The "deadliest time of the year" for a professor is now„the final two weeks of spring classes. This is when links that never appeared weak during the entire year will begin to break. We forged such links when we constructed our syllabi and course schedules, under more idyllic conditions such as Christmas break. Now, we may find ourselves overwhelmed.

This time of year comes with a flood of term papers, exams, & journals to be graded, final exams to prepare, and laboratories to clean. Many disciplines' professional societies (whose executive directors don't need to contend with any of the above) blissfully schedule national or regional meetings in early to mid-May at the peak of the deadly period. Faculty in these disciplines can then add papers and presentations for the critical spring conference to their nights and weekends. All of this results in getting 5 hours or less of sleep each night, which tends to remove some of the more charming parts of our personalities. Our colleagues are also likely to be tired and overly stressed, so now is a good time to strive to treat one another especially well!

Some trials on our patience come from dealing with students' procrastination. Students who cut a third of their classes may now appear in crisis-mode seeking an "incomplete" or an "extra credit project." A few may have awakened to a realization that they never understood the material covered in February, and only now do they demand help with it. This comes at a time when committee chairs and administrators also discover their own weak links and try to cram in "just one more meeting." It's a time of pressures when everyone discovers that the time just isn't available to do everything gracefully.

However, it is also the time when we can get great benefits by simply keeping a log of what now abrades us. This log allows us to set in place ways to prevent these things. While there is real temptation now to "just get through it alive without trying to be creative,î we'll pay big-time if we succumb to that. Soon, we'll forget the horrors we experienced, and by autumn, we'll again set the pattern for the same events to occur. You might now even recall being in a similar predicament this time last year. Helping yourself and others to minimize bad situations is the theme of this Nutshell Note.

Your best friend now that can help you not to repeat deadly times is a blank sheet of paper. Tape it to the back of your door now; don't allow this paper to get onto your desk or into a file, where it will likely be churned out of sight during the mayhem of the next few days. Keep it accessible. As crises and irritations occur, record them on that sheet, and try to add a brief note as to how to correct them. When you get ready to plan your next courses and syllabi, sit down with that sheet of notes. An example from my first ñdoor listî was "Swamped with grading late student work„change syllabus!" My next syllabus stated: "No late work is accepted or makeups provided unless you make prior arrangements to extend a deadline." Students now know the rules, and those who are sick or have work emergencies know to notify me, and they can be confident that they will be taken care of. The few students who did a disappearing act but now expect special rescue treatment at least learn why they must read syllabi. That statement in my syllabus now prevents othersÍ personal choices from becoming my problem. I may not have stressed that point in my syllabus, had I not recorded the problem when it occurred.

If there is any disparity between planned coverage of material and the facts of realistic pacing, it is most likely to show up in these final weeks. This was solidly documented by the results of a knowledge survey run in one course, where student learning was excellent until it dropped like a stone in the last two weeks. This revealed the folly of trying to "cover the material" by pushing too fast through too much. If we stop briefly to recognize the obvious: that our cramming in teaching is no more conducive to students' learning than their cramming in study, then we can redesign our course to accommodate reasonable learning rather than mere "coverage."

Your list may reveal problems that you could not correct on your own. Unsuitable classrooms, malfunctioning equipment, or unrealistic expectations can contribute their damages to the "deadliest time" too. Written records that acknowledge problems can be the first critical steps toward actual solutions, and a sharing of the lists compiled on those sheets on the backs of doors may be of benefit at your next departmental meeting. It is likely to result in a much more relaxed May for both you and your students in 2005.

Total costs (includes lodging, meals, materials)„$950. A limited number of scholarships are available to cover ISU faculty costs in the amount of $950. This year, we prefer to send teams of two or three from a unit that has a special need such as development of assessment plans, curricular planning or faculty evaluation . Most details are finalized and described at

http://www.isu.edu/ctl/nutshells/old_nutshells/6_604.htm

For information contact Edward Nuhfer, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Idaho State University at nuhfed@isu.edu or by phone at (208) 282-4703.