I meant no-shows for no good reason. Sorry. They are amazing anyway. Nothing like iPhoneñ‰õµ On Apr 21, 2010, at 5:14 PM, Andrew Finn <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi all & especially Christine, > > Not surprisingly, this issue came up on the list a couple years ago. > (Wish I could find the exchange from then). But here's a short > version of what I said: > > Legitimate absences (medical, athletic, tragic, emergency excuses) > are always going to be an issue. I solved it years ago by giving 6 > RATs and dropping the lowest iRAT and the lowest tRAT. It takes the > pressure off everyone in several ways. Obviously then, I build my > total semester points based on 5 RATs from the beginning. > > (Re: Dean Parmelee's 4/20/10 comment - if you had 5 or fewer no > shows after 1600 students (times X number of RATs!), your Wright > State students are amazing. I've personally had over 1000 students > through my TBL courses and legitimate absences come up almost every > semester.) > > Related - > - if you aren't present in class to contribute to the tRAT, you > can't get the points > - I always give RATs at the beginning of class, and inevitably some > students walk in late. My rule is: you must do the iRAT first. When > the tRAT starts, you must turn in your iRAT regardless of whether > you are finished. If teams have already started the tRAT, an > arriving student can take the iRAT out in the hall, but will have to > miss the tRAT. "Readiness Assessment" starts at the individual > level, then the team level. > > Andy > > On Apr 20, 2010, at 1:06 AM, Christine Kuramoto wrote: > >> Dear Friends, >> >> I have a question about absent team members. In the past I've >> always given students the tRAT score from their team when they >> missed a RAT day and a 0 for the iRAT. I'm teaching the same 100 >> students in their second round of TBL and notice the same guys tend >> to skip class as the last time. My students had a tendency to be >> quite lenient on their peer evaluations, so the skippers got the >> team points and still got pretty good peer evaluations last year >> (with a few brave members commenting "you should come to class >> more" but still not lowering their scores much). >> >> I'm beginning to wonder if I should step in and say that absent >> students won't get the team score for the tRAT. The tRATs are what >> saved a few of them from failing last year. Am I teaching them that >> it's OK to be lazy and let your team take responsibility for it? Or >> should I be looking at the bigger picture that says, "See team! You >> have the power to let them sink or save them. It's up to you."-- >> which is then teaching them the responsibility of being part of a >> team and what the real world is like. >> >> Hmmmmm. . . >> >> Please let me know what you think. >> >> Thanks! >> Christine > > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has > finished listening. > > - Dorothy Sarnoff > > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > T. Andrew Finn > Associate Professor > Department of Communication (3d6) > George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 > > Office: Sci & Tech II, Room 153 > Dr. Finn's mailbox is in S&T II, Rm. 230 (the Comm. Dept. office) > 703-993-4387 (office) > 703-993-1096 (office fax) > E-mail: [log in to unmask] > Web Site: http://mason.gmu.edu/~afinn/ > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>