queenleblanc

It is best to get your observation hours across different settings and disorders. I did my min. 25 hours, spent 2 days at a SNF, 1 day at a hospital and outpatient rehab, and also went to a developmental disabilities center. I also observed an audiologist for half of a day as well. Do: Make sure the SLP or AuD is CCC-SLP or CCC-A if you want the hours to count for the 25 minimum required for ASHA-accredited grad schools Send thank you cards to those who allow you to shadow / observe (not just an email) Ask a lot of questions in the various settings you see to get a better idea of where you might want to have your graduate school externships and/or CFY Don't: Don't be afraid to interact with a patient if the SLP asks you or gives you an opportunity (I played some memory games with the cognitive patients at the SNF and helped the SLP when she asked me for her dysphagia patients at meals) Don't forget that you need to see at least SOME diagnostic hours for your 25 hours of observation - especially if you have no idea about how a dx session works (I forgot to do this and was told by one of the SLPs to come observe a dx session the next day so I had a well-rounded experience) Don't forget to document -- most grad programs have a form you can use to document your hours and get signatures. There is nothing worse than having done the time but not having the paperwork to back it up. Hope that helps!

These are the sections I put on my admissions CV. Name/Demographics Objective Education ASHA Pre-Reqs and SLP Leveling Coursework (I was an out-of-field applicant) Employment History Other Experience Licenses and Certifications Honors and Awards Professional Affiliations Undergraduate / Graduate Campus Involvement If you need just a 1 to 2 page resume, you may want to condense the sections a bit. I found a template searching online somewhere that showed the coursework on the first page of the CV, and since this "resume" was for admissions to a grad program, I made it totally relevant for that. For example, my objective line stated something like "To be in the Fall 2013 cohort for the MS in Speech-Language Pathology, to participate in active research opportunities, and to learn from the many expert faculty members for working in a speech and hearing center, rehabilitation center and public school." Just a thought. Feel free to make your CV or admissions resume reflect YOU - that's what they're looking for.

I worked full-time (teaching) taking pre-reqs, so what I did was 3 courses during the summer, 1 course in the fall, 1 course in the spring, and the final 3 courses the summer before my master's program began. It worked out. I don't know if I could have done 2 courses during the fall or 2 courses during the spring like some others have, but my job was extremely demanding and I didn't even have a planning period. I'm fairly good at time management and organization, too, so it is all about knowing yourself and what you can handle.

Hi Hopefulgrad, I am currently in a master's program for SLP and I used to have a different career, took pre-reqs online while I worked, and started full-time on campus last Fall. It can be done! I did pre-reqs with Longwood University (in Virginia) online and 1 additional class with Utah State (also online). Just check into what pre-req courses the schools you want to apply to will require. I had to take a Bio class since I didn't have one in my previous degree, so double check that you have all of the ASHA general ed requirements too (chemistry or physics, biology or normal anatomy and physiology, statistics, and social sciences or psychology). Best of luck to you!

So... here's my list of "I wish I knew" (back when). I wish I knew how much I would grow to dislike my first career choice. I wish I knew that SLP existed, and that it is more than just teaching kids how to say their R's and L's. I wish I knew that I could help people with voice disorders when I was teaching middle school chorus and elementary music. I wish I knew how much I would like the medical side of SLP ... especially voice and swallowing. I wish I knew that SLP is so much more than speech and language. I don't regret my first career and I will always treasure those experiences and moments... but I could be SO much farther along. Heck. I could have my PhD by now.

My grad program doesn't accept students who got a C or below in the pre-req SLP courses, and I know they are not the only ones like that. I'd see if you can re-take the A&P for SLH class online somewhere like USU or other online pre-req programs. Your overall GPA will probably be just fine, but check to see if you have to have a B or better in all of your speech undergrad classes. As far as I know, a C or better in the general pre-reqs (sciences, math, etc.) is fine. If the anatomy class you're talking about is general (and not the SLH anatomy & physiology), I concur with the others on here - you'll probably be fine, but the grade in Anatomy II as an A would definitely boost your application, if you have the room to add another class in next semester.

I applied to one school that required an undergrad level Stats course - even though I had credit-by-AP-exam for Stats ... by the SAME university where I got my undergrad and prior master's in teaching... and where I was applying for SLP school. Long story short, I had every other pre-req and they claimed that I didn't have an ASHA-acceptable stats pre-req and it didn't take long to send a rejection letter. You may just want to contact the grad programs where you are applying if the general ed pre-reqs are not yet completed. Some will actually tell you that for your sciences, you have to have bio and physics, bio and chemistry, or bio (or) anatomy and chemistry (or physics) with no flexibility on the other sciences courses that ASHA actually DOES accept (I have a random weather and climate course that counts, too!). ASHA will tell you that it is up to each grad program. They supply their list of requirements and the grad programs (in some cases) do their own interpreting. I didn't have to retake stats at ANY other programs where I applied and my grad program now is perfectly happy with my AP credit for Stats. I took bio at a community college (online) during the first summer of my leveling courses since I had to have it for my A&P speech pre-req class. If I had to choose between lumping in a general ed pre-req on top of the grad program, OR taking it the summer prior, I would definitely choose summer prior. If you are applying at a grad program that is a 3-year (1 year pre-req plus conditional acceptance to the 2-year MS program), you may want to hold off until the pre-req year if that institution is okay with you taking the science course(s) later. I hope my experience helps someone! Getting a rejection because of ONE pre-req class... a general ed pre-req at that... was heartbreaking.

Hey, IvanBezdomnii, I got my BM and MAT at UNC. I am now in a MS -SLP program elsewhere. I got mostly H and some P grades during my MAT program. Yes it is unorthodox, and YES I got questions about my grades from one of the schools where I applied and at that point had only submitted "unofficial" transcript data. Univ. of South Carolina had never seen an application from a previous grad from UNC (oddly enough). She had just received the official transcript and emailed me. Basically, I would suggest the following after my experience with this school that was tops of my list: 1) Have at least one of your LOR writers be someone from that program who can qualitatively discuss your work as a graduate student. 2) Have at least someone who gives ABC grades (say, some close prof from undergrad) give you a LOR that shows that your high work ethic was the factor behind your receiving an A or high honors, etc. 3) Be prepared to field questions from admissions secretaries who are trying to get the info all together for the adcomms. I sent mine a picture of the box on the back of the transcript as well as a link to the specific section in the graduate school handbook where this is discussed. I had some profs in the UNC School of Education who did not give out any H's except one. I also had some profs who gave out H's to all who went at least one step beyond the minimum on all assignments (which was pretty much everybody in my cohort that year). I have grad professors in my current program that are telling me that "Grades don't matter in graduate school. B's get degrees." In all seriousness, you do have to work your butt off to even get a B. I'm actually VERY supportive of the H - P - L system that UNC uses after the fact. It makes total sense because I am in a grad program that grades A-B-C now, and the grades are not informative in the least. There are people who could cram for the tests, get their desired A, but not carry the information forward into other classes, at least theoretically. The more traditional system of grading doesn't really do anything for the graduate level. Either you know your stuff, or you don't. You get kicked out if you don't, which is typically represented by a C. I will say this... my undergrad GPA wasn't as high as some because my degree was 7 (almost 8) years ago. A 3.26 in a music performance degree is actually pretty great. The music performance professors don't give A's, and the more educational / music history / music theory professors very rarely give A's. If the GPA from undergrad had been higher, my grades from my MAT program perhaps wouldn't have been relevant, but I needed that to beef up my application with the adcomms, so I was prepared to put that experience in the best light possible. I should have gotten one of my profs to write one of my LOR's from that program but I only needed 3 letters, and 2 had to be from my speech-path pre-requisite courses. Plus, it had been 7 years since I finished the MAT program, and each year it is less and less likely they could write a LOR that would be as convincing as I would want. So... I was in a unique situation. You may be able to benefit from my experience since your degrees are likely closer together than 7 years apart like mine. I hope my experience in this issue helps! Best of luck to you.

I have seen "personal statement" at the top on some sample SOP's I looked at during this process last year. There was so little space to write what I wanted to write that I didn't waste a line on the title, much less any brain power on a specialized title. I felt like the stuff I did put (address, intended audience, etc.) was important though, so I guess it is all about your preference. It is YOUR application and ultimately YOUR personal statement / letter of intent, so don't let the boyfriend pressure you into putting something in there that you don't want.

I did my LOI's more of a letter style at the top with essay style body. In the header space, I had a running head of my name, the degree for which I was applying, and the school name. Then down below (in smaller font), I had a left side address section of the "ATTN" part of what would go on a letter -- ATTN: Admissions Committee, University name, College name, Department Name (4 lines). Over on the right side, I had the actual address that all application materials were to be delivered to since it wasn't going to be mailed. I did this to make sure that all parts of my application reached the correct people, even if somehow they became dissociated with my actual file on the graduate school's end of things. The body of the document was essay-style with personal pronouns where they were appropriate. Doing my LOI or SOP this way made it much easier to keep track of which school I was writing for. Additionally, the running head ensures that your application *probably* won't have difficulties with whomever is processing them on the other end, so all pages of your SOP or LOI get placed with the correct printed file. Make their job easier if you can, so they don't write back (after the admissions deadline of course) that your SOP seemed incomplete because it is missing the 2nd page. I didn't apply to any CSDCAS schools, though, so I guess the individualized "school" information and addresses may or may not apply if you don't upload separate letters. Having the running head with your name and any other identifying information you feel comfortable including does help no matter if the SOP is one single, or multiple. The best tip I ever heard for electronic application submission is to upload PDF's. Then you don't run the risk of them downloading a .doc letter that messes up the formatting in some way, making your letter 3 pages instead of 2, or 2 pages instead of 1. Hope that helps!

gradstudent23, if you are on facebook, look for the facebook group SLPeeps. There are LOTS of professional CCC-SLP's in that group who are glad to help answer questions like yours. I'm in my first year of grad school, and many others here are just in school or are currently applying. Best of luck to you!

Congrats FLgirl! I know that must feel like a huge weight off your shoulders! Best of luck to you as you prep for your first semester of grad school!!

Drug testing in itself should NOT be your worry. If you're asking about what kind of work or internship sites require drug testing to be eligible to even walk in the building as a graduate student, here is what I know. There is a local hospital that my grad program services for adolescents with language problems (and usually other behavior, ODD, etc. problems). They require a background check, drug screen, and all immunizations that a hospital site would require. Also, a hospital and clinical (combo) site where I am hoping to get my full-time internship requires all of the immunizations including varicella (chicken pox) or lab results showing immunity, Hep B, meningitis, updated flu shot, TB testing, MMR, DPT, etc. Most of these immunizations (if you were born in the US), you will have except for flu vaccine and Hep B vaccine. I have to get lab results for chicken pox because I didn't get a vaccine - I had Chicken Pox as a child. I also have to get a FBI background check and go through basic drug screening. I don't know if that answers your question, but if you are concerned about drug screening, consider why you are concerned. Is it the 'at your own cost' part that worries you? Or is it the fact that you participate in recreational use of illicit drugs? If that is the case... please consider why you are wanting to pursue further education in an allied health profession, and that you have an immense role in changing people's lives. No amount of drug use is acceptable on the job, and since we are graduate student clinicians from day 1 in most grad programs, no amount of drug use is acceptable in your clinical practicum. Just a thought. Don't want to make assumptions, so I kind of hope it's the cost bit, or that you just wanted to know what sites require it... hopefully. Best of luck to you.

I took most of my pre-reqs at Longwood. I did neuro last summer (2013). It is a very difficult course but I came out of the class with TONS of self-made resources that I'm constantly referring to in graduate school now. I'm almost finished with my first semester. Definitely stay on the ball and follow the syllabus with that class. Dr. McGuire is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help you understand the requirements when you contact him. It is a module-based class, and each module has a set amount of work that you can know well ahead of time. The summer timeline was 11 days per module, which was tight for all we had to learn, but I think the intensive time forced me to focus better. I ended up taking aural rehab with my current grad school because I don't think Longwood offered it at the time. I've heard good things about ENMU but hopefully someone who took classes there can comment. I have heard that they don't charge out-of-state rates for tuition at ENMU. Longwood in VA charged me out-of-state rates, but I feel SO well prepared for graduate school that it is totally and completely worth the extra cost -- smaller classes, more attentive professors, and a smaller pre-req program. That makes a difference in my book! Good luck!

If you are going to include transcripts, I would suggest using unofficial (usually free) ones. I sent mine my unofficial transcript, resume, and a letter summarizing what I would put in a letter of interest to an employer highlighting my strengths and my desires for SLP school. I also included info about where to upload (if the app system didn't automatically send them an email), or mail the LOR for each application. I ended up with 7 applications (originally 9 schools but I left off the last 2). I was able to do all of this with my LOR writers over email ... so I would suggest NOT over-thinking it in making some grand package just to elicit your LOR's. You have enough to stress about in the application process. Just ask your LOR writers what they want to see from you.

I would just send the LOR writers the appropriate weblink on where the LOR gets uploaded and let them decide what they need to do. I used to write LOR's for high school students and the way it worked was they wanted a letter with minimal letterhead (basic identifiers) uploaded, and I filled in some boxes on where I taught / etc. It might be different for graduate school, but none of my LOR writers complained about any problems such as a required letterhead or signature issue. So either they already know how to get around it, or the LOR website tells them what is required. Either way, it sounds to me like you're worrying too much about it. Relax, there are much more important things to worry about than what is required as far as the file type or letterhead of the LOR. Just my opinion. :-)

Contemplate the end result of where you are. Does earning your PhD help accomplish a goal you have for your life after you finish the program? Does the PhD program set you up to choose many different directions, and at least one of them includes goals you now have for yourself? Just a couple of thoughts. I did a M.A.T. right after my undergrad, expecting to teach music k-12 as a lifelong career. 5 years into teaching, I finally found that while I enjoyed that career to a point, it just wasn't the right fit. I did one more year of teaching while I completed pre-reqs, and now I'm back in a MS-SLP program with a much more clear direction of my life goals, career goals, talents, research ambitions, and putting that all together. I have a much stronger sense of where I am going. And now I also have student loans left over from the MAT degree to pay off, at some point, plus the student loans of my current MS program building. YOU are the most important person in this whole equation. Don't finish a degree you don't see yourself ever needing or using just because of pressure. Do what is right by your department, and investigate what needs to happen for the course(s) you are slated to teach next semester. Above all, seek vocational counseling to help you determine your next step. If you have an allied health sciences dept they usually have counseling from vocational and rehab departments. You will not want to be "that person" who has started and quit a PhD program only to eventually figure out that you really should have completed it... especially since you are funded.

I am a music performer/educator who is going back to school (albeit for a different degree than IR), but maybe my perspective can help. As music students, the expectation was clearly to put music above everything -- and that dedication pays off in your musical accomplishments, those things that you can list on your resume like the masterclasses, international competitions, etc. Your GPA does meet the minimums (3.0) for most programs but you may find some programs to have some bias about GPA's because the folks coming straight out of undergrad into the MP-IR programs have been concentrating solely on academics and may have higher GPA's on average, compared to students like (us) you. That being said -- the fact that you have a previous master's degree, and did VERY well in it (3.16 is NOT shabby in a music master's, let me tell you), speaks volumes for you. Additionally, if you have professors who can write about your dedication, persistence, perseverance, "shooting for the stars" mentality, those LOR's will weigh heavily in your favor when your application reaches the ad-comm. As far as the decision on where to apply / status or ranking of schools to apply (etc), I can tell you that one thing to look for is a school that also has an active music department/school of music. Why is that even relevant? Well... if a school has a stronger arts/music programs, there is an increased likelihood that professors in other departments may have some degree of cultural appreciation and may even understand that a music degree is highly demanding. Grades from music professors are entirely subjective, whereas other departments there is at least some degree of objectivity and the delineation of clear expectations. That all-elusive "A" is just NOT going to happen with some music professors, no matter how good you are, no matter how much time you put into practice or research, and no matter how much you think you're meeting their expectations. In schools of music, professors are constantly changing the target and requiring music students to adjust on the fly and devote increasing amounts of time to practice and research pertaining to the history and intention of every piece of music we study. As an example (out of your area), the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine accepts 92% of music majors who apply -- but for most other majors, the acceptance rate is closer to 50%. Those stats are several years old but they were on a steady path at the time that I read them in 2006-2007. Apply to the schools you WANT to go to. Deciding those wants may depend on school ranking, availability of funding/scholarships, professors you want to study with, and what kind of career in IR you see yourself doing -- look up career placement info from the schools to see if there are schools that match up with the kind of career you want in IR. If a top 10 school is something you really want, set your application up for success by getting the best test scores you can on the GRE (or whatever other tests are required), and get really great LOR's. Your SOP is absolutely critical -- why are you going from a M.Mus to MPAI-IR? What drives you? What inspires you? What can you bring to the school / department / future career? With your international exposure due to music, you may have some advantages over people with no international experience, but what about any exposure to IR? Whether or not you apply to top 10 schools also comes down to $$ --- those applications can be expensive. If that's what you want, and you can afford to apply even if you don't get in, then I would say try anyway. They can say no, or maybe they'll say yes. But you won't know unless you try. :-) Hopefully someone with more specific IR knowledge can come and provide assistance about the other parts of your post. Best of luck to you!!

If it is CSDCAS, the transcript requirements are different. Most of the "national student clearinghouse" systems that the universities use allow you to request transcripts to be sent once the end of the term grades post. The only gamble with that is if you have any January 15th application deadlines (like UNC and some others). You could put a rush on those if you anticipate any delays in sending the transcripts; consult with your current university registrar's office about how long transcripts are sent if you request them to wait until grades post. If your deadlines are not until February or March, you may be very safe in requesting the "wait until grades post" -- which I would advocate in your case especially because the A's you anticipate may be the "make or break" aspect of your application when it reaches the ad-comms.

All of the schools where I applied last year required 3 references, and 2 of them had to be academic (CSD preferably). I had a colleague where I worked (I taught music) write me a glowing recommendation (in her words) about my work ethic, ability to learn / teach outside my main content area, and overall teaching ability. The other two were two of my pre-req (online only) professors, so in my case it was critical to have someone who knew me face-to-face. The other recommendations were great - one let me read it, and I heard feedback from one school about my LOR's in general. So... if the LOR requirement is 3, shoot for 2 out of 3 to be CSD faculty. If LOR requirement is 4, at least 2 should be CSD faculty, and that is only in your circumstance, where you have a prior Masters (so do I) and that professor can provide a GREAT reference of your academics even though it is outside CSD. That being said, double check the LOR requirements of each school before you ask for the letters. Hope that makes sense. :-)

I agree with the idea of it sounding like a "chip on your shoulder" if your bisexuality is/was not a pivotal aspect of getting to this point in your educational aspirations. Surely you aren't the same as the other people applying to that program: maybe the bisexual issue sets you apart, but relevance is critical in your essay. It's kind of like "playing the LGBTQ card" in a sense -- over-playing the card when it isn't relevant is what makes people doubt the issue has an impact on the situation, much like the melodrama of "playing the race card" (an interesting study, if you want some interesting reading). Not to say it wouldn't have an impact in any situation, but you will want to be very clear on how it impacted you if you include it. As far as what CAN add to the diversity statement, think about it from the perspective of "what makes you, you?" You have a unique worldview, a unique perspective, and those experiences, educational or otherwise, are the things that the ad-comm will want to read. It's not necessarily a multicultural thing, a "where I was raised" thing, a "my life was really hard" thing, a religious thing, a sexuality perspective, or a "where have you been" statement for its own sake, but when those elements of your background are relevant to what makes you unique, they are worth including.

I am considering it and I am in my first year now. Ideally, I'd love to work to pay off the MS loans for a few years while living on a ramen noodle budget! and then start the grad school hunt. I'm also looking into going into the AuD/PhD combo program after I graduate, which is a typical doctoral position and university supported rather than living on loans. We shall see where the next year and a half take me. I also have not completely settled what area I would concentrate in, so until that is decided, I am going to hold steady on the MS-SLP course for now.

From a teacher with a M.A.T. ... (headed back to school for Speech-Language Pathology, researching validity of standardized testing, etc.) 1) What are the major concepts you've been teaching? Those will determine at least 75% of your questions if not more. 2) How "in depth" do you intend to test? Does that match up with how "in depth" have you been teaching? - If you have not been teaching above the level of definitions and connections of concepts (level 1 and 2 on Bloom's taxonomy), you should not expect your students to push to level 4 of Bloom's taxonomy. FYI -- From most basic to most complex, Bloom's taxonomy includes: Remembering - Understanding - Applying - Analyzing - Evaluating - Creating. 3) You should include some questions that test the finer details of concepts that may be more important than others; include several questions pertaining to a particular topic or lecture if that materials is supposed to be more highly weighted for the content of the class. 4) Regarding wording: MAKE SURE your question targets what you want it to target. Don't leave room for mis-interpreting the question. Many PhD professors (and not just doc students) forget this basic tenet of a valid and reliable assessment. If the students are mis-interpreting the question or prompt, you will get a range of answers that do not coincide with the content you were trying to target, and many upset students who DID know the material you were trying to target when they see their test and hear your explanation of the question. - There are tons of resources online if you google "creating good questions for tests" or something along those lines. Look for journal articles FROM THE EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHERS (not your content area) about standardized assessment. I cannot emphasize that last part enough. You go to your content folks for clarification on the material; you go to educators for clarification on effectively assessing the acquisition of knowledge by your students. 5) Regarding choice selections: It is good to use 4 choices. Avoid a test full of "all of the above" or "none of the above" as choice E. Use when necessary, but overuse is confusing and inappropriate. Additionally, you will want to use a "distractor" answer item -- one that if the student does not fully understand the concept, they might choose. HOWEVER -- don't let the distractor item be too close or too likely. You might think that you're giving the answer away, but that's because you know the content much better than those you are teaching. Some will inevitably choose the distractor. The other two choices might pertain to one or two parts of your question and would be there as choices for students who don't accurately read through the test question OR those who just haven't studied that concept. They need to be semi-likely but could be the "opposite" answer (if there is a dichotomy of answers) OR a "not quite fully wrong" answer. Above all -- be sure that the correct answer is truly correct and does not reference terminology that you haven't taught. - Be careful about knowing what you've taught --- what you mentioned in one sentence in a lecture 5 weeks ago is not what you taught. What you scaffolded in instruction, built upon as a foundational concept, and was repeated at least twice is what you taught. So many "professors" who haven't studied education need to be aware that picking some random sentence off the powerpoint is NOT the way to create a test. If you're testing it, the question / prompt / item should be essential knowledge for your content area and should be built upon in future classes. 6) If this applies to you or anyone else: If English is NOT your first language (not making any assumptions here, just generalizing): Get a second pair of eyes on your questions from someone else in your content area to see if your use of the language is working to target the goal. If in a TA position, your professor / mentor may be a good resource, but be careful that they're not just supporting you and not really thinking through the question. I have had TA's with ESOL and they struggle to explain concepts and struggle even more after they get dozens of emails about the quiz they put up on blackboard -- the question written, in 90% of those cases, did not match up with what they were intending to ask. Honestly, the best tip for TEACHING (and assessing) is the following: "Begin with the end in mind." If you don't know what you're going to assess, then how do you know what you're going to teach? This is just a self-analytical idea -- not accusatory of you or anyone else. Look back through and think about what the "take home" messages are from your classes. Did you effectively teach them? Is it worthy of assessing on a M/C test, or should it be assessed in some other way (such as a short essay, project, whatever). If you didn't effectively teach them, (1) the answer choice distribution will be variable and not normalized; (2) you will have "smarties" who struggle unnecessarily. There is an art to creating a good M/C test. Knowing what you intend to assess BEFORE you start teaching is a key place to start. Hopefully you have been doing that all along. Good luck!

If you are TA'ing by yourself, you should definitely address the issue broadly regarding questions that could be looked up in the textbook index, or a quick review of the slides / lecture notes. If you are being flooded with questions the day before a quiz, the very first time it happens in the semester, I would try to answer as many as I could. Afterwards, I'd post an announcement or email that emails concerning course material on the impending exam, sent after the final day of office hours, may not be answered in a timely fashion and you advise them to contact peers, use all available textbook and library resources in order to find their answer, and only email you as a last resort, knowing that they may or may not receive an answer. As a student, if I wait to email the TA or professor the DAY before an exam, I automatically know that I'm unlikely to get a response that I need and subsequently I would rather look up the info or consult a peer than bug the TA or professor. If you are TA'ing a class full of undergrads, there will be growing levels of independence, but you will also need to facilitate this area of their learning. You really shouldn't fuss or refuse to answer altogether, if you haven't already advised them of what their options are. Doing so can create a very poor academic relationship between you and your students. I agree with what a poster above said regarding setting a deadline: this is critical for their own learning as well as your sanity. Good luck!

I HATE BLACKBOARD. HATE. I want to crush blackboard beneath my heels, tar and feather it, boil it, shoot it, and burn it alive. I really hate professors who use blackboard eval tools as their ONLY method of evaluation for grading purposes. Ultimately it is my responsibility to know the information -- but it is the professor or TA's responsibility to word questions appropriately to target the desired information, and enter accurate answers for grading. I'm TA'ing a course next semester and the professor wants me to enter in his quizzes and other materials in blackboard for him, as well as field questions on the discussion forum or via email. I don't mind the last part. I am going to hate the first part, because entering exams in Bb is an absolutely critical piece for the undergrads taking the class and I don't want the same crap to happen to them as what happens to me with my graduate professors. And by the way, Canvas isn't that much better, but it does have some qualities that are nice, such as linking to the assignments straight from the gradebook. Hopefully the prof I'm TA'ing for will allow me to organize the info in a way that helps the students find what they need instead of sending them on a constant scavenger hunt.