I would also be curious about three other factors:
First, I would want to know if the student waited until the last week of classes to
discuss this policy with the instructor. I'm assuming that the student knew about the
policy because it was stated in the syllabus. I'm also assuming that, because
participation is worth such a large percentage of the grade, that the issue of
participation was discussed at least periodically throughout the semester. My guess
would be that if the student waited until the last week of classes to complain about
something she knew about all semester, she would be on shaky ground.
Second, does the instructor make completely subjective evaluations on class
participation? Or does the instructor have some sort of participation grading rubric
that he/she uses to evaluate students on a regular or semi-regular basis. If the
instructor's evaluation is completely subjective and done only at the end of the
semester, then the instructor would be on shaky ground. The instructor could protect
himself/herself from these kinds of complaints by giving the students regular feedback
throughout the semester (this would also provide more effective feedback to the
students on their performance in the course).
Third, did the instructor make any attempts to talk with the student about her lack of
participation? If the instructor made these attempts, and the student did not
respond, then the instructor would have more support for his/her position. I don't
think we need to hold our students hands. As others on thist list have noted,
students need to learn how to read the syllabus and take responsibility for their own
education rather than wait to be spoon-fed by us. We need to be aware, however, that
sometimes other issues are going on in the student's lives that we are unaware of but
which nonetheless affect their academic performance. The educational experience is
enhanced for the student (and also made more enjoyable for the instructor) when there
is a close and warm student-instructor relationship.
I had a similar situation over the last summer semester. I had a student who missed
about 6 classes and came late to another 6 or 8 classes. He didn't complete a number
of assignments and did poorly on exams, which gave him a low D for a grade. His poor
attendance brought his grade down by one letter grade to an F (as per the syllabus).
However, this student was also the star player on one of our sports teams that had an
opportunity to go to a post-season game. He appealed the grade to me, saying that he
earned a D and he shouldn't be penalized for his attendance. I said no. He appealed
to the Dean. She said no. He then appealed to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs. He also said no. I was supported throughout the process by my
administration for a number of reasons, but one of those reasons was because my
attendance policy was spelled out in the syllabus and I had attempted to discuss the
student's absences with him throughout the semester.
Good luck!
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wed 12/4/2002 10:14 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences
Cc:
Subject: participation question
I am writing on behalf of a (new) colleague who just today had a student
complain about her grade. This student has done exceptionally well on
all written tests; however, in this course (Ed Psych) participation
counts for a significant portion of the final grade -- I think it was
15%. This was specified on the syllabus. This student has not
participated, and is complaining to the instructor that she will receive
a lower grade due to her lack of participation. If anyone has advice or
comments on this situation, I will be sure to pass them on.
Thanks!
Kathleen Kleissler
Dept. of Psychology
Kutztown University
Kutztown PA 19530
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<<winmail.dat>>
--- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
