Hi Nancy, Since the School Y students seem brighter, perhaps you could simply take away the 'open-book', 'limited notes', and 'take-home' components of the quizzes/exams. Another idea (although it may not be palatable) is to ask the person you report to at School Y for specific instructions what s/he wants you to do in this situation. If you do what s/he recommends, I would think that would be some insurance against losing the School Y job. Julie Julie A. Penley, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Special Projects Assistant to the Dean (ESL, Reading, and Social Sciences) El Paso Community College PO Box 20500 El Paso, TX 79998-0500 Office phone: (915) 831-3210 Department fax: (915) 831-2324
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed 7/16/2008 7:40 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Grading discrepancy To clarify for Marie and others: My department head at Y wants a more evenly distributed assortment of grades. I am at risk of not being re-hired. I appreciate the suggestions. Thanks. Nancy -----Original Message----- From: Helweg-Larsen, Marie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 6:36 am Subject: RE: [tips] Grading discrepancy Hi Nancy Could you clarify one thing for me. What is the conflict exactly - that you don't have the same standards at two very different schools? It seems to me that it would be nearly impossible (and in fact undesirable) to have the same standards at schools where the students differ so much (incl. how much time they have to devote to school work or just how bright they a re). I would simply challenge the students more at school Y. You can certainly keep the assignments the same but demand more of the students for each assignment (papers need to have more references, be better written, exams should be more difficult, etc.). You can also (if you find the immaturity a problem at school Y) assign more points to appropriate classroom behaviors ("good citizen grade" is what I call it). Marie **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych /helwegm <http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm> **************************************************** From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[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 <http://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]) ________________________________ 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])
