Kathy Morgan said: "*SIGH* I always hate hearing this complaint. To me, it exemplifies a peculiarity that may be unique to the United States--this Horatio Alger-ish idea that hard work invariably leads to success. This unspoken sense of entitlement worries me when I think about the future of this country."
Chris may be right that this isn't peculiar to the US. I have noticed a marked increase in my students tendency toward this sentiment recently. I have found that statements on the syllabus and in the first days discussion that I will not reward effort (well, I sometimes tell them I'll give them a gold star if they want!) but will only grade on the quality of their finished product. Mind you it doesn't stop all of it. I just had a student complain that a general term with kind of the same meaning as the right answer on the test should receive credit. The instructions to the test included the statement, "When a fill in the blank item occurs it is asking for the correct term learned in this class from the material assigned with the material being tested here. Use of common terms or terms with similar definitions will not receive credit." After the blank on that item it also stated "(must be the correct technical term)". The student wanted to know who to appeal the grade to (since I'm department chair they figured that wouldn't help much). I told them and they came back to me quite angry because the dean actually laughed at them. I guess that's another unsatisfied customer! (I agree with your sigh as well!) The same student argued on another item that since they misread the question and the answer they put was correct with their misreading that they should get credit- that's the second time in 20 years I laughed out loud in the presence of a student's request for reconsidering an answer! Tim ___________________________ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Chairperson, Psychology Albertson College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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