In a blog post for last Thursday I indicated that a policy I put in my syllabus to put an end to the end-of- semester lobbying, begging, etc., for grade changes, extra credit, had stopped the flow of students to my office or e-mail inbox. Well, such did not remain the case. Here are three e-mails I was actually sent over the weekend that have not been edited other than to take out the names of the students who sent them to me:
"How are you! This is Student X in your HR class, I got 95% of the grades after my team case study, but my percentage was deducted to 91% after an absence of other teams' presentations, which means my grade was dropped from A to B. I did not know that there would be a 50-point deduction for every absence of the team case studies before my absence, and this is the only class I missed of the whole semester. So can I have the chance to make up for the points so that I can still get an A? Thank you very much and have a great week!"
"hello, i am a student from sales class and i want to ask that if all the grades updates until now in the blackboard system is the final version. Is this all of our grades posted..? so at the bottom percentage is our grade of this semester? Personally, i really really really.. need to get A out of this class..like i
need to ... ( and i am 92 % according to blackboard ...is there NO WAY?!?! that i can get 1% or point some percent maybe?..is this all i can get? i really want to ask you a favor..know it's hard but i really really need to get an A.:( and i worked hard... so please consider anything anything i can do and let me know.
thanks much,
Student Y
"Is there anything I could do to improve my class grade? My current score is 89, not far away from an A. If you check my attendance, you would realize that its perfect, and I truly believe I excelled in performing the sale of products. I sold my share of merchandise and helped fellow teammates. I was an active participant in class, and felt I gave the class the time it deserved. The one mistake I did regarding class was not turning in one peer evaluation. I don't think its fair that this paper is given too much emphasis. In many courses, one may learn from failures after looking at the errors in an exam but I believe that HTM 331 is a learn or don't learn "in class" course. If someone did not
succeed in selling, then perhaps they should revise their approach to different behavioral styles. If students never learned how to sell, there is no written paper they can look back to see what they did wrong. There is no point of reflection in the course as if there was a second chance to sell a product. I
honestly tell you that I have completed this course with a new perspective regarding my relationships in life. Whether it is with my roommate, family, or a professional contact; I truly believe in the The Platinum Rule for Sales Mastery, and how it is helpful in understanding people's behavior. I would
greatly appreciate your consideration in this matter. Thank you very much.
Kind Regards,
Student Z
Here is my actual response to Student Y, which is basically the same version for all three students and any others that try to win special favors:
"The grades are up to date and all posted. The time to earn an A in the class has passed via the course assignments. I do not make individual concessions to any one student. What you are asking me to do is engage in unethical behavior and disappointed that you would ask me to change my policies just for you and not offer the same opportunity to all students. That would be unethical."
Dr. La Lopa
So far there has not been a response to the e-mail that I sent to the students, except for Student Y who apologized once the reality of the question was put into an ethical perspective. Since we place a great deal of emphasis on ethics in our department I trust this will not be one last lesson lost on these and other students who try to do the same. Should you feel like voicing your frustration or sharing similar stories and how you handled them please respond anonymously to this post or send me something to share as a future post to the benefit of our learning community.
4 comments:
Before you read this please note I agree with you and this regards but like to through in some outside thinking and to let you know what a wonderful blog you have!.
I need to add my two cents not so much on the ethics. But on education as a whole and the ethics on the teaching side. First some background, I teach in a way different environment then most. We call it "competency based teaching" which has some wonderful benefits as well as wonderful downfalls. We tend to be model of keep trying until you pass (of course within reason). We have minimum standards to achieve but really do not have to worry with the whining that goes into grading. Meaning this false perception that they (students) need to have an "A" grade. We have standards and let the students continue to redo the assignment until they reach that standard. So it may take a student 1 time to pass the test and another 3 times to pass the test but all need to pass the test with the minimum standard. Students are here from all times of the day and continue to leave at all times not as structured as traditional college format. I do not have one student working in the same thing everyday. I have adult students and 5 different H.S schools coming into my class at all time with two yes only two instructors!. Truly a facilitator heaven (I think John Dewey would be proud.) When you enter in my classroom you notice students engaged in the principals they are learning. I must admit how nice it would be to lecture in front of students on a particular subject have an assignment and then grade that assignment and move on or to even tell them to try it at home and e-mail the response. Even to have a set time to study and have office hours strictly for the purpose of helping students out. But at the same time wonder WHY? Is that our purpose to brand there thinking? How was the "A" student was more ethical than the C student. Wasn't the C student more ethical because he accepted his grade and knew and read the policies and accepted the consequences? So in that fact the C student should of received the "A" grade, because he was more ethical and followed your lead and instructions. Is that ethics? Because he followed the ethics outlined in the syllabus at the beginning of the class he will just receive and accept the "C" but was more ethical? So what are we accomplishing as teachers? How are we standing and delivering? Hopefully not by just branding a grade on the students. I think there is some beautiful wisdom in some of the old world apprenticeship training models as well as competency based models. I often wonder how wonderful it would be, to be Chef Careme apprentice. But how disappointed I would be if I was in one of 300 in his auditorium while he was demonstrating in the front or even worse had a power point on each of the steps he did to create such an elaborate meal! So is this ethical? Charge the students thousands of dollars, brand them as A B C? Should it be more of a manner that they have paid us to help them be and become an A students? I think there are some great irony in how and what we teach. We can say from the "A" student was there, can read, can memorize but can we say that they can DO IT?! Have we gave them real world experience? Can we give them a million dollars and say to them use it for the better good after all they did get an "A" in ethics class?
They know the foundation of what taught in class but did they break an ethical rule or just the teachers small box of rules, do we want them to think outside that box? We always give these great paradox's to our students. Think outside the box but don't in my class. They found a problem and tried to solve it? If you go to a sales meeting and did not get the outcome; would you not continue to persuade or talk until negotiations where final to improve you overall status or the status of the company you are working for, after all that is what you are paid to do?! So by this hard line stance what are you teaching? This is the way to think? This is the way to act? So if the recipe says add cinnamon and all you have is cassia you are stuck? Because of the inability to think outside the box? The inability to try to improve. Because you are such a great "A" student and this is what you memorized in the recipe? This is should be the students ethical or moral code, taught at school? Did you strive to at every opportunity to get that "A"? I remember a movie in my undergraduate philosophy class called the go-getter. The basic was the guy was told he was average his whole life and ended up being one of the richest people because he never stopped going and getting.
So the big question is is this ethics you are giving as a reason? Or the want and need to be fair and consistent with all students? Is there a difference at all? Is fair and consistence ethics and moral codes?
Love the blog and response enjoy them all!
Sorry I had to post it in two sections!
Wow, great comments and questions! I love competency based teaching and have experimented with it here at Purdue. The students liked a chance at mastery where effort was rewarded. I see some of your points on who is the most ethical -- the student who accepts a C or lobbies for an A - but all students get a chance to complete the assignments and seek assistance and never sure what is behind the reason a student gets a C. Effort? Interest? Ability? I never know but it is worth finding out. Great comments and thanks for the kind words on the blog
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