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Re: Value of Homework



From: Tina Fanetti <FanettT@QUEST.WITCC.CC.IA.US>

Hello all
I am currently thinking about next semester. I was wondering, how many assign homework, collect and grade it? How many just assign the problems and expect the students to do them on their own (ie not for a grade)?

At my school, the official teaching load is 18-21 contact hours per week per term. This is far too high if we're expected to give thoughtful homework assignments and then grade them in a timely manner so the students can get useful feedback. Something has to give, and graded homework was the first for me. However, in one class (calc-based) I still give graded homework assignments. The ridiculous teaching load prevents me from getting it returned in a timely manner however. Administrators refuse to see this point when determining teaching loads.

For those that don't have a specified recitation section for your class, like at a community college, do you spend class time going over the homework problems? How much time?

In class, time is at a premium. I used to go over problems in great detail, but I don't any more. I have come to the conclusion that any problems discussed in class should be restricted to just "setting up" the problem, emphasizing the physical principles involved. We're not teaching math, so the students should be responsible for filling in the mathematical details. Now, the students will typically complain about this approach, saying that "you're not giving us the answers." NERTS! We're not obligated to *give the answers*. The students need to work those out for themselves.


Cheers,
Joe

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