Rude rude rude

On Thursday I arranged a guest speaker to come in from CACI and give a presentation to MKT2003 about Acorn geodemographic profiling. This group had asked for industry speakers on their feedback forms last term.

I wasn't sure how Mark would be in the lecture theatre (can be a bit intimidating) but actually he did really well. His talk was accessible and interesting I thought, and drew in a lot of the strands we had been talking about. He did an interactive session which got a fair amount of student participation.

I was sitting in the audience at the front on the left had side of the theatre. At around the half way mark I noticed two students sitting in the middle of the seating. One, Inderdeep was texting or emailing on his phone. Irenose sitting next to him was leaning on his shoulder and appeared to be asleep. I was horrified. I continued to observe them, and they both continued their sleeping/texting right to the end of the lecture. I was hoping to catch Inderdeep's eye so I could glare at him and get him to wake Irenose. Unfortunately he didn't look up from his phone at any point. I figured that getting up and dealing with them would be more disturbance / embarrassment for the speaker. By the end, other students had noticed and were giggling about it.

I was very angry. At the end of the lecture I got up quickly and marched the two students out of the lecture theatre. I didn't have much time as there was a class waiting to go into the lecture theatre and my guest needed escorting out. All of the rooms down the corridor were full (I had hoped to speak to them in private). In the end this wasn't possible so I had to speak to them with the class filing past. I spoke in a low voice and told them how embarrassed and angry I was about their rude behaviour when our guest had given up his afternoon to come and speak to them. They muttered apologies and Irenose said that she had a headache. I told her that in that case she shouldn't have come and then stomped off to sort out the guest & lecture theatre.

Luckily Mark (observant as ever) appeared not to have noticed - I find this rather hard to believe but he may have been focusing on his presentation.

Sally told me Inderdeep didn't go to his afternoon seminar on MKT2020 (which I sometimes teach). I discussed it with some colleagues, all of whom agreed the students' behaviour was appalling and they deserved the bollocking.

All the same I was a bit upset as my relationship with both of these students was previously good. They both have their exhibition on Monday for MKT2020. I will be assessing them. They are likely to be apprehensive about this. I don't want to let them off the hook - ideally they should be thinking about apologising for their behaviour. However I don't want it to screw up their assessment. I have to film them for a video while they are setting up their exhibitions - will be friendly and break the ice with them. See if they mention it.