LSU Removes Professor for grading too hard

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hortonka, Apr 16, 2010.

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  1. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Yes, academic standards are important. However, all too often narcissistic instructors rely on the "my poop doesn't stink" defense. Using self-styled, untested instructional methods to enforce academic standards is a load of poop. As if nobody else in the administration or faculty knows about what is acceptable and proper in the classroom. Come on now. Your poop does stink! Moreover, shifting the unit of analysis from the instructor to the entire faculty is also illogical...
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I was just talking about that to some one. It comes down to "do you want to be right or give the answer they want? I have only taken 11 Microsoft exams and 6 CompTIA but the Microsoft are by far the worst.
     
  3. ProfTim

    ProfTim Member

    Amen to this! I have a student who is carrying a 4.0 GPA in her prior course work and currently has an A- in my class right now. She is threatening to withdraw from the class because that will mess up her 4.0 GPA. While I understand her desire to graduate with the 4.0, it is something that truly needs to be earned or it is meaningless. I personally think our institution has way too many students who are graduating with honors for having high grade point averages.
     
  4. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    This incident wasn't limited to a parent, student and professor. It included all the students in the class and a college administration that thought it serious enough to take a drastic measure. It looks like more was happening than simply a hard class. The biology dept. probably hears lots of whining every semester and takes no action.
     
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator


    I have encountered the same thing and always offer to help them get work done properly to earn the points needed! Some failing students have asked for an "extra credit assignment" to turn a failing grade into a passing grade as if one magic assignment will take them from a 50% to a 90%. My response is the same, "you can make up all the missing work for partial credit and that will boost your grade". That is usually the end of the conversation.
     
  6. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I try to build an opportunity for extra credit into many of my lesson plans. It's surprising how many of my students choose not to go to the extra work.
     
  7. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    >>

    In my classes 99.99% of the time, the ONLY student who does extra credit is already earning an A. <shrug>
     
  8. ProfTim

    ProfTim Member

    My school has a policy that forbids extra credit assignments.
     
  9. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    That said, this is a professor with 30 years service we're talking about and where there's a conflict between administration/students and a person tenured for that long.. I'm not going to take the side of the parents, students or administration without full disclosure, which we don't have.

    If there was a huge problem with that person, it should have been well-documented regardless of what level of class she was teaching over the course of the last 2 decades. This sort of thing doesn't just crop up suddenly because of "new" students. It's more than that and there's more than just one person at fault. (which is the primary reason I'm railing out against the supposed parent that posted here to defend his or her kid.)

    If she's truly as off as some have stated, she shouldn't be teaching at all. The fact that she is still allowed to teach at any level indicates the students share fault. Where's the article about that?
     
  10. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    The problem likely came from her new teaching assignment. This was her first introductory course in 15 years. She'd previously been teaching only upper level and graduate courses.
     
  11. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    Yes, but Tony lets not put on blinders.

    The complaints that the parent in the thread above arose, plus what's in the article suggest that the prof had issues that would have stymied upper-level students as well. This provided that we accept 224L as being something more than a spammer looking to incite. (which perhaps I'm being too gullible.)
     
  12. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    If this is true, then no student could be expected to survive. If every teacher was like this, than a formal education would make one less intelligent and less qualified to apply their knowledge to the real world. IF IF IF IF IF this is true. The point that I want to emphasize above all is that we just don't know. The above quote might really be from a real parent of a real student who experienced this... but even if it isn't, we have no way of knowing whether or not the accusations against the professor true anyway. The article was very pro-professor and only quoted a general statement from the school (these general statements, cleverly put in the wrong context can easily give the appearance of one trying to "hide something" or artfully absolve oneself of guilt. for reference, watch FOX's Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land On the Moon? and watch NASA's statements clipped, interjected and mishandled in every single instance). The administration is not quoted at all in the article in response to any specific issue of the quality of the professor's teaching.

    The question that we are all left with is whether the above quote is the reason that the teacher was removed from the class, or whether the below quote is.

    My opinion on the issue would sway depending, but we simply can not know unless we have more information.... which we may never.
     

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