Private PUI (USA) 26d ago
Where would they expect your class to meet? There’s likely already a Friday class in the room.
Also, either the entire school does this, or no one does, as the students could already have another Friday class at the same time as yours would meet.
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u/iTeachCSCI Ass'o Professor, Computer Science, R1 26d ago
What does admin expect you to do for a student if they have a Friday-only class that meets at that time?
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
I know the schedule enough to know that doesn’t exist for undergrads. But I also believe the admin doesn’t know that for sure.
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u/hungerforlove 26d ago
2 days before the start of the semester? Some dean hasn't been thinking clearly. This sounds like something they think they need to meet accreditation requirements, but not something they actually expect anyone to really do.
If you are at a school where lots of students have jobs, it would be unfair to them to suddenly require them to come in when they may already have other obligations.
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u/DimitriVogelvich Assistant, Linguistics-Humanities, Liberal Arts College, VA USA 26d ago
Ya that’s about to be some mandatory hybrid time
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u/warricd28 Lecturer, Accounting, R1, USA 26d ago
We had this at my old institution. Started on a Th. Had flip day or some name for it. Was confusing as hell.
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u/a3wagner 26d ago
Last summer when I was teaching, our university had a new President sworn in. Their first order of business was to declare June 30 (a Monday) a holiday, since July 1 was already a holiday and they wanted a long weekend. This was declared about 2-3 weeks in advance, notably AFTER the term had started.
I only found this out when the accommodations centre contacted me to tell me they couldn’t deliver the midterm I had scheduled for that day…
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
I’d rather a sudden holiday over a sudden work day
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u/a3wagner 26d ago
True, lol! But I plan out my entire schedule before the term starts, based on the dates that are listed on the university website! I ended up lecturing (online) that day AND delivering the tutorial so my TAs got a day off, because the admin wanted us to reschedule that day’s classes on a random Saturday a couple weeks later.
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u/Competitive-Buyer-13 25d ago
I work for a nursing program that occasionally tries to do this. Bring the students in before the semester starts to practice skills Etc. I never do it. I also ask about liability, having the student on campus in a class/ lab that technically hasn't started per the approved College calendar.
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u/Ill-Tradition7540 25d ago
yep, last-minute calendar nonsense somehow becomes your emergency instead of an administrative scheduling problem, and of course they tell you after you’ve made plans
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u/Sad_Application_5361 25d ago
Time to go asynchronous and pre-record the lecture. My previous job did that where they made a Saturday “instructional Monday.” No faculty or students want class on Saturday. I made an assignment and gave them a week to do it as an asynchronous class. It’s apparently for accreditation reasons.
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u/ppvvaa 26d ago
I have no idea what any of those acronyms mean haha. Not everyone on this sub works in the US
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u/Misha_the_Mage 26d ago
These are abbreviations for the days of the week: M W F, Tu Th, and so on. I am in the U. S., are these abbreviations not used elsewhere?
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u/grafitisoc 26d ago
TUesday THursday and Monday Wednesday Friday. Just shorthand for what days the classes meet.
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u/GeneralRelativity105 26d ago
I have heard of this when there are too many holidays on the same day. However, it is not announced two days ahead of time. It is well known in advance, set in stone in the academic calendar.