That first set of essays came in on February 23rd, and (predictably!) about half of them are "ungradeable" for various reasons, mostly because they do not meet the minimum length requirement. I stressed that when I gave the assignment and during the class just before the papers were due: If a student cannot meet the minimum requirements stated, the paper won't even be read. Oh, well. It happens every time, whether I make this point several times beforehand or not.
The enrollments are down to 28 (morning) and 29 (afternoon) now. It still blows me away that people will spend over $200 on a class and its books and then drop it without seeming to try any of the work at all.
The library orientation sessions on the 28th went fine. As usual, one of the librarians made up a worksheet to take students through the various search processes in the different databases that the college has: http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/Students/Services/Library/index.asp?id=354 It's an excellent worksheet, and I always make it an assignment. I had to rewrite number 4, though, since it involves InfoTrac, which is accessible only through the county's website -- and that site seems to be continually in flux! Oh, well, we all need to learn to adapt!
More later ...
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