why don't *I* try harder??

In a self-justifying mood after writing that post yesterday.... But I am trying to figure out how I could get my students to see the gap between their efforts and the higher level of quality that I want them to aspire to, without making more work for myself. Seems like it could be done by shifting the work. I don't see how I can do more conferences or grade more homework. But I could do conferences earlier, and I could do them a little differently, maybe by showing them where they are falling short right on the grading rubric. When I requested my fall schedule, I said I was on a roll with this course. I did a lot of things right, and I have built a lot of stuff into Blackboard already -- I can keep building on that and make it stronger. I know more about what works now.

Blah blah blah I don't know why I am writing this here. What is the point of this blog anyway, I'm just talking to myself, this is just turning into another way of journaling but letting Google do the storage instead of filling up my bookcase. What the hell. I don't know. Who cares, I can just do this however I want, that's what it's for.

Ok, so if this posting is really just for ME, then this is what I want to remember from what I'm thinking about right now:

• Conferences should be earlier - hopefully before midterm.
  
• The conference draft of the long paper should be shorter, 5 pages or so, and it should have very specific requirements--at least five sources cited, the lead written, the purpose established, the most important background sources included.
• The conference should introduce the rubric, probably with some elements grayed out to show that they will be added for the final version.
• The conference draft should be graded and should count for about 20% of the final course grade.
• More chapter quizzes to encourage reading the textbook.
• Figure out how to automate warnings for required assignments that they miss.
• Add Source Check as a graded required assignment.
• Establish that they have to use MyCOD email through Bb.