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Grade Inflation in Higher Education
ProfBooty writes "A recent Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post on grade inflation by a Professor at Duke. Obviously this guy doesn't teach engineering courses. Quite honestly, I can't understand why science and engineering majors are held to one standard for grades and academics versus humanities majors even in the same school. Perhaps it is because people's lives hang in the balance when they interact with the products and structures designed by science/engineering students. Perhaps it is because they aren't worried about hurting students self esteem? It really is too bad the media doesn't report enough on education from the technical side."
Liberal arts majors have the social skills to negotiate higher grades.
;-)
Engineers don't.
So close and yet so far from the world's perfect ID number
Whatever you do, be sure to take ANY class taught by "Stuart Rojstaczer"! You'll get an "A"!
because a real engineer like me gets A for engineering courses but B for humanities. ;)
I want to go to one of those schools. I'm tired of working for my Bs.
If the liberal arts majors are smart they'll keep their comments to themselves. Otherwise they can do their own damned math homework.
Skinner: Superintendent Chalmers, welcome!
Chalmers: [dryly] Hello, Seymour.
Skinner: So, what's the word down at One School Board Plaza?
Chalmers: We're dropping the geography requirement. The children weren't testing well. It's proving to be an embarrassment.
Skinner: Very good. Back to the three R's.
Chalmers: Two R's, come October.
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
When I was in grad school at Columbia, I taught one of the undergrad Microeconomics courses for a few semesters. All of the students griped about the fact that I graded against a B average instead of the B+/A- average that was common in the economics department.
But nothing topped the reaction of one of the students I had given a D to. First he came and pleaded with me. Then, he came and basically threatened me. When I still refused to change his grade, his parents got involved and contacted the head of the department. He refused to overrule me since my grading formula was very objective.
After that, they went to the dean of the school and tried to have me brought before the faculty senate on charges of bias against members of the football team. When that didn't go anywhere, they tried to wear the department down by calling a few times a week to complain. The mother's phone calls became a running joke around the department.
Things finally came to an end when a work-study in the department answered one of her calls and told her "I know your son. He never studies and totally deserved that grade". She was so embarassed that she never called back again!
I pulled a straight 0.0 for 3 semesters before they kicked me out.
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Also keep in mind that Civil Engineers build targets; Aerospace Engineers build ways to remove targets.
I doubt if the CE profs mentioned this little fact either.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
Ben