I've stayed out of this until now, and to be honest I have read only a fraction of the replies so this thread so this is probably not new and I apologize to all who thought of it days before I did. I am generally in favor of giving the student a break and probably would do the same, but I'll offer up the best argument I can think of against it. To pass someone on who has not achieved the minimum requirements hurts every student who graduates and DOES meet the requirements. As unqualified graduates enter the labor market the word get's out that students from X program aren't prepared and then the one's that are don't get the chance they deserve. If a grade of C is awarded to one who student who is not qualified then it can't be distinguished from the C that does mean qualified.
I'm sure there are an numerous arguments against the above and I welcome reading them. What I like about TIPS is that most of us are not worried about being right or wrong, we are worried about furthering the discussion so that we can all be better teachers. By the way I agree with Stephan that our job should NOT be gatekeepers and I want to work where we simply educate them and let them fend for themselves with that education. But unfortunately there is a lot more riding on reputation than should be and we are judged by individual cases so we can't ignore it. I also agree that we have "an exaggerated view of importance" unfortunately everything I've seen and read suggests that we need to take more seriously what we impart or someone else will do it for us. Doug Doug Peterson, PhD Director of University Honors Associate Professor of Psychology The University of South Dakota 414 E. Clark Vermillion SD 57069 e-mail: [email protected] phone (Honors): (605) 677-5223 phone (Psychology): (605) 677-5295 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 10:19 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] An analogy for the Weighty Problem On 12 Jan 2009 at 7:27, [email protected] wrote: > > I like the driver's license analogy and I can't think of anyone who tries the > hard > luck stories there. I think the analogy, however creative, is faulty. Passing someone on a driver's test who can't drive can kill someone. Passing a student struggling just below the mark needed to graduate won't kill anyone--it just might save a life (metaphorically and possibly even literally). I think we have an exaggerated view of the importance of what we impart to our students. Our function isn't to be gatekeepers for employers but to teach 'em. If they won't learn, keeping them back to try to stuff a bit more in isn't good for either them or us. Better to push them out the door. Graduation with a dismal record won't do much to enhance their employability for high-level jobs anyway, but it just might let them get on with their lives. Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
