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I get asked all kinds of interesting questions.  While many of them relate to whatever the upcoming assignment is (and how to get out of turning it in on time), others are more fundamental and are asked by different students across many semesters.  In an effort to avoid repeating myself, here are answers to a few of the more common questions, divided by category.  I'll undoubtedly add more questions as they pop up. Class Info | Academic | Personal Class Info Q:  I can't make it to your class today.  What should I do? A:  First of all, as soon as you know you can't make it, e-mail me and let me know.  Try to get notes from someone else in the class, or come see me in my office and we can go over some of what you've missed.  Try not to miss too many classes -- we have lots of in-class exercises and you can't make those up.  Plus, you'll miss my spellbinding lectures... Q:  How can you grade me on participation?  There are 75 people in the class and you can't possibly know my name. A:  Oh yes I can.  Ask anyone who's had one of my large lecture classes in the past.  I pride myself on learning names -- I think it helps students feel like someone is paying attention to their progress and cares enough about them to put forth a little effort.  And obviously, it makes giving a participation grade possible (heh heh heh...). Q:  Do you teach any classes online? A:  Not completely online.  Students in my Online Reporting classes usually meet twice a week, but also do a great deal of their work online.  While I like using technology (otherwise, why would this site be here?), I also think students get more out of the in-person give and take of a classroom than from watching streaming video of me in a jerky little box on their computer screen. Academic Q:  Until recently you were listed as an Associate Professor. Does that mean you weren't really Professor Craig at all? A:  No -- Associate Professor is the second-level rank of university professors (see below). Q:  Before that you were an Assistant Professor. Who did you assist? A:  I didn't assist anybody, really.  Assistant Professor is the entry-level rank of university professors.  If an Assistant Professor is awarded tenure and promotion after a few years, he/she elevates to the rank of Associate Professor.  After another few years, if the professor merits another promotion, he/she moves up a second level and becomes a full Professor.  It's a little misleading because “professor” is the generic term, but I didn't make the rules. Q:  What is tenure? A:  Tenure is basically the security of a permanent job contract for a professor.  You're given anywhere between five and seven years as a probationary period to prove your value to the university in terms of teaching, research and service.  During that time you're referred to as being on “tenure track.” Q:  What does it take to get tenure? A:  We'd all like to know that.  A lot of universities make their professors focus first on publishing articles in academic journals, then on teaching.  This can sometimes cause professors to neglect their teaching and shortchange students in their classes.  Fortunately, San José State cares about teaching more than most universities -- that's one of the main reasons I'm here.  Having said that, we are still expected to engage in scholarly research and some form of service to the university and community if we want the security of tenure. Personal NOTE: If you're inexplicably interested in my background, a lot of questions are answered on my About Me page. Q:  Somebody said you're from California, and someone else said you're from Chicago.  Where are you from, really? A:  I grew up in the San Diego area, in a town called National City (most well-known for the ubiquitous Mile of Cars).  I went to grad school at the University of Illinois, which explains my Chicago connections. Q:  How long have you been teaching at SJSU? A:  I started in the Fall of 2000.  I'm not updating this every month to say how long that's been.  I used to teach at the University of Michigan and at Butler University in Indianapolis. Q:  Why are you such a dork? A:  Actually, some students have used stronger terms than that.  Being the youngest member of the faculty, maybe my youthful exuberance gets the best of me sometimes.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. To J&MC Home Page To San José State University Home Page Send comments and suggestions about this site to profcraig@profcraig.com Prof. Richard Craig takes full responsibility for the information posted. San José State University has not reviewed or approved the contents of this page. Any views and opinions expressed on this page are strictly those of Prof. Richard Craig.