Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ThePoet]

for higher grades...here is an interesting story for you to read:

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=2ce3e686-df3c-4097-b487-1dcfee447652&k=68720

Profs growing targets for student marks-manship
Today's generation not afraid to challenge bad grades

Keith Gerein
The Edmonton Journal


Monday, April 09, 2007

EDMONTON - University of Alberta biology professor Mike Harrington knew times had changed when he started getting the e-mails.

Students in his class were writing to complain about their grades, suggesting that their hard work in the course deserved a better reward than the Cs they were pulling in.

"I once got an e-mail from someone who was upset with his exam mark," Harrington recalls. "He didn't like that I had docked him for writing answers that were too long. I had to engage in a lengthy correspondence to explain my position."

In Harrington's days as an undergraduate, taking such bold action against an academic superior, was considered highly unusual, even rude. Not so anymore.

This month, as professors around Alberta get out their red pens to grade final exams and essays, they are also readying for phone

calls, e-mails and visits from students increasingly brave -- or brazen -- enough to confront them.

"Among our faculty, what we are finding is that students are attempting to negotiate a lot more things, including grades," says Cathryn Heslep, Grant MacEwan College's vice-president of student services.

"I can personally remember one young woman assuring me she was a B student, although all her grades reflected otherwise."

Undoubtedly, much of this behaviour is linked to the current demographics of academia, in which a larger and larger pool of students is competing for scholarships and acceptance to graduate programs. In such an environment, the difference between an A and an A-minus can mean a great deal, Heslep says.

Pressure to excel can also come from home, she adds, noting that parents of the current generation of students have tended to be steadfastly involved in their children's schooling from kindergarten on up.

In some extreme cases, moms and dads won't even wait for their children to approach a professor about a grade. Instead, they get on the phone and do it themselves.

SELF-CONFIDENT

"One of the other things we know about this generation is that because they have been treated in a very special manner from the time they were in the womb, they have a fair degree of street smarts, and they are also very self-confident," Heslep says.

"In my undergraduate years, I wouldn't say it was unheard of, but it was certainly rare that a student would challenge a professor.

"Back in those days, students didn't have the confidence that this new group has."

Arian Sweet, a student in MacEwan's mental health program, admits that he has gone to professors to get a grade improved. He says his professors are open to these discussions because they realize students may offer different perspectives on an exam question or paper.

"There are many ways to look at an issue, and people can find alternative answers that professors may not have been exposed to," Sweet says. "They tell us, 'If you can prove me wrong, I'll give you the marks.' That's what going to school is all about, challenging what you know."

Though some observers might suggest that too much emphasis on performance detracts from the goal of learning, Sweet says there is no reason to worry.

"If you are striving to get an A, then you are learning more and pushing yourself more."

Harrington says he doesn't mind when students challenge a grade, because sometimes that can uncover mistakes in the way scores were added.

However, students he can't help are those who try to blame someone or something else for their performance. He recalled the comments of one unhappy learner, who complained that having Monday quizzes forced her to study during her "personal time" on weekends.

Others have openly bemoaned his use of handouts in class, because they increase the amount of course material beyond what's covered in the textbook, he says.

MAKES A DEAL

Colleague Charles Lucy, a chemistry professor, makes a deal with students who want a better grade. He tells them he will re-mark their exam, but that he will look over every answer, not just the section the student is disputing.

For those who agree, about half see no change to their mark, a third get an increase, and a sixth do worse.

In cases when the two parties can't reach an agreement, students at most institutions have the option of filing a formal appeal.

At Grant MacEwan, the case goes first to the chair of the department, then to the dean, and finally to a special dispute committee.

Very few issues make it to this last stage, Heslep says, adding that appeals rarely go in a student's favour.

To reduce disputes, MacEwan's faculty are advised to prepare a

thorough course outline and then carefully explain it to students so

they understand the expectations, she says.

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[RACETRAITOR]

I remember in university I was sometimes able to weasel up my grade a few points. It's a talent more useful than anything you'll learn in biology.

[jdog2050]

[Kyrei]

I once challenged a grade from a PhD. student who was the professor of an Elizabethan (not Shakespearean) dramatic literature course. She disagreed with my take on the play so she gave me a C on the paper. I had proven my point and backed it up with appropriate support from the play. I eventually had to take it to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He agreed that I made my point but would not overturn the professor's grade and left it to me to change her mind. She and I argued about it, heatedly at times, and eventually she settled on a B. It really bothered me at the time, but that has nothing on the crap that I get handed every semester's end.

No matter how many times I emphasize that attendance is only worth 10%, I always get, "But teacher, I came to every class!" as a justifiable reason for receiving an A.

[Pak Yu Man]

[kermo]

I have students sending me long justifications *in Korean* as to why they deserve a great mark in English. This mystifies me, as they know my Korean isn't worth a pile of beans.