Answers are in. Big thanks to those who shared their views. I take them seriously.

Results: Only one person reported the quizzes being so problematic as to require change, but others still had good suggestions, and I will therefore implement some.

Actions: In consideration of all the suggestions and individual comments, here’s the plan:

1. We will add 1-2 minutes to quiz taking time. Since we always start right on time anyway, I had to be creative in where this time could materialize. Everyone will now bring their own answer page to the quiz days, and I’ll project the questions on the board at the start time. This way we can ensure everyone gets an extra minute or two since you won’t have to wait for me to distribute the quizzes. You can also fill in your name and section time prior to class so you can start right on question 1 when the timer begins. The answer pages are now printable from Canvas right after the DM templates (Modules > Quiz Answer Pages). Please bring the Quiz C answer page to class on Tuesday, Feb 18.
2. I will drop the 2 lowest quiz scores instead of just one. As stated in the syllabus, this drop occurs at the end of the semester to keep your average as accurate as possible along the way. Any relevant average boost will come after Quiz I scores are recorded (not as we go).
3. I will allow up to 50 pages of handwritten notes on the final exam.
4. I will create ungraded practice quizzes and upload them to Canvas. This part may take a few weeks; I will update this page when they are ready. Update: D,E, and F practice quizzes available in Canvas.
5. Unrelated to survey: Students need to use blue or black ink on future quizzes. The pencils are still not showing up on the scans.
6. What if you finish in a few minutes and have to sit around and wait? I am removing the “no electronics for the duration of the quiz” rule. When you finish the quiz and turn it in, you can open notes for this day (not previous notes) or the reading for next time. Still no idle texting/scrolling allowed, and definitely no photos or communicating.

Understandings:

Some people expressed concern that they didn’t know exactly what answer I expected when they knew the idea but not the specific word that was required. For example, Quiz A had a question about ethical consensus including a clause that money cannot be the sole motivator of an ethical decision. Some students wrote words like “profit” instead of money. Those answers earned full credit despite not matching the slides word for word… but you take notes on the slide, so why not make it match in your notes? Still, some term definitions are more straightforward. The Turing Test slide from Day 1, for example, says the following:

The question was: “A computer or program passes the Turing test if it convinces a ___ that it, the computer, is ___.”

The answers should of course be “human subject” and “human.” Variations on those answers were given full credit (e.g. “human” instead of “human subject”). Some of you offered answers talking about robots and sentience, which were assigned partial credit commensurate with their coherence, but those are clearly not part of our definition and should therefore not be offered as an answer. All in all, if you write down the full definition of the term, there will be little doubt of your understanding and credit will be duly applied.

Final thoughts:

I got some interesting suggestions about things like moving quizzes to the end of class for late students, and changing format for students who didn’t write down the exact definition of terms. I appreciate the feedback and I thank you for it! I think these types of changes would definitely raise scores. However, please note that some things, including these, are not negotiable. You’re expected to be in class on time and will have consequences if you’re not; you need to write down your notes completely; you need to study for your quizzes. These are baseline expectations for all students at the college level – it’s nothing personal, not a quirk of this class, and hopefully, upon reflection, not considered unreasonable. It would be awesome to get super high scores when you didn’t do all the prep work for it, and sometimes life sets you up for that, but it’s not going to happen here.

Thanks again! I appreciate you!