tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post2192467102388662321..comments2024-03-15T01:11:32.832-07:00Comments on Bardiac: Helpless Student - VentBardiachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-64465943507981556552016-04-16T19:29:02.395-07:002016-04-16T19:29:02.395-07:00I think they're having increasing difficulty f...I think they're having increasing difficulty for at least two somewhat-interconnecting reasons: <br /><br />--Many of them do, in fact, use citation generators of one sort or another, either of their own accord or because they've been instructed to do so at some point, and they therefore consider constructing correct citations some sort of incredibly arcane, complicated process that only a sophisticated algorithm can complete, not something a reasonably-bright fifth grader should be able to do with a reasonable degree of accuracy. <br /><br />--Most of them have encountered at least one high school teacher who was a stickler for technicalities, and didn't make much of a distinction between outright plagiarism and minor formatting issues with citation. So they're nervous. Very, very nervous. <br /><br />So they use a citation generator, or cut and paste from the database's "how to cite" this article model, without realizing that something was wrong in one of the fields of the database and/or the algorithm behind the citation generator, and have no idea that they could actually check the work of the citation generator, or fix the mismatched fonts or all-uppercase bits, or do something about the "n.d."s scattered liberally throughout the bibliography entry (because scholarly articles are often published with no date -- right?). <br /><br />In short, they think the whole thing is much more complicated than it is, and we who learned the process by painstakingly handwriting bibliography index cards sometime in elementary school shake our heads and wonder why in the world they can't manage such as simple task. And we're sort of right, but need to demystify it (and occasionally even say "c'mon; this isn't hard; I was doing it in fifth grade!"). Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-68495308135562109212016-04-16T08:50:32.201-07:002016-04-16T08:50:32.201-07:00It's not hard, but it is fiddling, boring, det...It's not hard, but it is fiddling, boring, detailed work, and they'd rather not bother with it. (Who can blame them? The worst part of my dissertation was writing the bibliography!) If they *can* get us to take crap work, they will -- or at least many of them will.<br /><br />In other news, though, there any many programs now that will write the Works Cited page / bibliography for them. Many Words programs come with one built in -- it's up there on the tool bar, under References.<br /><br />I am torn as to whether I should point this out to my students or not.delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-26437257542126396282016-04-16T07:52:58.645-07:002016-04-16T07:52:58.645-07:00I don't think you were a failure! The student ...I don't think you were a failure! The student may have whined, but you didn't say, "Oh, that's okay, Works Cited doesn't really matter all that much." Yes, you explained how to do it again, but you didn't do the work for the student; you made him/her do the work. Clearly not a pleasant experience for either of you, but not a failure!What Now?https://www.blogger.com/profile/08221008082872963036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-5947079816338030552016-04-16T05:40:42.504-07:002016-04-16T05:40:42.504-07:00Aaargh, WHY is "look up an example of a citat...Aaargh, WHY is "look up an example of a citation of this type of source in the documentation style you intend to use, and make yours look just like it" so difficult for students? I can't for the life of me even figure out where the stumbling blocks are, in most cases.Fretful Porpentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165078003123517013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-32632916437039016752016-04-16T03:38:24.737-07:002016-04-16T03:38:24.737-07:00Wait, how did my student end up in your class?
Al...Wait, how did my student end up in your class?<br /><br />All semester I kept trying to get this student to fix the format on his Works Cited (which had BULLETS on it and funny little abbreviations all over the place), but he kept shrugging it off. I took off points and wrote pointed comments, but nothing changed. Then on the most recent paper, I told him I wouldn't even look at his draft until he fixed the Works Cited, and he said, "Oh, I must have looked at a different MLA format." Right. Bevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05412883073330413390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-48865198784098914152016-04-15T17:48:49.844-07:002016-04-15T17:48:49.844-07:00I've started just giving unacceptable work bac...I've started just giving unacceptable work back to them. "This isn't correct MLA format," I write on it. "Check your handbook and do it again."<br /><br />Repeat as necessary, and refuse to grade the work until it's right.<br /><br />Now -- mind you -- I can only do this because I won't grade a paper until it's right, and I tell them that upfront. If you don't use that approach to grading, IDK if this will work for you.<br />delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.com