The best answer to an exam question

I do have to share this one, wonderful comment I got as an answer to a short answer question on the exam. It was from my favorite student, Mr. J. Mr. J has given me a barrel of trouble over the entire semester. This is his first college class ever, after 15 years out of school (facts that I only found out towards the end of the semester) and he has been full of great comments. Let's just say the guy is not my number #1 fan.

To sum up some of Mr. J's comments over the course of the semester:

"I'm supposed to be learn everything I need to know by just coming to your class. I shouldn't need to put in any other time outside of class."

(In response to my suggestion that he might want to start reading the assigned chapters and doing the suggested problems)

"I didn't know I was supposed to be a mind reader"

(In response to an exam question where he was asked to name the 5 major differences between two scientific processes, and he named just one. He thought he deserved full credit for the question.)

And finally.. the humdinger of them all. Written on his final exam. In answer to the exact same question that he previously answered wrong and responded with his "mind reader" comment. (Note- this was a very important topic, so I did use the SAME question again on the cumulative final. It was also stressed in the study guide for the final. How much more help can I give them???)

And here is Mr. J's answer to the question to name 5 major differences between subject X and Y.....

"Due to your critique of my previous answer to this question, I have chosen to completely forget anything I knew about these two subjects. Thank you for your helpful instructions."

My comment to that answer? A large red X and a big fat ZERO!  

Gotta love some of these students....

(though the last laugh is mine... cause he needed an 80 on the final to pass the class, and unfortunately even with the curve, he only managed a 71. So looks like Mr. J will be someone else's problem next semester. Should I warn them?)

Are they learning?

This is the question that is running through my head tonight.

I just finished grading my classes first exam of the semester.  And to be honest, it is the first exam I have ever written completely ON MY OWN.  And let's just say, the grades are not too stellar.

The highest grades were a pair of 85s.   The lowest?  A 20.   Yes, you read that right.  A 20.   

Now some of my thoughts:

- there was not a single question that everyone in the class got wrong.  If that was the case, I would have deemed it either a) a really badly phrased question or b) a topic that I did not teach well, and promptly discarded that question.

- I admit that I took some questions from the text bank provided with the book.  I looked through all the provided test questions, and found a couple that I thought were good.  So I used those.  Turns out the students did worse on the "book" questions than on questions I personally made up.  So either my questions are WAY too easy or  the book's questions are way too hard.

- The student that scored a 20 has only attended one class of the 7 we have had so far (our class meets once a week for 3 hours each session).  This particular individual has also never contacted me via e-mail or during my office hours to ask for help.  Does that mean I think the 20 is warranted?  Not sure.

- I posted a study guide for the exam on the classes website.  On the website, I can track how many people, and importantly which people, downloaded the study guide.  Of my class of 32 students, only 8 students downloaded the study guide.  Now, I know that that does not imply the rest did not get the study guide from one of the 8 that actually downloaded it, but I find it a tad unlikely that ALL remaining 24 students got a copy of the study guide from a classmate.

- The 2 students that scored the 85s did not download the study guide.

So now the questions in my head are:

1) Do I let them correct their exam and offer them some points for the correction?  Say 1/4 point for each correction?

2) Do I change my style of teaching?

or

3) Do I just hang up the "professor"hood and pick a new profession?

(Note- 3 is probably the least likely)