We have correspondence courses at college, including a literature one which I wrote a few years ago. I've never had any problems with it till this session. Students enrol all through the year and are at different stages at different times. Recently I'm finding that they email me their work and all goes well until suddenly they stop contacting me. I email them to enquire what's happened and they reply, aggrieved, that they've sent me work to which I haven't responded. But I've never received this work.I got our computer services team on to the problem.
The solution was found today.
I hadn't noticed, but my nice computer chap did, that it's Study Section 5 that causes the problem. Students put the title of the Robert Browning poem they're studying - "Porphyria's Lover" - as the subject of the email. And our spam filter has taken to deleting the email, thinking I'm being offered naughty stuff.
Problem solved. From now on, we'll be referring electronically to "Porphyria's Bloke".
Too funny....
ReplyDeleteNothing like technology to stop one in their tracks. Naughty things could make their way to you if only put under a different subject.
It was the same where I used to work - in child protection, many reports and documents contain words and reported speech you might not want your granny to read, and the server at work would ruthlessly filter them out. But then we would get a ferocious message about it.
ReplyDeleteRumour had it that there were two IT blokes in a basement under the Civic Centre filtering porn sites.... oh yeah.....
The Council's filter is aggressively maidenly....I think it would like all our table legs to wear frilly skirts..... It can't abide such mild rudenesses as ass, bum, or even damn. We're left with drat with which to express our frustrations!
ReplyDeleteLesley xx
Oh Yikes! That's really funny, but it's a good thing you were on top of it and checking in with the students. That could have resulted in a big misunderstanding where their grade was concerned!
ReplyDeleteha ha. So blokes are OK.
ReplyDeleteComputors! Always thinking they know best!!
ReplyDeleteps Help! (nothing to do with your post)....I am turning into a Jackson Brodie tragic.......please send advice.
Kate Atkinson is now totally responsible for the growing levels of dust and dog hair in our house!
well I think this is a comment to herhimbryn - I know what you mean about Kate Atkinson but I can't entirely blame her for the state of my flat. I'm really looking forward to listening to Started Early, Took My Dog which I bought on CDs.
ReplyDeleteHey, herhimbryn - maybe an audio is the answer - there is a lot of housework one can do while listening rather than reading.
ReplyDelete