This was probably not the exact wording used in the survey but, especially
if it is expected to be a difficult course, there may be a difference
between the grade you "hoped to earn" and the grade you "wanted".
Rick
Dr. Richard L. Froman
Psychology Department
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych/froman.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael J. Kane [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 3:18 PM
To: TIPS
Subject: Student goals, expectations
Hi all,
I just came from an on-campus teaching workshop, and was struck by an
anecdote
passed along by one of the participants.
At the beginning of a freshman course last semester, this instructor asked
students
to indicate, anonymously, what grade they hoped to earn in the course. Out
of 25
students, only one indicated that they wanted an A. The modal response was
to
"pass" the course.
I'm sure that similar data would vary widely across courses, and I'd expect
that
even the most motivated students would strive for less in some classes than
in others.
But one person in 25?. It gives one pause...
Have any of you out there explicitly asked this question of your students?
If so, what did
you find? I'm not sure what I'd do with such information, but I may start
asking this in my
courses, just to get a feel.
-Mike
************************************************
Michael J. Kane
Department of Psychology
P.O. Box 26164
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC 27402-6164
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
phone: 336-256-1022
fax: 336-334-5066
