Faculty addresses grade changes
Professors are unlikely to change essay grades.
Published Feb. 27, 2009
With the first round of exams this semester well underway, a dispute between students and teachers regarding grades is renewed once again.
Whether for graduate school admissions or from parental pressure, some students are working to earn As in their classes, but there is a discrepancy between students and professors with what merits high marks.
Sophomore James Brannan said an A grade should require effort above and beyond what the majority of the class is doing.
"You really have to distinguish yourself from everyone else," Brannan said.
History professor Catherine Rymph said an A is considered an exceptional grade in her 20th century American history class.
"If you're going to get an A, it will be because you've learned a lot from the course," Rymph said.
Brannan said a B is just above average.
"You should get no higher than the C-range just for going to all your classes," he said.
Geography professor Mike Urban said it is not the same for all students.
"Students are not all the same and I do not think that they have all the same expectations," Urban said.
Urban went on to say he had many students who enjoyed being challenged in the classroom.
"I always try to encourage students to keep grades in perspective," Urban said. "Grades represent an imperfect metric yet can consume some students to the degree that they concentrate more on grades than what the grade is intended to measure: some sense of learning and accomplishment within the boundaries of the course."
Sophomore Leslie Chiang said she thinks the reason for the increased pressure on grades is the philosophy by which students operate.
"It's more about passing than actually learning," Chiang said. "It's strategy."
Rymph attributes that to the learning style practiced in high school.
"A lot of high school history classes, there is still a lot of focus on memorization," Rymph said. "It's a weird adjustment to become more focused on why things happened."
Senior RyLee Do said the pressure to get A's came from a desire to get into graduate school.
"You're hoping to get that certain grade to get in," she said.
Do also said a desire to please parents also added to this pressure.
When the pressure to get good grades pushes students to the point of asking for a grade change, English professor John Evelev said he is willing to meet with students to discuss grades and will likely change a quiz grade.
When it comes to an essay, Evelev said he is grading on the quality of ideas and a grade change is unlikely.
"There is a great range of possibility in the content of an essay and this might be where students feel that the grade is subjective, but I think that an ethical professor is addressing the quality of the ideas and their basis in reasonable evidence when they assign a grade," Evelev said.
For the most part, professors such as Evelev are not likely to change a student's grade based on a simple query.
"My experience here is that many students are juggling work, emotional difficulties and a host of other issues that can impinge on their work," Evelev said. "That doesn't mean, however, that I should assess them differently than others. I can only gauge the work they do."
Rymph said professors frequently complain about grade inflation.
"Everyone else is part of the problem but no wants to admit they're responsible," Rymph said. "I don't know anyone who feels like they're doing it."