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Question about Grades

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Mrcake, May 4, 2014.

  1. Mrcake

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    If the class average for a quiz is an F, is it fair for the teacher to drop the quiz? There are curves, but 48% average is horrible! What is your opinion on this?
     
  2. Argentwing

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    It depends on the teacher. If he or she is confident in having done a good job of preparing the class, maybe it should be kept. But if there was a lot of stuff on there nobody had a clue about, perhaps a curve or dropping the quiz is in order.

    **I was usually the one to break the curve with a high grade XDD but it still applied so people didn't hate me hehe.
     
  3. BookDragon

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    If your average score for a test is F, then either the test is too hard or the teacher hasn't covered the material properly.

    But it also depends on what the test is about and the specific questions that have been wrong, class attendance and the level of the students who took it...
     
  4. OGS

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    I think sometimes everyone just doesn't prepare properly. I remember one test in high school. This one girl and I were at the top of this particular class pretty consistently. Well, anyway, there had been a party the night before and people were woefully unprepared. Of course this girl and I were fine. Well, the class sort of put together an unofficial delegation to ask us to throw the test. The two of us conferred (it would have been disastrous if only one of us did it) and agreed to do so--I'm still not sure how I feel about the ethics of it all--but that's what we did. Since even the two of us didn't do well, the teacher threw the test out. Obviously in this instance she shouldn't have... but there you are.
     
  5. Hiems

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    If past quiz averages have been higher than that, then yeah... dropping the quiz sounds fair. I would only try to convince your professor to drop it if quizzes make up a substantial percentage of your grade.
     
  6. Gen

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    It depends on the score curve overall. If there were a number of As, a number of Bs, but a overwhelming majority of Ds and Fs, then it doesn't mean that the test was too hard or the professor didn't cover the topic adequately enough for the students to do well. Most college courses are not going to have A or B class averages. C class averages might be the most common, but it definitely not unheard of for a rigorous course to see D and F averages on specific tests.

    If the curve was fairly consistent, and essentially all of the class were around the D and F range, than that is grounds to drop/curve it. Though if the score curve is much more steep, then there was clearly a level of comprehension and effort put forth by those who did exceedingly well that wasn't put for by all.
     
  7. Sarcastic Luck

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    This.

    In organic Chem 1, we had a test that just about everyone did poorly on. The average on the exam was a 67. Admittedly, he allowed us to 'redo' the exam, that is, take home the exam and try and do the wrong questions correctly for partial credit.

    Only lower level or liberal arts classes are going to have an A or B average...I actually had a class called Art Appreciation that was impossible to fail. You spent three hours a week sleeping in class, made 5 'reports' by copying shit off wikipedia, and going to two museums.
     
  8. Hiems

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    Haha, you gotta love those GPA boosters though. Even if you don't do well in some courses, taking easy courses like these can help balance out your grade :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
     
  9. Gates

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    I doubt that I would drop it but would provide a take-home quiz to be added to it (with possible points to bring the highest grade to a 100).
     
  10. Mrcake

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    In my major there is no easy courses after generals (dietetics). This is organic chemistry 1 and my professor is a Russian hardass (no racism/ethnicity hate)... He won't drop anything (I just asked him in class today - he doesn't believe in it...) and he thinks that assigning multiple assignments is good for the class. The quiz average was 48% and people don't know what the hell is going on. The teacher is failing to teach this material very well in class, and the grades are showing. Our class quiz averages have been C's and D's, aside from like two of them. There have been 10 quizzes. The professor has not graded 8 labs too, which is another 200 points. I hate this teacher with a passion and it's killing me. I put 20 hours a week into this class and I have 63% right now (the bare minimum of a C with curves). I am beyond pissed at this teacher, and it's showing. I complain every day about this professor and course - I put my heart and soul into it.

    TLDR: My professor is not teaching well enough and gives too many hard quizzes/exams. He fails to post material online to teach us and prepare us for exams in time.

    I can only hope to do well on the final and get a C in order to have it replace my first exam (44/100) so that I can get a C.
     
  11. Kasey

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    As a former student and a current teacher myself I definitely can relate to your situation.

    I had an awful professor who made my life a living hell and would not give me a straight answer or that I'm doing considering my average on quizzes and tests was like a 37%.

    If this guy is not being reasonable or such then speak to your advisor or ombudsman or something. I know there are tough courses but failing people without providing sufficient support as you say is unethical even in college where you aren't supposed to be hand held.
     
  12. Foxface

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    I've had upper level undergrad and grad classes where the average was A/B...and no it wasn't because the professor just handed it out
     
  13. JStevens96

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    If the teacher does not want their job discredited, drop it.
     
  14. Sarcastic Luck

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    You're also in a much different career field than I am.
     
  15. RainbowVomiter

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    wow. that's horrible. i've had classes where the test averages were Ds but never Fs.
     
  16. Mrcake

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    Lol nope he didn't drop the quiz, and the "missed quiz" in the gradebook is optional.. meaning there isn't a dropped quiz, unfortunately. He's not a bad teacher, he just needs help teaching the class better. I was so mad and so stressed out before, but after I talked to the department chair, I realized that he is trying to help us out. He definitely has time management or busy issues - I get that, but he needs to post stuff sooner. The big exam is today and I'm feeling a little shaky on the material, but I'm just making minor mistakes. I'm naming some stuff wrong and forgetting a hydrogen on some stuff....Nothing too major,it can be corrected.