Finals Week

Today is the start of finals week. I have my students do a comprehensive terms test where they match 75 terms (randomly selected from a pool of close to 500) with 75 definitions. I only make it work 5% of their grade so it isn't too scary. The format allows me to give a comprehensive test for a final that is low-stakes. There are plenty of others this week for students to worry about.

I've decided that for the Fall I will put in my syllabus that I will refer a student to a success coach if they are doing poorly the first few weeks. Early intervention may help. I had one success story this semester of a D student transforming into a B student after engaging in Quizlet.

I also had a non-traditional student tell me she wished her Microbiology class was structured like my BIO 201. She was frustrated and felt like she retained very little of the material they covered in class. That made me feel better and that I am on the right track. I still have so long to go. I suggested that she write the division chair and voice her concerns about her Microbiology class.

The other day during a specimen review session, I watched some students struggle with the names of parts of the respiratory system. I forget that not everyone is familiar with words like pharynx or larynx. It was eye-opening.

My BIO 202 class has a few suspicious students in it that may have a cheating problem. Things are kind of fishy when their solo quiz grade is an 86 while their group quiz grade is a 74. Did they guess different? A lot of wandering eyes out there during quizzes.