I've been pretty busy this semester. The campus is getting its Decennial review this year, which is exciting in a way. My Oceanography class has been going well. The students did very poorly on their first test, class average was in the 50s. I know a lot of them studied their butts off and didn't do as well as they'd've liked, but I also know that others haven't been putting much nor enough effort into it. One student (and I am not saying that she is one of the ones that isn't putting in enough effort, I get the impression that she is) is from the accounting program and was looking to fulfill her general education requirements and was told by her advisor that this is an 'easy course'. Thing is, this can be a difficult course. Its got elements of physics, chemistry, meteorology, geology, and even biology all mixed together.
Most of the students are from the Maritime Technology program, they are required to take this course specifically by their program, and this apparently is the only science course that they have to take. Its meant reconsidering what I expect from the students. For many of them this is their first science course in a decade or more.
I have been surprised to see how earnest many of the students are, I had heard much worse about the students here.
