This in itself, may be unrealistic. Unless the school is open admission or for some reason has a good sample of week and good student, the distribution may not make sense on the face.
I teach at a school that is all commuters, was essentially open admission, and has a large percentage of first generation and older students. We routinely get bimodal distributions Mostly A- and C/D. 40% D/W/f is not unknown in intro courses. Where are the Bs and Cs? Students have not figured out how to get there yet or are already bright and good students. I adjusted my grading ( and my teaching) when coming here. More support for weak students. Similar expectations for quality (not quantity) for the good students. I had to argue for the statistics for colleagues who wanted to see normal distributions. I also resigned myself to different expectations for the students from more exclusive institutions. After all, that is why we spend the money for the “good” school, to have greater expectations and opportunities. Suzi Susan J Shapiro Associate Professor, Psychology Indiana University East 2325 Chester Blvd Richmond IN, 47374 (765) 973-8284 [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:41 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 --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
