[Air-l] laptops and Internet access in class

[Mark D. Johns]

T. Kennedy wrote:
> ... not everyone's parents pay for their adult children's education (some
> just can't whereas others won't), which means that many students have to
> work part time (sometimes full time) in order to pay for their schooling.
> No offence Mark - but if I saw this on the syllabus "Someone is investing
> large sums of money in you so that you may attend this college. Therefore,
> maximizing the benefit of this opportunity should be your primary occupation
> during your time here." I would be offended...

As I indicated, other situations differ. The "someone" investing large 
sums may indeed be the student themselves. Or it might be the 
scholarship fund of the institution. Or possibly some other source. If I 
taught across town at the university, I am certain the situation with 
working students would be prevalent. Among my students it is not.

I also have a fairly liberal policy for excusing absences, and do so 
readily if a student has a work conflict. But just as their employer 
would not tolerate them simply not showing up for work, I don't excuse 
them when they simply don't show up for class. They contact me in 
advance and ask to be excused -- whether working, ill, or whatever -- 
just as if they had to call in sick at work.

> "my goal is to instill a work ethic that privileges the academic over other
> aspects of college life." 
> Sounds Calvinist and strangely Weber like - but what other aspects of
> college life do you think are prominent? Partying?

Lutherans are not Calvinists. It may be Weber-like, but I see nothing 
strange about it. Extracurricular groups, musical ensembles, sports 
teams, Grey's Anatomy, facebook, Guitar Hero, and yes, for some 
students, partying (and I have nothing against the tradition of the 
weekend college beer party, by the way).

So are you trying to tell me that your students have none of these 
conflicts, but simply divide their time between working hard to pay the 
bills and studying? Reality check!

My point, however, is that my situation is not the same as yours. So you 
may be as offended as you like by my syllabus language. If I taught on 
your campus, wherever it may be, I'd likely do things differently. But 
when teaching a privileged clientele at a pricey private college, I find 
this works for me.
-- 
Mark D. Johns, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Head of the
  Department of Communication Studies
Luther College, Decorah, Iowa USA
http://academic.luther.edu/~johnsmar/
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"Get the facts first. You can distort them later."
     ---Mark Twain