vent

So, I teach an intro class at the university level. It's an intro class, and satisfies a gen ed requirement. I believe that an intro class should be just that, an introduction to the university environment. Therefore, I structure the class with opportunities for extra credit, with opportunities to turn in work early for evaluation and feedback so that the student can improve the work and re-submit for a better grade.


I submitted the grades. Every semester, some fail, usually because they stopped attending or didn't do the work. IF they do the work, they usually end up with a B or better.

So this semester, B+ and A- grades were practically *gifts* to several students who did NOT take advantage of the repeated offer to turn in writing early so that it could be evaluated and resubmitted for an improved grade; who really didn't participate much (participation is 20% of the grade).

AND THEN

Two or three of these students asked WHY they got a "low" grade!!!

30% of the grade for this class is a writing assignment, which these students turned in BARELY in time (not early, for an opportunity for feedback). The assignments from all of these students were shorter than the minimum length AND full of grammatical errors.

THEN when I wrote back with a detailed explanation of how I arrived at the grade, the B+ wrote back saying, thanks for the explanation (in which I explained how I arrived at 86.95, a B+), and could I "bump up" the grade to an A-!!

I wrote back, ah, NO, if I "bump up" a 86.95, that makes it 87, which IS STILL A B+!!

So, I am NICE and then they want MORE??? I should have offered to re-evaluate the writing and grade it more appropriately!