Last teaching: presentations

At the end of term, they always tend to be a plethora of student presentations. This term was no exception. I had presentations from the first, third and fourth year students in my diary. 

The big one was the third years. They were doing presentations about various topics within applied marine geology. There were 30 students on the module, and if they all have to present, that makes for a long day. And you never get everyone presenting; some students have logged particular requirements that allow them to not present in front of a group. And there's always people who are ill or have just broken their leg or something. Or who don't show up for unclear reasons. But even, say, 25 students is quite a lot.

Things got worse when I checked which room I had been allocated; it was the room that is colloquially known as "the church"; it has stern wooden benches, quite like church pews. Maybe actually identical to church pews. You get a bit of a wooden arse if you sit on them for too long! I sent out an announcement to the whole cohort to warn them about this. I suggested bringing a pillow. I myself brought a nice woollen jumper that I could sit on if needs be.

“The church”

In spite of the Calvinist furniture the day went well! And that was the biggest teaching engagement of the last week of the year done. The only teaching I had then left was four students with special requirements that would present to only to Jaco and me; one presentation of a first year student who hadn't been able to make it to the original presentation session; and a progress meeting with two MSci students. 

That is all done now. No more teaching in 2023! Well, except some with my MSc student. But the Christmas break is always short, and I have an enormous pile of marking to get through, combined with reinvigorated attempts on our Athena Swan application, and preparation for the new semester. And a new wave of Academic Integrity cases. Now that marking season has properly started, the floodgates have opened! No rest for the wicked. But from now to late January, there isn't much timetabled, so I am quite free in when and where I do that work. I imagine that a fair amount of it will be done in my home office, with the cat next to me on the good office chair!