My Teaching
and Grading Philosophy
You are always welcome to leave comments or make suggestions:
Please send email to ploog@mail.csi.cuny.edu
and tell me how I can reach you (email, phone, or mailing address).
You can also call me at (718) 982-4082. (I cannot return
your call if it's a long-distance call.)
My Teaching and Grading Philosophy
I really do like teaching and making a positive difference in a student's
life. I also like conducting research. It's possible to do effective
teaching in context of conducting research (e.g., in context of an independent
studies course or by integrating my own research interests and findings in
a lecture or seminar). I'll always be very supportive of students who want
to learn, regardless of their own preparedness for college or graduate school.
I realize that some of us haven't been as lucky as others in life. Perhaps
your family hasn't been as supportive of your going to college as the family
of another student.
Some of my best students were people who initially had a very hard
time writing anything or even reading a college-level textbook. They worked
very, very hard, got completely immersed in a given topic, and ultimately
they excelled. I love to be supportive of this type of students. I have
to admit though that I have very little patience and sympathy for students
who essentially are not interested in the particular topic or in educating
themselves in general. I treat all my students like reasonable adults who
can make their own decisions about their own lives. You sign up for the classes
and for the specific times as you see fit. I have never forced any student
to take any particular class. I have no urge to push anyone along against
his or her will. I have also never had ambitions to be an entertainer or
standup comedian. I do believe there is merit in straightforward, no-frills
teaching -- in plain "old-fashioned lecture format", where I try to convey
information that you cannot intuitively come up with (or through "group work").
Often, you simply have to work your way through a traditional text book.
It's hard work, but you are not alone. Even for me, reading psychology texts
is hard work. But by practicing you will get better at it.
Commonly, there is a lot of emphasis on web- and multimedia technology.
Sometimes, this is wonderful and works well (e.g., to show video demos
and animations to convey concepts; to continue an "out-of-classroom" discussion;
to find, if you are lucky, pdf versions of articles you need; etc.). For
other situations it's not a good idea from an academic or pedagogical perspective
(e.g., when trying to convey terminology, facts, and information specific
to a given discipline). Often flashy technology distracts or even confuses.
Some of the most elegant experiments in psychology were conducted with
technology that has been available for decades. To say "Well, I am a 'visual'
person, I can't learn from listening to you ..." is somewhat of a problem.
First of all, reading a text book requires being a visual
person; so being a "visual" person should then be OK for reading a text book.
I expect you to read the text book before you listen to a lecture;
you are expected to prepare for the lecture by reading the assigned material.
Consequently, learning from listening should not be all that difficult then.
Second, even if it was true that you can only learn from watching but not
from listening, realistically speaking you will face problems in your life,
not just when you are in my class. Humans are visual and auditory
creatures, but some information is only availabe in one or the other modality.
Therefore, it's in your own interest to learn the skill of listening (e.g.,
"becoming more auditory"), if you have weaknesses in it.
I do have high standards, but I believe I am fair, and I make a lot
of effort in keeping it this way. If there is a problem, I am always
open to listen to my students explaining the situation. If you come up with
better solutions than I thought of, I'd be delighted to implement them. I
strongly believe that high standards go along with academic integrity.
Would you feel offended if I said "Well, I'll make it easy. I don't expect
much from my students ... after all this is 'only' CSI, not Harvard."?
If you don't feel offended by this, you should! In fact, I'd be short-changing
you and I'd be condescending. You pay for your education (with money, time,
and effort), and you have the right to expect the best, not a "dumbed-down"
or "Mickey-Mouse" version of a course. Everyone in my class is treated the
same and, I believe, fairly. So I am not singling anyone out with my high
standards. At some point, a survey apparently suggested that I give one
of the lowest GPAs in our department but the highest number of As. This
may sound contradictory, but I don't think it is. I think in my classes,
everyone can get a very good grade, but you have to work for it. If you
don't work hard, you'll end up with a low grade. If you don't grasp the
basic concepts, because perhaps you don't spend enough effort on trying to
understand them, you'll be lost very quickly and consequently you will not
know much at all, which translates into a very low grade immediately. The
middle grades are a very thin line for students to walk on. Generally, an
attitude of "I'll do the minimum required, I'll cut corners if I can get
away with it" easily translates into very low grades in my classes -- not
even necessarily a passing grade. Bottomline is that you'll get the grades
you earn, regardless of whether you have to graduate within a semester
or whether you need a certain GPA for graduate or medical school. If you
currently have lots of other obligations so that you can't dedicate enough
time to your classes, perhaps you should wait, not take classes right now,
or at least fewer classes. You can't expect that I will compromise the integrity
of my classes or of my discipline (psychology) because a student doesn't
have enough time for taking classes the right way.
I deal with "Psychology" as a scientific discipline, or more precisely,
I try to take a Newtonian perspective (i.e., psychology as a natural science,
just like biology, chemistry, and physics). Many do not agree with me,
which is good. I am not expecting that everyone take the same approach as
I do. I think there is merit in many different approaches. However, I want
to disclose where I am coming from, so you have a chance to anticipate what
my classes are going to be like. My particular area in psychology lends
itself to this natural scientific approach, as opposed to, say, a more "social
scientific" or perhaps even "qualitiative" approach. Other colleagues of
mine teach their area appropriately and very well with other approaches.
We have many excellent teachers in our department with a healthy diversity
of approaches, styles, and interest areas as is appropriate for an undergraduate
curriculum in psychology.
I have an accent in my speech (because I grew up in Germany). I also
have a tendency to speak too fast. Unfortunately, there is little I can
do about my accent. (It has to do with a critical period of learning a language
as a native language rather than as a second language.) But if you have problems
understanding what I am saying, it's best to immediately say so in class,
and it'll give me an opportunity to clarify whatever you may have missed
-- for whatever reason. If you wait until the end of the semester and then
complain, it's too late. Of course, there is something I can do to speak
more slowly. You may have to remind me, when I get carried away in a lecture
and speak too fast, but I'd be very happy to adjust my speech as much as
I possibly can.
Below, you'll find a selection of student comments, which I only started
compiling in the Fall 2004 semester. I intend to update it occasionally.
You'll see that there is a great variety of reactions and evalutions,
which are all about the same person ... myself, and often about the same
class in the same classroom. Therefore, I think that the diversity of comments
is a good reflection of our very diverse student population at CSI. By disclosing
my "Grading and Teaching Philosophy" and student comments, you can judge
for yourself. Please remember that I am always open to any of my
students' suggestions and comments (not only the flattering ones, even though
those feel a little bit better than the harsh ones). I really do take
teaching seriously, and I care about my students' success.
Student Comments (spelling errors and grammar not corrected)
The instructor's greatest strengths are:
"Clearly explain the course." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"Explain thoroughly." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"He knows psychology very well. He is able to answer all questions."
-- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"Prof. Ploog is willing to help anybody ... " -- Intro to Psych, Fall
2004
"He gives fair quizzes and tests." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"... his passion for the course and his intellectual input." -- Intro
to Psych, Fall 2004
"He explains himself extremely well." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"He is very fair with his grading (overall)." -- Intro to Psych, Fall
2004
"The instructure follows course syllabus very well." -- Intro to Psych,
Fall 2004
"Reviewing before and after all quizes." -- Intro to Applied Behavior
Analysis, Fall 2004
"Helping students who are having a difficult time in the class." --
Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall 2004
"Gives extra credit opportunities that relate very much to psychology."
-- Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
"good videos and tests are straight from notes; gives extra credit" --
Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
"Easily approachable about things in class, teaches things on test, no
tricks" -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
"very clear and informative" -- Exp. Psych: Learning & Behavior, Spring
2005
"the way he explains the material and makes sure it's understood" -- Intro
to Psych, Fall 2006
The instructor could improve this course by:
"Letting you know what will be on the test." -- Intro to Psych, Fall
2004
(Sorry, I can't tell you what's going to be on a test, or it wouldn't
be a test.)
"Speaking slower and giving tests back to review." -- Intro to
Psych, Fall 2004
(Please, remind me to speak slowly. I can't give the tests back
in a class of 60 students, but I always go over the tests. Also, any student
can review all of his/her tests in my office. In fact, I encourage
students to do so, because it's a good opportunity to learn from mistakes.)
"He is sometimes a little unclear." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
(Please, speak up and ask me in class to clarify. It's wonderful
to have students in class who are participating and who are asking questions.)
"A mirical" -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
(Sorry, I can't provide that.)
"Providing more pupil-teacher relations. Not follow the syllabus as
religiously." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
(I understand this concern. However, in a class of 60 it's hard
to be more personal. Also, I need to follow the syllabus, so no one has
a legitimate reason to complain that I am misleading students.)
"Making the grading system better." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
(Please, make suggestions. I am listening.)
"Making the way he grades test better, and giving extra credit work."
-- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
(There were plenty of opportunities for extra credit work: Paper,
extra credit on each exam, and participation in two IRB-approved experiments,
all adding up to almost a full letter grade for the entire course, if you
took advantage of all the opportunities.)
"Improving his grading system because it is unfair." -- Intro
to Psych, Fall 2004
(Again, please, let me know. I'll consider any reasonable change.
But I need to know what you consider "unfair".)
"Not applying high standards when grading, giving the students a
chance to get a good grade." -- Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall
2004
(True. I do apply high standards and plenty of students get very
good grades in my classes.)
"He should stop being so rude & assigning 300 level
work to a 200 level class." -- Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall 2004
(Well, I don't think it's rude to assume great potential in my students
and to teach any class at a high level, as long as the grading is fair
and equitable.)
"Giving written Homework based on readings for the purpose of learning
something more depthly." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
(Excellent idea. I'll try to think of something without overwhelming
my students.)
"try to spread the course work out more - involves reducing some work"
-- Exp. Psych: Learning & Behavior, Spring 2005
(I hear you. But this is a 6-credit course, there are only 14 weeks
of instructions per semester, and there is a great amount of materials that
needs to be taught.)
"giving an explanation of the material BEFORE the exams" -- Statistics,
Fall 2006
(As outlined in my syllabi, I do expect students to prepare for a class
rather than expecting to be spoon-fed and prepped for a test only. So I
will test materials that were assigned but perhaps not covered in class
yet. If you encounter difficulties while preparing for a class or test,
please, come to office hours when I have plenty of time to help.)
"he couldn't improve it. He can't control if students choose not to
do their homework." -- Statistics, Fall 2006
(As I said: A student takes responsibility for his or her education
... which includes completion of assigned homework. In return, I'll give
my best to support a student to do well in my classes.)
Additional comments:
"Course is very difficult." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"Woo-hoo!" -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"He grades very harshly. He could grade a little more lenient." --
Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"He is a great teacher." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2004
"This class isn't as easy as I expected it to be." -- Intro to Psych,
Fall 2004
"Professor Ploog is dedicated and teaches this course with a lot of
enthusiasm." -- Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall 2004
"Every confusing, hard to understand." -- Intro to Applied Behavior
Analysis, Fall 2004
"Great professor. (I've heard people complain about him, those people
dont like to work.)" -- Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall 2004
"Dr. Ploog is a great instructor ... It is a pleasure to be in his class."
-- Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis, Fall 2004
"if you come in late for an exam you should have xtra time for a quiz."
-- Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
(Why? You need to call me if you are late for an exam with a legitimate
reason for being late.)
"WE [heart] PLOOG" -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2005
"You are intimidating, makes me not want to ask for help." -- Exp. Psych:
Learning & Behavior, Spring 2005
(I am truly sorry that I came across like this. Please, do try to overcome
your shyness and talk to me. I'll try to be more encouraging to seek help,
if needed.)
"Good professor, take care about every student" -- Intro to Psych, Fall
2006
"At first I didn't like him & then afterwards I realize what a great
teacher he is." -- Intro to Psych, Fall 2006
Back to Home Page.
Last Updated: 20-AUG-2007