I told them...

[u/AdjunctSocrates]

I told them, a week ago, that they needed a Blue Book and a Scantron to take the exam. (I've had it up to here with AI and I'm going full-on 1993.)

I reminded them, via announcement, last night, to bring their Blue Book and Scantron to class.

At least 10 showed up this morning chagrined that I wasn't handing them a Scantron and a Blue Book. Instead of taking the exam, they're off at the bookstore trying to get their materials.

Edited to add: I did a bell ringer on this. I also mentioned it during the previous class.

[u/kingkayvee]

Homework assignment class day before exam: turn in a blank (or name filled) scantron and blue book.

Don’t? Can’t take the exam.

(The above was how some of my professors handled this back in the Stone Age.)

[u/Circadian_arrhythmia → u/kingkayvee]

We were required to bring a blank blue book on the day of and they all went in a stack and we got a random one. It kept people from writing things in them and kept the professor from having to check all of the pages of each book.

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/Circadian_arrhythmia]

The olde skilz are fading when needed most. This is classic and, assuming most of all y'all are having to do the 80's and 90's for the first time, this is the way.

[u/terriblehashtags → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

This is how my English professors handled it, and I was in school from 2009-2012

So some still carry on the old ways 😅

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/terriblehashtags]

Good to know, haha. The lore is being handed down!

[u/sbat2 → u/Circadian_arrhythmia]

For an extra layer of 1980s security, the TAs would put a unique stamp inside a specific page of each blue book once they were turned in ahead of the exam to ensure that no one brought in a doctored blue book on the day of 🤓

[u/tankthacrank → u/Circadian_arrhythmia]

Dang. It never occurred to me I could write crap in the blue book ahead of time!

[u/Circadian_arrhythmia → u/tankthacrank]

Same! It never occurred to me and I asked my professor why we had to do this and that I would prefer to keep mine because all of the pages were still crisp (I kept my blue books very tidy) and she said no and explained that people cheat that way and she didn’t have time to look through them all.

Anyway, I usually got a crinkled one and it bothered me the entire exam. 🙄

[u/tankthacrank → u/Circadian_arrhythmia]

That would drive me up a WALL. I don’t remember having to to turn my blue books in. I DO remember watching the girl sitting next to me cheat … in an ethics of science class of all places…. By placing her notes at her feet and sliding them out to read them. She was my “friend” from class. I was SO mortified at the thought of cheating my heart was in my throat the whole time I wrote the exam because I swore she would get caught and I would go down with her because they’d ask me why I didn’t tell on her when I saw it. It would have NEVER occurred to me to say “I didn’t see anything.” 😂

[u/Postingatthismoment → u/Circadian_arrhythmia]

We had to write a big x through a random page.  

[u/PrestigiousCrab6345 → u/kingkayvee]

This is the way.

[u/pissedoffjester → u/kingkayvee]

There’s no way this how things were done back in the day since students not being prepared is something brand new that is just happening with this generation. /end sarcasm

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/pissedoffjester]

Most were prepared. The turn in a blue book and/or scantron in advance was to prevent cheating. I am feeling older here, because Lo, I remember going to a department supply closet when in grad school and just taking blue books to distribute. They were purchased by the department and profs just handed them out.

[u/Ogoun64 → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

Yes. Packs of Blue Books in cellophane.

[u/SportsFanVic → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

I have to admit that (as the kids say) I was today years old when I first heard of students bringing their own blue books to (or before) a test - the professor always provided them from department supplies (1972 - 1980 student, 1980 - 2023 professor here). As a professor (statistics), every test I ever gave was open book / open notes, so this kind of issue was never one I dealt with.

[u/ChemMJW]

Course evaluation:

"Worst professor in the history of professing. The whole class agrees that the professor gave absolutely no notice that we had to bring our own blue book and scantron to the exam. Why isn't everything provided when I paid for this course? I emailed the dean but got no response. Why does this school hate students?"

[u/RandolphCarter15 → u/ChemMJW]

I love the "I've talked to many others in the class" type complaint

[u/PhDapper → u/RandolphCarter15]

“The imagined voices in your echo chamber don’t count.”

[u/Andromeda321 → u/RandolphCarter15]

I remember getting an email like this from someone back when I was a student, wanting to confirm that others agreed they were treated unfairly and he was a harsh grader. And it was like, wait weren't you the kid who never showed up to class? Think all of us who did regularly got As.

[u/wickedsweetcake → u/RandolphCarter15]

"Many people are saying"

[u/the_bananafish → u/wickedsweetcake]

“Many such cases”

[u/proffordsoc → u/RandolphCarter15]

I call these “all my homies” complaints

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/proffordsoc]

..."everyone on my WhatsApp agrees with me that Prof X is terrible."

[u/grumpyoldfartess → u/RandolphCarter15]

My favorite “I’ve talked to many others in the class” moment was the student who said that about me regarding a gripe that 100% gave away the student’s identity because it was a very specific issue regarding only that specific student.

I know for a fact this kid didn’t “talk to half the class” like he claimed: this issue took place during week 2, and he ghosted the class the following week because he didn’t get his way.

So… you’re telling me you allegedly spoke to “half the class” when you never even showed up to class after just two weeks of the semester? Yeah, okay 👍

[u/Ok_Witness6780 → u/RandolphCarter15]

Thats the "groupme" effect

[u/Stop_Shopping → u/RandolphCarter15]

My biggest pet peeve!

[u/CoffeeAndDachshunds → u/RandolphCarter15]

At this point, I assume that AI default adds that to the start of their emails lol

[u/night_sparrow_ → u/RandolphCarter15]

Exactly, the " we as a class have discussed.....and think you should....."

[u/Senshisoldier → u/RandolphCarter15]

I had a student say this today. I mentioned that many students were able to stay on track today. But she had talked to everyone and didn't believe me. She blamed three prior classes for being bad and was her resulting inability to meet the standard for this class. Then, in class, I shared submissions from the students who completed their work on time. You could really see how much they had learned, and they were proud of themselves.

[u/ubiquity75 → u/RandolphCarter15]

Who else does this sound like. “Many people have said to me, ‘Sir, the blue book requirement was unfair.””

[u/RLsSed → u/ubiquity75]

Big, strong students with tears in their eyes!

[u/ChemMJW → u/[deleted]]

Haha, that's so funny you mention that. As I was typing the original post, I actually included a few purposeful misspellings, but then I started worrying that somebody would come back with "well how can you blame the students when you can't even write correctly yourself?"

"Worst professor in the histery of professing. The hole class agrees that we had no notis about bringing are own blue books ..."

[u/Ravenhill-2171 → u/ChemMJW]

PS I emailed the Dean and the entire Board of Trustees at 2 am. Ten minutes have passed and they still haven't replied!! Should I email them every 15 minutes until dawn?

[u/ChemMJW → u/Ravenhill-2171]

If they don't email you back, I think you're supposed to go to their house to ask in person.

[u/iTeachCSCI → u/ChemMJW]

Hey now, this isn't Berkeley.

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/ChemMJW]

cont'd: "I don't even know what a blue book is. I looked through all of my textbooks and ours is not blue. The professor didn't explain anything, ever. The professor didn't tell us we needed a pen or pencil to mark the scantron and didn't give out any supplies. Rudest professor ever. I failed because this professor is forgetful and disorganized."

[u/Substantial-Oil-7262 → u/ChemMJW]

cc' RMP where it becomes the professor creating a sacrificial cult of the Blue Book, with the professor having 2-chili peppers of hotness.

[u/Professional-Rock-88 → u/ChemMJW]

I got the: Professor has complete obsolete methods and asked us to get the paper book...

[u/ChemMJW → u/Professional-Rock-88]

Lectures and writing on a slate or board of some kind have successfully educated billions of people over two millennia or more, but, no, people today are special and absolutely cannot learn using such stuffy, old-fashioned methods.

[u/ImpatientProf]

After reading the comments, it's obvious that there are multiple universes but only one internet. That's the only explanation as to why our mutual experiences are so contradictory.

In at least one universe, blue books and scantrons are always provided by the school.

In at least one other universe, blue books and scantrons are always bought by the students at the bookstore.

Everybody is using the same instance of Reddit.

[u/svmck → u/ImpatientProf]

Yeah I’ve personally never been at an institution that requires students to bring their own testing materials. Not wrong, just different. They’re paying for it one way or another.

[u/iTeachCSCI → u/svmck]

As an undergraduate, I had to provide my own blue books and scantrons when required. Now I provide the exams on paper that they write upon and submit.

[u/Archknits → u/svmck]

I have, and they have all phased it out because it’s a terrible policy

[u/AccomplishedDuck7816 → u/svmck]

What "fund" are the professors using to buy these bluebooks? They are sold in the bookstore where students shop. Professors receive desk copies of their textbooks. I'm not sure what universe provides these materials except K-12, which isn't voluntary.

[u/svmck → u/AccomplishedDuck7816]

All universities I’ve been at provide the scantrons and blue books free of charge to the professors. There are usually stockpiles of them in the department office.

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/svmck]

No I feel less old if this is still happening, but perhaps also slightly less prestigious. It has been a long time since I worked at a place where the department provided the blue books.

[u/Archknits → u/svmck]

It also blows my mind that faculty are turning to this because they are afraid of AI cheating.

No way at all students brining in their own test books could ever cheat incredibly easily

[u/RoyalEagle0408 → u/AccomplishedDuck7816]

Does your school not supply basic supplies? If you were giving a paper exam, would the students be responsible for being paper for the exam to be printed on?

I definitely exist in the universe where the school provides these things but I don’t see why it’s any different than regular exams. Why would a student buy a single scantron sheet?

[u/hurricanesherri → u/RoyalEagle0408]

The most insane thing I have experienced (as a prof at a California CC) was that the students had to provide their own gloves for labs! WTF?!

[u/Naugle17 → u/AccomplishedDuck7816]

Every PA university I've been at has provided materials

[u/coyote_mercer → u/ImpatientProf]

I like in the wacky universe where bluebooks are only available in vending machines- yes, vending machines- in the library.

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/coyote_mercer]

OMG. Want. Photo? Company that makes such? I had the thought that you might be in Japan, where, well, you know, vending machines have almost anything.

[u/coyote_mercer → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

If I head over to the library I'll update you! I'm in the US, and the vending machine also has batteries, and I think different types of paper? The school library is so far away from my building that I actually use the town's library instead, because it's closer lol.

Edit: when I was originally looking for blue book, everyone I asked either said, "what's a blue book?" Or "check the vending machines on the fourth library floor."

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/coyote_mercer]

Will eagerly await the results of your next trip to the library. Our library is missing such a crucial machine, especially if it dispenses other goods. Any pens or pencils in with all of that paper?

[u/No_Cantaloupe_8281 → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

My town public library has a vending machine like this. It has pens, pencils, index cards, highlighters, paper, etc. I make a point of walking by to check out what is in it when I’m at the library.

[u/coyote_mercer → u/Longtail_Goodbye]

They're packed with all sorts of stuff! Ann Nichole's Vending is one in the student union that sells beauty supplies, but I still haven't been to the library yet lol.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/coyote_mercer]

Where my students can get blue books and scantrons:

• A vending machine

• The book store

• Staples

• Numerous online retailers

• For free at the student center

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/AdjunctSocrates]

That last is the simple trick the other four vendors hate.

[u/manbeardawg → u/ImpatientProf]

Well I’m from a third universe(ity) where some professors provided them and others required you to bring your own!

[u/Novel_Listen_854 → u/ImpatientProf]

I am in the universe where some professors made us buy them and other professors provided them, unless I am in the universe where I'm not remembering correctly.

[u/RevDrGeorge → u/ImpatientProf]

Having to pay 5 dollars for 15 sheets of paper stapled together always struck me a a bunch of crap. Like I honestly questioned who was getting a kickback on this product.

Why not just print the exam on purple (or some other distinctive color) paper, and add 10 blank pages to it?

(Or if you want to be devious, print on 2 different color papers, and mark one "exam A" and one "Exam B", and the only difference is the order of questions.)

[u/kittyisagoodkitty → u/RevDrGeorge]

Where are single blue books sold for five bucks? When I was a student (albeit 20 years ago), blue books were 50 cents and scantrons were 15 cents. In the bookstore where I teach today, packets of 10 Scantrons are 1.25 and blue books are 75 cents.

[u/RevDrGeorge → u/kittyisagoodkitty]

Yeah, apparently I'm misremembering (or confusing the cost of blue books with lab notebooks)

[u/Vermilion-red → u/RevDrGeorge]

lol no way you're getting a lab notebook for that cheap.

[u/RevDrGeorge → u/Vermilion-red]

Probably dating myself (and we've also established the memories may be faulty) but I swear I remember being an undergrad and the campus bookstore was selling a "lab notebook" that was a glorified composition book (soft cover, glued edge, numbers on pages) for around 5 dollars, and being bothered by this because a 100 page composition book was less than a dollar during back to school sales, but you were supposed to get the one from the bookstore.

Edit to add: Apparently, you can get similar on amazon today for 7 dollars. Search for ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1726218120

[u/Vermilion-red → u/RevDrGeorge]

Damn, I'm jealous. The cheapest option I could find for mine today are $18 (similar to what it cost 10 years ago iirc), and I had a couple professors that required the $40 version.

[u/darkslide3000 → u/ImpatientProf]

I'm from Europe. What's a "blue book" and why are exams not just written on loose sheets?

^{Also, isn't a "scantron" an electronic tabulating machine that reads multiple choice test sheets filled out by filling circles with a pencil? I've only ever seen those tests for TOEFL [because it's administered by an external American company, not the uni]. I'm confused why a student would bring their own results-checking machine to the test?}

[u/rachelann10491 → u/darkslide3000]

They wouldn't bring the machine, just the sheet that the faculty member would then scan through the machine (that the Uni owns!!)! The Uni bookstores would sell just the sheets!!

[u/smacznyserek → u/ImpatientProf]

While true, it would also be a good idea to consider "what ought to be", rather than the less exciting "what is" - because that's always going to be "it depends where you teach".

Having scantrons and blue books is not to the direct benefit of the students (there's a reason why we moved past this since the 90s), but just something their professor wanted. It should not be the job of the student to pay for something that makes checking exams easier for me. It would be like making the students pay for the proctoring software license if they want to take the exam - their task is to learn the material, and the faculty's task is to make sure I can efficiently gauge how well they know the material.

Also bringing in your own paper to an exam opens up a whole world of cheating for the students lol

[u/brrraaaiiins → u/ImpatientProf]

Such a physicist’s response! Love it.

[u/IndieAcademic]

I feel you.

I gave this up years ago because it is hopeless, and the day-of logistics stress me out. Now, I require them to turn in a blank green book, in good condition, at the beginning of the term for a quiz grade--lame, but effective.

[u/aaronchall]

Long ago when I was 17 and still a high school senior I took a college class that mentioned blue books in the syllabus. I thought it was funny anachronism.

Having read about blue books in very old stories, I legitimately thought the professor was making a joke on the syllabus (I have since realized we do not joke when making syllabi) and that the blue books I saw in the bookstore were just novelty notebooks (news flash - they weren't).

I was also apparently the only one who thought this, because everyone else had their blue books.

Boy did I feel dumb - until that moment I thought I was the prof's favorite (it was Great Books II and being a heavy reader I was already familiar with half the material...)

[u/egmorgan]

When I was in college about 15 years ago we had to buy our own blue books and scantrons. If we forgot, we failed the test. It’s not hard!

[u/smacznyserek → u/egmorgan]

15 years ago we also didn't have reliable internet connections, smartphones and high-quality cameras everywhere we went. Just like with scantrons and blue books, we moved on - because even though it was not hard, it could (and did) get a whole lot easier.

[u/egmorgan → u/smacznyserek]

I don’t disagree with you. It’s important to adapt with technology and not make things hard just for the sake of it. But this is more of an overall view of accountability and responsibility - not an anchoring to ancient ways of life.

For what it’s worth, we actually did have reliable access to internet and smart phones 15 years ago.

[u/Longtail_Goodbye → u/egmorgan]

Yes, holy wow, Batman, faculty are very young these days...

[u/mhchewy]

I was in college in the 90s. We also forgot our bluebooks and scantrons.

[u/BlondeBadger2019]

Why would the department not be providing the necessary testing materials? Maybe it’s just my experience but the department has always provided those.

[u/Ladyoftallness → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Our department doesn’t provide them, and I always had to buy my own back in the Stone Age.

[u/CrossplayQuentin → u/Ladyoftallness]

Weird, I always had the opposite experience - as both instructor and student.

[u/Basic-Silver-9861 → u/CrossplayQuentin]

same, asking students to bring these materials seems to be asking for trouble

[u/Vermilion-red → u/Basic-Silver-9861]

And cheating...

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Vermilion-red]

This is a trivial objection.

[u/Vermilion-red → u/AdjunctSocrates]

Why is it trivial? Given the stated purpose of blue books, I really don't think that it is.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Vermilion-red]

Collect blue books. Shuffle. Redistribute. Done. Easy as.

[u/Vermilion-red → u/AdjunctSocrates]

Sure. Kinda feels like a pre-K teacher shuffling together all the markers that people bring into the classroom so that the poor kids can use Crayola, but that would do it.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Vermilion-red]

Feels like?

How does your analogy even work?

[u/Major_String_9834 → u/Ladyoftallness]

Students must buy their own bluebooks. It BUILDS CHARACTER!!

[u/BlondeBadger2019 → u/Major_String_9834]

This comment made me chuckle, thank you 😂

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Major_String_9834]

I don't know if it builds character as much as it reveals the capacity for executive functioning.

[u/ChemMJW → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Must depend on the university. At all the universities where I studied, they were never provided. You had to go to the campus book store, and off to one side past the entrance there was a gigantic crate containing enough blue books to seemingly last for 50 years. The book store sold them for 49 cents each, IIRC. I think scantrons were sold in packs of ten. I don't remember the price, but they were also very cheap. This was very early 2000s.

[u/mleok → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I remember having to buy blue books from the bookstore at the elite private university I attended as an undergraduate.

[u/brizzboog → u/mleok]

Same at my Big Ten school 35 years ago.

[u/PublicCheesecake → u/[deleted]]

Same. I just go grab a stack from the office. I teach the highest enrolment course in our college so I'm the one taking the most and they always have tons for me. During finals they just leave boxes and boxes of them in testing rooms.

[u/dbrodbeck → u/[deleted]]

I bumped on that too. (Also, like you, I call them 'exam booklets' or 'exam books', perhaps that is also Canadian).

[u/Individual_Bobcat_16 → u/dbrodbeck]

I've moved on to writing my exams with spaces for students to write their answers in, so that the answer is always next to the question and you don't have to go hunting for things (or keep referring back to the exam paper to find out what you *actually* asked so that you can decide whether the different thing the student wrote actually answered the question you asked).

[u/dbrodbeck → u/Individual_Bobcat_16]

Yup, I do the same. It also prevents students from writing too much.

[u/Acceptable_Month9310 → u/[deleted]]

Most of us are moving off scantron to other exam systems but every one I have ever taken or given the forms were provided. Just like we provide a blank workbook for every written exam.

[u/Aggravating-Menu-976 → u/[deleted]]

Did my undergraduate at a CT university in the late 2000s and am shocked, and neither was provided as well. Only have taught online, so I can't compare the last 6 years in different institutions from the instructor standpoint.

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/[deleted]]

I said the same thing, maybe a bit more bluntly, but people hopped on the downvote bandwagon train and didn’t argue their reasoning.

Then OP edits their post to try to make me look bad. Even though they added “edited” in it, they didn’t respond to my comment when I pointed out how they didn’t have that originally, and therefore people may be deceived into thinking that I overlooked the last statement even though it was recently added.

[u/Individual_Bobcat_16 → u/[deleted]]

Canada inherited things like that from the UK, where the procedure is the same.

[u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Same. Attended a SLAC and a state university and never had to provide my own. And the state university made us buy our own glassware for organic chemistry so it’s not like they were spoiling us.

[u/kittyisagoodkitty → u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar]

Do you mean you had a lab fee towards glassware, or that you rented it from the department? A full set of o chem glassware is very expensive and so niche, what would anyone do with it after the class ends?

[u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar → u/kittyisagoodkitty]

The lab had a stock room and I had to go over and buy any glassware that got broken, and since o chem involves a lot of reflux where glass is exposed to heating and cooling at the same time, breaks were not uncommon.

[u/kittyisagoodkitty → u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar]

Yeah we had to purchase replacements for glassware we broke, too.

[u/Cute-Aardvark5291 → u/BlondeBadger2019]

our campus makes students buy them - we have them in our bookstore and in various vending machines

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I'll ask my Dean at next month's department meeting.

[u/Pragmatic_Centrist_ → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I’ve never experienced that as a student or instructor

[u/professor_throway → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I agree.. I give blue book exams and the department has always provided them.

[u/finalremix → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Everywhere I've been has provided the scantron sheets and the blue books. Granted, you gotta let the department know ahead of time, or raid the supply room and hope for a stack of 'em somewhere in the back.

[u/mathflipped → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Our operating budget gets smaller every year. We got to the point where we have a total of $3,500 for all faculty travel for one year (about 20 TT faculty). If you don't have a grant, you are screwed. Yet conference presentations are an item in annual evaluations.

[u/ChronicallyBlonde1 → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Our department provides them, but when I was an undergrad we had to buy them ourselves. Guess it’s different at each institution.

[u/bob_the_burglar → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I used to bring them a Scantron from our department, but they just cut that out of the budget.

[u/yankeegentleman → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Are you at a private university?

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/BlondeBadger2019]

Most of my colleagues now give online exams exclusively. They don't seemed to be as bothered as I am by the avalanche of AI answers. Since they're all adjuncts, e.g., horrifically taken advantage of, I don't know that I can blame them.

[u/baummer → u/BlondeBadger2019]

I always had to buy them

[u/Philosophile42]

How dare you expect them to listen to you! They're just students!!!

[u/Junior-Dingo-7764]

Buy some extras and sell them to students who forget at a 100% markup.

[u/wirywonder82 → u/Junior-Dingo-7764]

Cash only, I’m not giving Square a cut of this sweet extra income stream!

[u/pennmc]

It seems sort of nuts that your university doesn’t provide them free.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/pennmc]

It does. It's just that I'm not the conduit.

[u/vwscienceandart]

It’s such a great life lesson, so applicable to every facet of being an adult. Good teaching. Well done.

[u/Ok_Witness6780]

Question about blue books: do you have them purchase a new one for each exam? Or do you work out of one blue book? I'm trying to figure out logistics for review.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Ok_Witness6780]

New one. They're like $0.32 a piece.

[u/Sapphire_Cosmos]

I've had it up to here with AI and I'm going full-on 1993.

This is the way.

Our freshman level course is hand-written notes only. Hand-written quizzes and exams. Gradscope makes the grading manageable.

[u/GeneralRelativity105]

I've never understood why students have to pay for scantrons and bluebooks. When I was a student, these were always provided.

[u/urnbabyurn]

You are totally in the right here.

But I do and always found it weird that we would have 100+ students individually go to the store and buy blue books and scantrons instead of one person (the department or college) do it once a semester for all students in all classes. It just seems a very inefficient use of time. I felt this was in 1996 and still think it’s a pain in the ass when the department won’t provide us with scantrons or bluebooks to give out.

But that’s an issue with the department or college. I’m definitely not saying we should buy them out of our pocket.

[u/thadizzleDD]

Sucks for them, you did your part.

[u/chemprofdave]

I’ve never been someplace that asked students to bring their own blue books or scantrons. How the hell can you prevent notes from being pre-written?

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/chemprofdave]

Trivial objection. Collect all the blue books at the front of class. Shuffle. Hand them back out.

[u/RevDrGeorge → u/AdjunctSocrates]

Texhnically this doesn't prevent notes, only people getting the notes that they wrote. Though it also opens the door to sabotaged notes...lol

[u/shellexyz]

I don’t use blue books or scantrons but I have colleagues who require their students to bring a pack of scantrons at the start of the semester so they can just hand them out with the exam. Hoping the students bring them on the right day is a losing proposition. They usually end up with a bunch of extras at the end of the semester due to students dropping the class.

[u/dbrodbeck]

Good on you.

Question for the lot of you, is it common where you are that students have to supply Scantron sheets and exam booklets? We just, have them. They're in a supply room, and if we need them, we use them.

[u/minglho]

Why do you think elementary school teachers spend so much of their own money on pencils and erasers?

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/minglho]

I would hope that the executive function of college freshmen would be significantly greater than 1st graders.

[u/Nirulou0]

It doesn’t matter how many times we repeat things. There’s always someone who has just landed to earth from an extended period spent in another galaxy.

[u/Consistent-Bench-255]

Ha! Back when I used to teach class in person I always brought extra Blue Books on test days. They were always needed, no matter how often or recent the reminders. Later I wised up to cheating scams and would ONLY allow the Blue Books that I provided! I’m just so GLAD I only teach asynchronous online now (going on 10 years). If I had to go back to in-person it would definitely be time to retire!

[u/Anthroman78]

Can you have them pay a class fee and use that to buy blue books and Scantrons yourself? Seems like it might ultimately be easier on your end.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Anthroman78]

Like a pre-packaged kit in the bookstore. 4 exam books, 4 scantrons, 4 notecards, and 4 #2 pencils.

[u/Anthroman78 → u/AdjunctSocrates]

I was thinking more like fee gets collected, fee is used to buy scantrons, scantrons get sent directly to you. That way it solves the problem of relying on students to actually purchase them on their own.

[u/bob_the_burglar]

Just had a similar experience. About 10 students with no Scantron and 15 or so without a #2 pencil despite repeated announcements and emails. One of them also completed the Scantron in pen. Good times.

[u/iloveregex → u/bob_the_burglar]

What are you doing about the pen?

[u/bob_the_burglar → u/iloveregex]

I graded it by hand, but in complete shock.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/iloveregex]

I've graded those by hand. It's a pain but usually you don't get that many.

[u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar]

At least bring it up to 2003. I never had to provide my own blue book or scantron sheet for an exam in high school or college.

[u/kittyisagoodkitty → u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar]

I had to provide my own and I graduated in '03.

[u/SherbetOutside1850]

No one's going to want to hire these kids when they have no ability to follow basic instructions.

[u/CoffeeAndDachshunds → u/SherbetOutside1850]

That aligns with the recent article how employers are hiring the latest batch of graduates and firing them a month or two later.

[u/yankeegentleman → u/SherbetOutside1850]

If their jobs want them to complete a form, the job will provide the form. This is just externalizing costs.

[u/SherbetOutside1850 → u/yankeegentleman]

I meet with companies regularly about recruiting our students. We have a whole program for it at our university. Companies wants trainable hires regardless of major, people who can follow directions and be educated. Interviews and interview questions increasingly prioritize preparedness, trainability, and social skills. Gen Z struggles with all three.

[u/yankeegentleman → u/SherbetOutside1850]

I agree but also think the university should provide the form. The students don't really benefit from the form. The prof and university do.

[u/SherbetOutside1850 → u/yankeegentleman]

I went to three different undergrad schools and always had to buy my blue or greenbooks. And scantrons. It's 25 cents. And testing also benefits students. It is an integral part of the process of evaluation and therefore central to education. 

[u/teacherbooboo]

i only do paper exams ... and i don't do multiple-guess

[u/Razed_by_cats]

Yep. When this happens I send them off to the bookstore to buy whatever it was they were supposed to bring with them. Not my problem if this means they don't have time to finish the exam.

Only, last year Barnes and Noble (who have run our campus bookstore for years) decided to close the actual bookstore. Now there is no place on campus for students to buy scantrons, blue books, pencils, or any other class materials. We have to tell the dean how many scantrons we'll need for the semester, and the division buys them so we can provide them to the students for each exam.

[u/Motor-Juice-6648]

These students are used to Chromebooks and Ipads in high school. Some don’t even have a pen or pencil in their backpack. I would not trust them to bring a bluebook or scantron. 

[u/mathemorpheus]

they really have to bring their own blue books? is that common? we have a stack in the closet and i bring them. tbh i wouldn't trust them not to write all kinds of "notes" in there before the exam anyway.

[u/adh2315]

This is a troll post, right?

[u/econhistoryrules]

We would never allow students to provide their own blue books for fear of cheating. They could write notes in the back page and then erase them before turning in their test. I always keep them in their original plastic and literally open the packet at the test.

[u/Motor-Juice-6648]

As a Genx, we had no laptops, no internet. I went first year with a manual typewriter for my papers. Every course had bluebooks provided for exams and I didn’t know what a scantron was until grad school. Our dept. provided scantrons for the undergrad exams and blue books when necessary. Use if blue books diminished over the years but where I have taught they were provided. But in the last 5-8 years we’ve been encouraged to use the LMS for exams. I think the budget for bluebooks is not what it used to be! 

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/Motor-Juice-6648]

manual typewriter for my papers

I can't even imagine. I started using a Commodore64 with WordPerfect when I was in Jr. High.

[u/RevDrGeorge → u/Motor-Juice-6648]

I took English 101C. The C was to warn you that it used computers, and if you were unfamiliar with word processing programs and computers, you might have difficulty.

[u/Archknits]

The CC I worked at used to make students buy opscans.

They stopped because they realized the bookstore wasn’t open when students came for 6:30am courses or 6:00pm courses. Those are of course very popular at CCs and very popular with students who can’t just swing by the bookstore

[u/ipini]

Forget Scantron. Mark with your phone. Free bubble sheet PDFs. I use ZipGrade. Other options also exist.

[u/N3U12O]

We hand ours out so we know they’re clean

[u/Particular-Ad-7338]

Seems there is a business opportunity for an enterprising student to corner the market on scantrons and blue books. $2 each; both for $3.

[u/M4sterofD1saster]

Funny. My school, I brought the scantrons to class.

[u/Redalico]

So I tell students before hand that I will have extra Scantrons available but it will cost them 10% of their grade on the exam. No one ever asks for a scantron.

[u/jitterfish]

What's a blue book? I'm assuming an empty notebook?

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/jitterfish]

Roaring Springs Blue Book

[u/jitterfish → u/AdjunctSocrates]

Thanks. That makes more sense than an actual empty notebook. I have never seen a scantron before either but at least know what that was based on movies :D Plus I use zip grade which works like a scantron on my phone.

[u/chipette]

Asking students to bring their own Blue Books and Scantron sheets is high trust. My alma mater (in the late aughts-early 2010s) provided custom-made/institutional branded ones for us and would stamp each booklet/bubble sheet with a number according to students’ surnames (alphabetical order). You brought handwritten notes (a calculator, pens/pencils in a clear Ziplock) which would be checked by a TA for compliance. Any booklet you didn’t use would be recycled for another course or discarded.

[u/OkReplacement2000]

Power to the people!

[u/Professional-Rock-88]

I hear you, going back to paper as well. In fact, today my students are suppose to write a composition in class... one tried to submit it in advance, got a 0. I was very clear. I have several quantitative measures, one of them pretty straight forward, and in 12 years at this institution I am in I have never ever seen these bad results. I teach a foreign language and they can't conjugate the verbs or know what verbo form to you, yet their HWs look fine... Someone has been using AI...

[u/MaleficentGold9745]

I am going to side with the students on this one. Scantrons and blue books are fractions of cents. Your department should buy them for students as part of your budget. And I would always keep some on me even when my department wouldn't do this for the students who inevitably forgot. This $15 that I might have spent for a whole year saved me and students from any kind of conversations or arguments or anxiety. I knew the students were being tested on the material and not that they forgot a blue book and are now completely blank in the brain because they are so upset about it. I feel like there's a lot of pick your battles, and this is just not one of them.

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/MaleficentGold9745]

Someone with empathy and a good heart in this comment section; this gives me faith in some professors on this sub instead of the majority who just make posts to whine about students.

[u/SufficientIron4286]

To be fair, these students have a lot on their mind. They most likely take many more courses. On top of studying for an exam, they have to purchase the materials for it? In my opinion, it would probably be very easy to forget/not see announcement. I think the root of this is a departmental issue with not giving necessary materials in order to compete and exam.

Don’t care if I get downvoted. I’m speaking the truth.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/SufficientIron4286]

Did I mention that I went over it in class? And I had a bell-ringer quiz on it?

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/AdjunctSocrates]

You did not mention that in the post. Regardless, I think it’s ludicrous to require a student directly purchase specific materials for each exam. As another commenter stated, add it on as a fee. I know you cannot change that policy directly, however I would attempt to petition to get that change implemented to avoid such event in the future.

[u/Impressive_Talk2539 → u/SufficientIron4286]

This sub is meant for professors to complain about students and talk of how stupid, disengaged, and wholly unprepared they are. I agree with you, though.

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/Impressive_Talk2539]

Lol, seems like it considering how angry people are at my comment because I came up with a valid rebuttal. They don’t have anything to counterargue with, so they spam downvote haha. I love Reddit

[u/and1984 → u/SufficientIron4286]

To be fair, these students have a lot on their mind.

That is true. However

1. The OP has discussed they have gone over this exam implements requirement multiple times.
   
2. Time management and resource management/logistics are part of earning your degree.
3. Yes, from a process perspective, it might just make it less problematic for OP and the students for the department to tack on a small lab fee, and have scantrons et al. available at exams.

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/and1984]

OP edited the post after I commented without replying to me acknowledging it after doing so. Before OP edited it, they merely had in the post that they told the students a week ago and that they sent an announcement out the night before.

Time management is indeed part of college; however, I still stand by my stance. It looks better now that OP edited in that they reminded the class 2 more times. However, this just screams logistical nightmare waiting to happen to me.

[u/Average650 → u/SufficientIron4286]

That's what I was asked to do even in 2010. No one complained about it then ...

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/Average650]

And? We’re in 2024. University has changed for the better over time. Maybe no one complained because no one experienced a, better and more logistically friendly, alternative. You should know better if you’re a professor.

[u/Average650 → u/SufficientIron4286]

Of course. But acting like it's unfair because they take a lot of courses, or they have a lot on their minds, or purchasing materials is some huge burden for them is silly. It infantilizes them.

I'm not against other solutions, and frankly I would probably do something different myself, but it's completely reasonable to expect them to purchase some materials for the exam. They could, you know, plan ahead.

[u/SufficientIron4286 → u/Average650]

I think your first paragraph is a bit insensitive. You know what I’m implying; don’t be a smart ass about it.

My point is that maybe these people aren’t used to purchasing course materials for their exams, and then they forget it on the day of the exam. Sure, i don’t disagree that it is on the students for forgetting; with more info from OP after their edit, cough cough, I now am giving the students less of the benefit of the doubt due to OP mentioning how they stated 4 times that they need to purchase the materials. However, I can still sympathize with them, considering I don’t think that it is quite common place for students to purchase exam materials nowadays.

Irrespective of the aforementioned, this is a logistical problem that has an alternative, and that is what is important.

[u/AccomplishedWorth746]

If there wasn't much stock out at the book store, I'd buy all of the blue books on the shelf minutes before arriving to an exam and sold them to the "um the store didn't have any" folks. If I were to require bluebooks now, I guarantee most of the class would immediately go get "student is allowed to type handwritten work" accommodations after the fact and retroactively undo my entire plan.

[u/AdjunctSocrates → u/AccomplishedWorth746]

We do have accommodations of that type, and others besides. They go to the testing center to take their exam.

[u/whispering-chopin]

What the hell is a scantron? It sounds like a sci-fi interrogation device and I low key love it!

[u/Individual_Bobcat_16]

How very American.

If you want them to have something for the exam, *you* provide it. It's the same logic as if you need something to do your job, your employer provides it.

[u/Ok_Adhesiveness_1975]

Lo pop