Job Discussion Forums

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

I have TONS of student work at my house. I'm leery of getting rid of it, because I've had students approach me with grade questions like 2 1/2 year after the class. I also get sentimental. I have hundreds of index cards with student information on them, and whenever I want to get rid of them, I think of the students and get all sentimental and weepy and don't want to get rid of them!

How long do you keep old student tests, papers and stuff? How do deal with sentimentality that might crop up when you look at old student stuff?

Itsme · Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 624 Location: Houston, TX

10 years

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Sold last term's exams (about 180 students) a few days ago for about 1.5 RMB.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

Why would any teacher want to hang on to students work? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to the student to hand it back so as they can look over it and see where they went wrong?

Although I don't teach in university, where I imagine work would consist of 2000+ words, I do often set small written tasks ( in the 200 - 500 word range ). I go through each one, correcting any mistakes, offering hints and suggestions then score the work. I keep this score in my own records and hand the work back to the students. More often than not, if a student is unsatisfied with their score, they try again.

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

They never want their final exams back, for some reason. I've tried to give them back, but they just aren't interested. That's all I've had at this university so far, because I teach oral English.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

KarenB · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 227 Location: Hainan

I used to keep all that stuff, but now throw it out several months after the students receive their final grade, except for the final grade sheet with all the students' names and final grades. I figure that gives them enough time to question a grade. I've never had a student ask about a grade from 2 years ago, but if they did, I would say, "I'm sorry, I no longer have the records from that long ago."

I keep the final grade sheet because, sometimes, shortly before or after the student graduates (and sometimes two or three years later), I'm asked to write a letter of reference (for graduate work, or a job), so I need to go back and remind myself of that student's performance (after 7 years in China, I've taught thousands of students).

Steppenwolf · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1769

I too found and still find that students don't care what they did wrong in their exam papers; they only care for the mark as such.

Should I keep their papers?

I used to keep them throughout one term after their exam; almost every year some student or several would suddenly wish to query the validity of their mark; some even say they "never got THEIR mark" although they "were present" during the exam...

At the end of last semester I got a call from a student of one year and a half earlier saying she had never been communicated her mark and would I please tell her NOW?

I couldn't find any mark on the student list; now that put me in a tight spot. Such students suddenly are so terribly sure they "passed the exam but have never been given a mark"...

So at the end of last term I had every participating student sign their name in a ledger; only signatures in that book will have a mark, and it's easy to keep these ledgers for several years if need be.

KES · Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 722

How long do I keep student work? Until I sell it of course.

Got little MIKE Shoes cottage industry in my spare bedroom where students can gain extra credit assembling my knockoff shoes.

Everybody is happy.

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

ChineseChris · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 45 Location: Brrrrr in the North

I also give the day to day work back to them with positive remarks and show them where they are going wrong. If they have done special projects I keep them and have scrapbooked a lot of them. I have done this so in my old age I can look back on them and remember all the happy memories they will envoke.
I feel it is better to give them feedback as soon as they make the mistakes so they can correct themselves while they are making them. I am also lucky with having only 20 per class I can also give them feedback in the classroom on a one to one basis.

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

Keep it? What makes you think I even read it?

Rooster · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 363

I'm with Shuize. We must be the least anally retentive contributors to this forum.

I agree with TW and passed them all. Does it really matter?

Love & Peace

shenyanggerry · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 619 Location: Canada

I teach an oral course, I give an oral exam. What's to keep?