all things cbl

So, an hour or two after I posted my final grades last night I got an email in my college mailbox. From $STUDENT.

$STUDENT is a good student. He/She was there for the majority of classes and ended up with an A- in the class. This email was sent to me and to $SUPERIOR. Not sure why it was sent to $SUPERIOR, he’d just ask me if I did a fair job and I’d say “yes.

So here’s the Email:

I would like to formally request a review
of the grading for the IT4300 class.
Would you please look at the overall makeup of
scores and consider curving the scores?
I think that there should some students with A's
in this class.
I'll leave it to you fine men to make the final
decision, but please give it your consideration.

My reply was this:

There were some students that were .5% or
less from a 'higher' letter grade. I ended up giving it
to them on their final grade postings.  For instance,
there were two students that achieved a total score
greater than 93.5% but were below the 94% cut
off for an 'A'. There was also another case of another
student that was bumped up due to the within .5%
mark from a higher letter. If I was to bump up
everybody .5% it wouldnt make a difference in the
final letter grade except for these individuals.

So I did give out 'A's' despite the online excel file
showing a slew of A-'s.

If you feel I was unfair or biased in my grading of
assignments and/or tests let me know where and
how and we can talk.

Why should I grade on a curve? Let’s say I had a class full of people that didn’t study, take tests nor do assignments. Everybody got a C in the class. Do I bump everybody up to an A? Did they earn an “A”? No. So why should they deserve an “A”?

Even the people in my class this semester that didn’t get that coveted 94% on their own lost a few points here and there on tests and projects. Maybe they turned in a project a day or two late and lost 10 or 20 points. The projects in my class will pick away at your grade rather easily. I noticed after I posted the last students project, he went from a B+ to an A- because he got 100 on the project. If he hadnt turned in that project he would have sat at the B+ mark. So it pays to do the assignments. Do them well and turn them in on time.

While 94% is a high mark to shoot for, it is not impossible. Sure my tests are “hard”. Sure there is a lot of work to do. However, my class is a upper-division class. It’s a 4000 series class.. shouldn’t that be harder than say a 3000 level? Shouldn’t it require more effort to study and do the work than a 2000 or 3000 level? I’d think so. That’s how I structure it. Some students that already knew a bunch of the stuff had an easy time on the projects. But others, stuggled. My hearts go out to them. Some were juggling a full-time job, school, and a family.. and were feeling like they were getting pulled under.

So here’s to another semester done with. This is the third time I’ve taught this course. It’s gotten easier along the way. I know what works and what doesnt work. What I should teach and what I shouldnt. I’m still a hard teacher, but it’s good to think I’m up there with $SUPERIOR in level of hardness.

Curves suck… ’nuff said.