Is anybody else teaching on an incredibly badly organized course?
Since I started I've been left to get on with things with almost zero guidance or input from the course leaders. I was told I had the job a week and a half before term started and I have no teaching experience whatsoever. The classes themselves are fine- it's easy enough to blather on about a novel for an hour and a half. The problem is that the students have assignments coming out of their ears and I'm completely confused about what's due in when and how to mark things.
For example- they have to hand in a formative essay comparison exercise in a couple of weeks time. I only just received some guidelines- yesterday- which explained what this is. It recommended, however, that I take them through this in class and they just hand it in at the end. But the module guide says they must hand them into the school office and they will be handed back with written feedback. How am I meant to give feedback on an assignment we have done together in class?!
They also have to hand in their first 'proper' essay on Monday. As yet, I have no idea when or how I will receive any guidance as to how to mark them. So, I am expected to guide them through the essay comparison exercise- in which they have to give a mark to each essay- without ever having marked an essay myself!

I wouldn't mind any of this if I knew I would at least get an answer when I asked. But I don't. One of the module leaders won't respond at all (and I know he gets my e-mails) and the other takes days. My only hope is to ask other teachers on the module, and whilst they do help, I don't like plaguing them with requests.

Anyway, I was fit to burst before I started writing this and have calmed down slightly now. Sympathetic noises please! ,-)

My, I do sympathise. This would drive me nuts.

I would recommend you stalk the module leaders. Not be e-mail, but in person (surely they must have offices/perhaps office hours even? So they cannot escape, they have to BE there at the time...). After all, THEY are failing to do their jobs and THEY are letting you and the students down...

Good luck in any case ;-)

Yeah, sounds very shoddy, awful for you, in fact (see, sympathy to order!). I'd be tempted to, not only stalk the module leaders, but also tell the students to contact them with any queries you don't have the answers to because you don't have info.

In my experience, I've found it's best not to worry about discrepencies in badly organised modules because there's nothing you can do about it, apart from suggest imporovements at module meetings (if you have them?); I've found it's best to just follow nonsensical instructions and then take the money and run! It's rough for the students, but all you can do as an AL/sessional lecturer is work as well as you possibly can with the poor materials you have been given and tactfully suggest improvements to the module leaders.

Good luck. :-)

Hi KC

Doesn't your subject have a course outline which details how the assessment is based and what is required for each grade? The courses I've taught on have outlined what students need to do to get a distinction, credit, pass etc etc. Also, all the students should be being told the same thing, and in my experience, all student requests go to one person so they all get the same advice. I'd also be referring them to the course co-ordinators.

Hello hello, sorry for late reply.

Yes Sue there is an assesment outline, but it is very vague- as I suppose an outline would be. I teach English literature, so the criteria are things like 'displays some evidence of independent thought.' I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable marking an essay based solely on that, but I can probably help the students do the essay comparasion using it.
The course leader did e-mail back and I'm meeting her on Wednesday, but that is after tomorrow's lesson (the essay comparasion) so I'm just going to have to make up my mind today about what to do and stick to it.
The most frustrating thing is when people say 'don't put too much time into your teaching, research must come first.' Well, I might be able to do that if I didn't have to spend all my time chasing people for information, or puzzling over course structure.
Maybe I'm just stupid and other people wouldhave worked it out themselves.
We don't have module meetings.
I think I'd best bow out of this thread for now, because althoughyour replies have been very kind and helpful I'm feeling really frustrated and worried I might be coming across as rude and ungrateful :-(