Forgot to rant a little last night...

[tennisnutzo]

OK, so I gave my business calculus students an exam on the Wednesday before Spring Break.  They didn't have class that Friday because I started my vacation early with a meeting in State College for PADE (PA Association of Developmental Educators).  Anyways, I graded them, and was shocked/amazed/astonished/saddened by how poorly people did.  Granted, I've had students do bad before, but here's my issue:  The Monday before the exam, I said specifically that they should be able to do problems #39 and 40 from a specific section in the text.  I went one step further and did #40 in fairly excruciating detail on the board.  I next told them that #39 is very similar, except that it is the opposite...but you have to do a similar 2 step process to complete it.  These problems were looking at the future value and present value of an ordinary annuity...  Furthermore, I allow them to use one side of a regular sheet of paper to put whatever they want on it...including the aforementioned #39 worked out completely if they so chose.  So the 1st question on the test, I decide to put #39, word for word, number for number.  Made it worth 25 points of the 100 points possible on the exam.  And no one got it right.  A student or 2 got over 20 points on it, but most people blew it.

Now I ask you:  If a teacher tells you to be able to do a particular problem for the exam, would you at least take the time to try and work it out?  Also, if said teacher said that you can use one side of a sheet of paper, would you put the problem that your teacher told you that should be able to do on said sheet of paper?

For those of you that remember...these results pissed me off more than the student that received a 2 out of 100...he's just tuned out, and soon will fail my class.