Nancy et al.
I work at a fairly selective school. Many of us previously worked at less selective schools. The culture here requires that we have more demanding assessments than we had when we worked at less selective schools. One new professor in another department gave his introductory class the same exam he used at his previous institution (class mean about 83) and the class average here was 97. He has since made his exams more challenging. Many of our freshman get the shock of their lives when the get C's on the first round of exams having never gotten C's in their lives. Many of our freshman simply did not have to work too hard in high school to get A's. The students do adapt to our standards as our freshman to sophomore retention rate is about 90%. Is it fair that a student who earns a B in a given class here may have earned an A at some other schools? Perhaps not. However I have come to believe that some of our students would not learn the skills and habits they need to work hard after graduation had they attended a less rigorous school. Thus I think it is appropriate to have more demanding assessments at a more selective school. Joe Joseph J. Horton Ph. D. Box 3077 Grove City College Grove City, PA 16127 724-458-2004 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In God we trust. All others must bring data. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:22 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Grading discrepancy Hi all, Hope you are having good summer down time. I need some guidance. The names have been changed to protect the somewhat innocent. School X is my full time job, school Y is a steady part time gig. School X is in a working class/poor neighborhood, school Y is in an affluent area of LA. Students at school X are more likely to be working and students at school Y are more likely to be fully supported by their families. Cheating is more likely to occur at school Y although it is not unknown at school X. I tend to monitor school Y students more closely because of this. In my psychology 1 classes, I teach and grade the same way. I offer open-book pop quizzes, exams with a limited number of notes allowed, one take home exam and a required term paper. My grade curve at school X is more evenly distributed than at school Y where it is much higher. I am getting in trouble because of the high average in my school Y classes and might lose this job (since school X doesn't always provide summer work - 10 month contract - I kind of don't want that to happen). I've taught at Y since 2000. I feel attached to it. I have considered the possibility that I am being a "lenient part timer" at school Y, but I really don't think so. If anything, when I sit down to grade the work of those students I am more likely to be in a negative frame of mind (the students at school Y are VERY immature and behave badly in class). The fact is they generally do better on the MC/objective sections of my tests than school X students. I am discussing this with my department head. I have considered going to closed book exams at school Y. She suggests using a curve. It seems unfair to me to do things differently at school Y just because they do better. They may be poorly behaved, but they are generally pretty bright. I am just looking for thoughtful opinions and guidance. I really believe I am being honest with myself and portraying this fairly. Thanks for your help. Nancy Melucci Long Beach CA www.kiva.org - check it out! ________________________________ The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now <http://toolbar.aol.com/tmz/download.html?NCID=aolcmp00050000000014> ! --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
