Irritation

My most immediate gripe is of my composition instructor.

Karl has the same course with a different professor, and this dude (Karl's 'Prof N') is as incredibly prompt (and terrific) at communication as my composition dude is irresponsible and lackluster. They couldn't be any more diametrically opposed if they tried.  My instructor either never checks his email, or checks it and ignores it for days at a stretch before responding, OR likes playing the "eenie-meanie-miney-moe" game with whatever class email he receives.

A full week ago I wrote to ask if he was able to view my essay submission in the screwed up application the college has decided to utilize for torturing students, er....make that "use as an instructional aide to enhance the class syllabus and face-to-face time."  What a high-falutin' crock!  Too many bugs in the system, and if someone (like myself) hasn't got an updated version of Windows, that damned thing won't work from your home computer!  In fact, if you don't possess the latest and greatest software enabled laptop, iPad, etc., you can't do your homework from home!  That is, unless you go to the extreme of spending another pile of money to buy the latest version of Windows to replace the non-upgradeable Vista that was (the only thing) available when [I] purchased my laptop in 2009. 

That's right, I've had my current computer/laptop for more than four years!!!  I'm not a lemming with a small anything complex (I also don't have a never-ending pile of cash under my mattress to blow on new hardware and phones and other gadgets).  And look at me, I'm still breathing and functioning!

I'm happy (odd choice of words) to report that I am not the only person in class experiencing issues with the stupid MyWritingLab app/software/reporting tool, so I have been vindicated. The stupidest test of the MWL product came when I went to the campus library during a break to upload my essay from their computers. That's right, the MRL tool wasn't recognized by the school system! I was asked for permission to allow a "pop-up" to use the system. Then, the program had bugs beyond the firewall issue.....so HUGE RASPBERRIES to the new tool to make a lazy instructor's life easier! Hey, teachers - get yourself an email account students can utilize to submit their assignments via email - WITHOUT ALL THE DAMNED HOOPS!!

[pant, pant, pant]

I submitted it twice from different computers, and I have no idea if he ever saw the essay while in the precious MWL program. Jean submitted it from her Mac, where she saw the item snugly tucked into the "shared documents" folder, AND she could view it there, too. She even took a page image and we sent that to the instructor to show the document as having been in the system since the 4th of October! But when I queried whether he could view the document as sent via the library computer to the same program destination, I never received the courtesy of a reply!

[expletive, EXPLETIVE, EXPLETIVE]

Yes, I think it's safe to say I am a tad irritated.