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Professors allow students to pick their own grade

X Factor said:
If students could just pick a grade and then never show up or do the work, that would be absurd. Doesn’t seem to be the case here, though.
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Seems students are determining work loads, regardless. Once word gets out that class actually demands hard work for good grades, less students will sign up. I think the professor is displaying a fine principle of capitalism - supply and demand.
 
Renae said:
I see you chose to ignore the important part, so you could play victim card and whine. It's okay, it's just your way of waving the "White flag of surrender", often raised by those incapable of discussing the matter at hand, and diverting into relevant issues to mask their lack of intellectual chops.
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:lamo... The important part?... :lamo
 
roughdraft274 said:
:lamo... The important part?... :lamo
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Yeah, where the discussion got back on track. You're way too busy trying to feel witty than to engage in the discussion.

So, did you read the full Article, did you read Mr. Xu's comments on why he finds this a negative, I think he's right on track. Care to be part of a useful discussion or shall we continue the nonsense? Your call.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
Other than maintaining the minimum GPA to stay in school, if you aren’t going to graduate school do the grades even really matter? I busted my butt in college and no employer ever asked about my grades.

I am an advocate of higher education but unless you are going into academia or into a hard STEM field, these little details really don’t matter in the long run, IMO.
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I agree, I have never had an employer ask for grades. I think this policy might be a good idea.
 
I think this policy in this professor's class might be a very good idea.

I majored in the sciences, but took a literature class as an elective. Have to say the burden of reading 2 novels a week along with my large workload made it clear that it would be my last literature elective. Which was a shame, because I truly enjoyed the subject.

If I could have chosen a B for a reduced workload I would have done so. This policy will also keep her class on the radar for students who are looking for an elective, while maintaining a high degree of content and achievement. Often students choose what we used to call "guts" (classes known to be very easy) to fulfill elective requirements. This policy might make tougher classes more attractive.
 
Renae said:
Yeah, where the discussion got back on track. You're way too busy trying to feel witty than to engage in the discussion.

So, did you read the full Article, did you read Mr. Xu's comments on why he finds this a negative, I think he's right on track. Care to be part of a useful discussion or shall we continue the nonsense? Your call.
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His argument appeats to be entirely faulty. Not even sure it really warrants much of a response. But ok, if you insist.

But not all students are convinced it’s a good idea, including Davidson College senior Kenny Xu, who is majoring in mathematics.

“It degrades trust in your achievement by outside authorities, including employers, grad schools, scholarships etc.,” he told The College Fix. “Imagine if an employer saw that you got an A not because you were truly one of the best in the class but because you fulfilled some requirement YOU personally set. Would he really trust that A? I think not.”
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The student didn't personally set the work load. They agreed to a workload that would entail them getting an A. He seems to be arguing that this system would allow a student to say "I plan on writing a 1 page paper and then I get an A for the entire class". And that's not what it appears to be. If you want a B and you want the lesser level of work, you can pick that. And if you complete that workload satisfactorily you get the grade. Why on earth would a perspective employer be upset that you wanted an A and you completed the workload for it?
 
"Feel free to suck up my time and university resources even though you are not interested in doing the work" is a stupid idea, makes me wonder how the so-called professors ended up so needy....maybe they are not very good.

Also, there seems to be no allowances for the quality of the so-called work submitted by the customers (nee Students) mattering.
 
Spartacus FPV said:
They already had to earn it. Who is going to pick a C or a D, realistically?
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I would if it was a subject like math that I hated but had to take for my undergrad. I did what I needed to do to get a C but it would have been nice to know ahead of time all that I needed to do so I could have done less than I did.
 
Bodhisattva said:
I would if it was a subject like math that I hated but had to take for my undergrad. I did what I needed to do to get a C but it would have been nice to know ahead of time all that I needed to do so I could have done less than I did.
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So, not challenging, allows students to maximize the least amount of effort or learning.

And that's a good thing?
 
Renae said:
So, not challenging, allows students to maximize the least amount of effort or learning.

And that's a good thing?
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Customers get what they want, that is the story here.

That and the capitulation of the faculty.
 
Renae said:
So, not challenging, allows students to maximize the least amount of effort or learning.

And that's a good thing?
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They can already do that by not trying that hard... I recently did much the same as this teacher. I gave the students the Unit Plan, they divided into groups utilizing that and the Achievement Criteria and designed their own lessons and End of Unit Assessment. They brainstormed and came up with many different methods to learn the material and what they needed to do in order to get different grades. This is an advanced class but they love it. All are basically going A's but a few are just doing the basic. :shrug:
 
Skeptic Bob said:
Other than maintaining the minimum GPA to stay in school, if you aren’t going to graduate school do the grades even really matter? I busted my butt in college and no employer ever asked about my grades.

I am an advocate of higher education but unless you are going into academia or into a hard STEM field, these little details really don’t matter in the long run, IMO.
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I have hired a few people and never asked about their grades or to actually see the degree/diploma. I care what field they graduated in (had to be chemistry related)
 
A literature class at Davidson College this fall will use “contract grading,” allowing students to pick ahead of time their grade for the class and the workload they need to complete to earn it.
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I don't have a problem with that approach.
  • It eliminates the competitive aspect to classwork (no need for grading on curves either)
  • It allows students to know precisely what they must do and what they don't have to do to get the grade they desire.
    • Want a C? Fine. "This" is what you must do to get a C.
    • Want a B? Fine. "This is what you must do, in addition to C-grade work, to get a B.
Frankly, I think the approach is an excellent way to set expectations. Indeed, it's very similar to how my former firm handled performance evaluations in that the requirements for each performance rating at each level in one's career were clearly defined. Too, insofar as it's college, the grade options align well with what's extant in the professional world -- "exceeds expectations," "meets expectations," "probationary."
 
Bodhisattva said:
They can already do that by not trying that hard... I recently did much the same as this teacher. I gave the students the Unit Plan, they divided into groups utilizing that and the Achievement Criteria and designed their own lessons and End of Unit Assessment. They brainstormed and came up with many different methods to learn the material and what they needed to do in order to get different grades. This is an advanced class but they love it. All are basically going A's but a few are just doing the basic. :shrug:
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Most people haven't done that sort of thing. A good teacher needs to structure the class in a way that students know how to succeed. If they achieve the class goals, the methodology was a success.
 
late said:
Most people haven't done that sort of thing. A good teacher needs to structure the class in a way that students know how to succeed. If they achieve the class goals, the methodology was a success.
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I am not sure if you are saying what I did is not good teaching or not... but the amount of good grades, student buy-in and parent feedback clearly is evidence that it is...
 
Bodhisattva said:
I am not sure if you are saying what I did is not good teaching or not... but the amount of good grades, student buy-in and parent feedback clearly is evidence that it is...
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I was agreeing with you.

In the interest of brevity, Finland.
 
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