Over in academics_anon,

kataplexis declares that accepting emailed assignments is an unfair burden for professors.

Apparently, this statement is horribly bigoted against disabled students, and wank ensues.

ETA that the post is now locked, but the comm has open membership. However, for those too lazy to bother, the text:

I don't accept assignments over email. I did once term but had a bunch of students pull the "But I emailed it to you..." line knowing that there was no way for me to confirm or refute their statement. I have since gone to a "no assignments by email" policy. I am curious to see what others think about accepting assignments over email. I don't have a tablet PC so grading it digitally is not a "perk" option. That being the case, I see no benefit and only angst to be had from accepting emailed assignments.

EDIT: Just so everyone knows that I am not some evil meanie, there are always exceptions to every rule on a syllabus to account for emergency situations or to accommodate students with disabilities that might prevent them from attending class on a certain day. Frankly, I am pretty appalled that people would think me so dim as to not have such exception. This whole straw man argument about the "emergency" and "disability" situations needs to stop. It happens on every other post and leads to nothing but trouble. By this same argument, one could say that even asking a student to attend class is discriminatory and I refuse to accept any such argument as valid.

And the response that set off much of the wank, from

courtney8:

I don't mean to be rude, but I really hope you have exceptions to this rule.

My case in point - I have Meniere's disease and fibromyalgia, and am considered by my university to have a valid disability that sometimes prevents me from attending class. While I understand that it is my responsibility to make up whatever work I may have missed, I sometimes have needed to email assignments to my professors in order to do this.

Not allowing emailed assignments, in some cases, could be considered discriminatory, especially when students have documented disability status through their university. Please be careful with your rules, as you may not be aware of what kinds of limitations you are placing on your students.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

	priestesspadfoo 2007-02-13 06:55 am UTC (link)
	I sometimes suspect that people change their margins to increase their page counts. O me of little faith. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

jat_sapphire
2007-02-15 07:36 pm UTC (link)

Lo, in the Middle Ages when the computer lab was new, I had a class in which all but one student printed their papers in 12-point, and one would-be crafty person printed his in 16 point. Really, did he think his was the only paper I was looking at, or that after the first fifteen 12-point papers, his ginormous elephantine font wouldn't be, you know, noticeable?

I still tell people: I don't care if you want to print it in 24 point with three-inch margins, but YOU ARE NOT FOOLING ME.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	jerel 2007-02-18 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	I'm amazed at the number of students who assume we (teachers) are stupid. Not only do we have more education and training, but we were students once too. We used to try larger fonts and big margins to fool our professors. Didn't work on them, won't work on us. (A much easier trick is to increase the space between your letters just a smidge...) (Reply to this)(Parent)

(Read comments) -