Overview

I think college should be fun. It should be fun to be here with your friends, hang out, learn about new people and new things, and try out all the ideas and thoughts that you couldn't act on in high school. College is a gateway to adulthood, and, for most of you, some portion of college will happen after you achieve adulthood. Many of you already have important experience travelling the world, serving the nation in the armed services or the Peace Corps, or in similar experiences. You come from all over North Carolina, the United States, and the world. We all have experiences that we can and should share; this richness of experience is what makes college a time in your life you will never forget.

It may not surprise you (I am an academic!) that my years in college were among the best in my life. But to get the most out of college, you need to act responsibly. It's OK to work hard and play hard, and it's none of my business how you play or how much you play. But your scholarly work is my concern. It is my duty as an scholar to teach the material I know in a way that you understand it and can use it in your career and your life. It's also my duty to learn how to teach the material in a way that's interesting (not entertaining, necessarily, but interesting) and understandable.

My duty to teach you and to fairly evaluate your work does not negate your responsibility to work hard at learning. Learning at the college level requires hard work, even if you found high school really pretty easy. And at large universities, such as the ones I've attended (University of Oregon, Rutgers University, University of Washington) and where I've worked (SUNY Albany, NC State), a great deal of the burden for managing your education is placed squarely on your shoulders. If you are not prepared to work hard--harder than you may ever have in your life--you are not prepared for college. For what it's worth, I learned this lesson the hard way my first quarter of college when, walking into my dorm floor with a beer (ahem) in hand,  I asked my buddies "what are you doing?" and they said, "studying for finals." "Finals?" I laughed. Finals were the last exam of the marking period in high school, and nothing to get excited about.

I bombed my finals, and got the worst grades in my life. Lesson learned! I wasn't ready for college! But I did buckle down the next semester and got past the rough parts, and it all went reasonably well after that.

I think your experience may be different than mine, particularly if you are an undergraduate. I have a great deal of confidence in your ability to do the work. Gaining admission to this university is a significant achievement, whether you are an freshman or a beginning Ph.D. student. Your orientation was likely much better planned and delivered than was mine, which was less than a whole day! Your professors and all the things you find here--from the computing labs, to the library, to even the food service and the gym!--are here to help you learn, succeed, and to be prepared to do great things when you leave here. So while must be prepared to take charge of your own education, there's a lot of people here ready to help, if you ask and are serious.

Why are you so strict (up tight?) about writing?

Writing is the primary method of communication in professional life. Poor writing marks the author as seeming ignorant, uneducated, and inattentive. Poor writing also makes good ideas incomprehensible. Better writing conveys ideas in a way that people can understand and use.

Many students learn poor writing habits in high school, or were never taught good habits. I will attempt to provide feedback on writing, but, since I do not teach college writing, I cannot fully diagnose writing problems. But I can share tips and resources. In the end, just like being able to do advanced math for a physics or engineering course, you are ultimately responsible for your own writing, and poor writing will be marked down regardless of whether you show mastery of course content. My bottom line attitude is that college students should know how to write before starting college. But I also believe that you can become a better writer in college. My feedback is intended to help, but you may need additional assistance.

Do you grade on a curve?

No, and you don't want me to! Here's why, based on my understanding of what a grading curve looks like:  To grade on a curve the teacher has to assume two things: the average expected grade, and the spread around that grade. Let's imagine I graded against what we call the "normal distribution," or the "bell curve." Under such a scheme, an "average" (that is, median, although we assume that the mean and median are close) grade would be a C. I would divide up the normal curve in such a way that:

2.5% of students get A+

the next 13.5% get As

the next 17% get Bs

the middle 34% get Cs

the 17% get Ds

Everyone else (the other 16 get Fs)

(Given trends toward grade inflation, the middle grade would probably be closer to a B-.)

This works great in a class with, say, 100 students, where the average and median score is 70, and the scores are normally distributed. Of course, you'd rather set the mean at what the mean score really is, and let's say it's a really hard test. So let's say 100 students take a test, the mean is 50, and the standard deviation is 10. This means that any student who gets a 71 or better gets an A+, anyone with 50 gets a C, and anyone with less than 40 fails the exam.

But let's say that the test is really easy, or that nearly everyone studied really hard and got a lot of questions right. Let's say the mean is 90 and, since everyone worked really hard, the standard deviation (the amount of "spread" around the median, or middle, score) is only 5.  In this case, assuming the maximum is 100, no one can get an A+, since that would be off the scale, and an 84 or less would mean a failing grade. Would you like to get an F if you got 84% right?

This is why I don't grade on a curve: in so many words, it gives you results you don't really want. What I do for large exams with lots of points is this: if my exam has 100 possible points, and the best mark on the exam is a 95, then I make 95 equal 100 (that is, every point is worth =100/95 or about 1.05 points). This accounts for the diffuclty of the test without assuming right away that some number of people must get either As or Fs, which is what must be assumed under most students' understandings of a "curve."

What is your attendance policy for graduate courses?

Attendance is mandatory in all graduate seminars. The only acceptable reasons to miss a seminar are unavoidable illness, required military service, or accidents deemed beyond your control. I will not accept previously scheduled weddings. yours or anyone else's (really--this did happen one semester), vacations, or avoidable or reschedulable professional obligations as an excused absence. If you sign up for my course, make certain that your supervisor knows that your presence in my class is required; if you have already scheduled a lengthy out of town business trip, it would be best not to take my class during that semester. Along those lines, demanding work schedules do not relieve you of the obligation to attend and participate in class discussion. I will make some exceptions for reasonable, extraordinary circumstances, but students who take my courses have to make their commitment to their studies their primary commitment.. 

What is your attendance policy for undergraduate courses?

I expect attendance. Here's how I grade it. I start with the assumption that everyone has 70 percent attendance (a C grade). Then, for each class meeting you attend, you earn .75 points toward attendance if the class meet three days a week; if it meets twice a week, you earn 1.1 points per day you attend. With perfect attendence you will earn more than 100 points for attendence.

You lose any attendance points for being late, or if you use electronic devices inappropriately during class time.

What should I do if I am going to miss class?

Call my office at least two hours before class, or email me no fewer than four hours before, and at least leave a message. 

What should I do if I am going to be late for class?
You should email me or call my office and let me know. If you are only 10 minutes late or so, you may come to class, realizing that you have forfeited your attendance points for that day. If you do come in late, you must not disrupt the class in any way.

Do you accept late papers?

Yes--I don't reject them outright. There are penalized one letter grade for every day late, until they are four days late, at which point a failing grade is given. I will not nag you to turn in papers--you are responsible for turning them in yourself. Most papers are to be submitted via email to either tom_birkland@ncsu.edu or tom.birkland@gmail.com. In some rare cases I will accept other forms of submisssion.

What is your policy on the use of electronic devices in class.

Laptop computers may be used in class only if you do not connect to the internet while in class (download any needed material before coming to class). Any incidents of surfing, shopping, playing games, or using the computer inapprorpiately during class time will result in all computers being barred from the classroom. I do relax the policy for Ph.D. seminars: I allow the wireless connection to be live, but only if you are paying attention and using the live connection to access information relevant to class.

If your cell phone rings during class, and you do not mute the phone after two seconds, you will be asked to leave, not return, and will forfeit all attendance points for that week. Text messaging is similarly prohibited. Answering a call in class will result in your immediate dismissal from the classroom. If your cell phone is out and you are looking at it I will assume you are using it to text and will deduct the appropriate points. The best thing to do to avoid running afoul of this policy is to not bring it to class at all--leave it at home. That's probably not practical, the next best thing is to to turn off your phone before class. If a potential incoming call is so important that you cannot turn off the phone, you should simply miss class that day as an unexcused absence.

Is there a study guide for your class?

I generally do not provide "study guides" (cheat sheats, crib sheets, whathaveyou) for my classes. The syllabus, textbooks, your notes, and other materials are by definition study guides. However, for my undergraduate policy course I will likely post any Powerpoint slides and the question pool to the web site.

Do you give makeup exams or assignments?

No. Missed exams earn a failing mark. If you miss an exam due to illness or accident, you will be assessed on the remaining exams, and grading weights will be adjusted accordingly. Of course, some circumstances beyond your control will require a make-up exam or assignment, but I rarely see circumstances that are completely out of control.

How can I contact you?

Via my office phone, 919.513.7799. The phones at NCSU have been acting up lately, so voice mail may not work. Besides it's usually better to email me at either tom_birkland@ncsu.edu or tom.birkland@gmail.com. If you want to be extra sure I will get your email you might send to both.

Please note, however, that I do not have my email on all the time (and neither should you, actually!). During the school year I usually respond on the same day, and most often within 24 hours, but please do not count on instant responses to email (email is not designed for that).

What courses do you offer?
What courses will you offer in (year)?

Response coming soon!

Do you give extra credit?

No. The only credit available is that outlined in the syllabus. Requests for "extra credit" are usually attempts to rescue poor performance at the end of the semester, so there is no extra credit.

Can you sponsor my independent study?

As a rule I do not sponsor undergraduate independent study projects. Most independent study ideas can be easily accommodated within existing courses.  The only exceptions are case-by-case, and are given only to students with an exceptional record of self motivation who come with a very well thought-out idea and sechedule--in other words, students must, in essence, write their own syllabus, promise certain deliverables, and deliver them on time. Since in most cases the ideas are insufficiently developed, I don't sponsor independent studies.

I am interested in your research and would like to work with you. Do you have jobs available?
Why do you sometimes cancel a class on the syllabus? I paid good money for that class!