I was in a very similar situation when I first started teaching Intro.
Based on that experience here is what I would do...
Go into class and let them know that the scores weren't very good on this
exam (okay, a slight understatement). Tell them that you are NOT going to
curve the grades though, because you know they are capable of doing better
and there were some really high scores. As they start to revolt, remind
them that this is only the FIRST exam and there will be many more
opportunities to improve their course grade. Let them know you have
confidence in their ability, despite their performance on this exam.
(Sometimes this requires good acting abilities.) Then, at the end of the
semester, if the course grades have this same distribution, you might
consider adjusting the grades... but my guess is that by the end of the
course things will have improved and changed.
At this point you could give them a second chance to take another test over
the same material as Ken suggested or perhaps a paper assignment on the
material to boost their grade. Or, you could just wait it out till the end
and see how it goes.
What happened for my class is that I did curve the grades. Then the
students started performing better on future exams and assignments. In the
end, the distribution had almost flipped with the majority having A's since
I had added points at the beginning of the course rather than the students
actually knowing the material. Because of the grading system I found myself
with students who had high grades but didn't seem to have really earned
them. So, I now wait until the end to do any adjustments, and usually I
don't have to.
The big thing I've found is that there is this tendency to focus on each
test or grade in isolation and loose sight of the larger picture.
Just my thoughts...
- Marc
G. Marc Turner, MEd
Lecturer & Head of Computer Operations
Department of Psychology
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX 78666
phone: (512)245-2526
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
