A University of
Minnesota chemistry professor has thrust the U into a national debate about
grade inflation and the rigor of college, pushing his colleagues to stop
pretending that average students are excellent and start making clear to
employers which students are earning their A's.
"I would like to state my own alarm and dismay at the degree to which grade compression ... has infected some of our colleges," said Christopher Cramer, chairman of the Faculty Consultative Committee. "I think we are at serious risk, through the abandonment of our own commitment of rigorous academic standards, of having outside standards imposed upon us."
National studies and
surveys suggest that college students now get more A's than any other grade
even though they spend less time studying.
Cramer's solution -- to tack onto every transcript the percentage of
students that also got that grade -- has split the faculty and highlighted how
tricky it can be to define, much less combat, grade inflation. Some professors caution that forced standards
could backfire and punish high-achieving students. Others also argue that
doling out fewer A's and more B's and C's could result in harsher student
evaluations, which factor into promotion and tenure decisions...
Full article at http://www.startribune.com/local/154595855.html
Inside Higher Ed summary at http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/05/30/debate-minnesota-over-grade-inflation
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