Re: As eh?

[Richard Coe <coe@sfu.ca>]

Concern about students' supposed inability to write goes back only to the mid-19th century (far earlier than 1894, but the most common example is also from Harvard).  

----- Original Message -----
From: "Abraham Punnen" <apunnen@sfu.ca>
To: "Steve DiPaola" <sdipaola@sfu.ca>, "JD Fleming" <jfleming@sfu.ca>
Cc: "academic-discussion" <academic-discussion@sfu.ca>
Sent: Friday, April 1, 2016 12:39:11 PM
Subject: RE: As eh?

Discussions on grade inflation and low academic standards appear periodically, often based on inaccurate generalizations. Concerns about grade inflation is very old (examples exist from 18th century).  Quoting from http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/dangerous-myth-grade-inflation/ 

 

“Grades A and B are sometimes given too readily — Grade A for work of no very high merit, and Grade B for work not far above mediocrity. … One of the chief obstacles to raising the standards of the degree is the readiness with which insincere students gain passable grades by sham work.

 

–Report of the Committee on Raising the Standard, Harvard University, 1894”

 

Abraham Punnen

 

From: dipaola@gmail.com [mailto:dipaola@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Steve DiPaola
Sent: Friday, April 1, 2016 10:17 AM
To: JD Fleming <jfleming@sfu.ca>
Cc: academic-discussion <academic-discussion@sfu.ca>
Subject: Re: As eh?

 

I have taught at NYIT, Stanford University and now 10+ years at SFU. I have been Director of SFU Cog Sci and Grad Chair at SFU SIAT and a main member of the Stanford University Digital Art Center ( SUDAC) so have approved many many course grade sheets besides given out my grades for 20 years - during that time I have never seen at the undergrad level, courses that have had mostly As (or and A average) - not even close - surely not at any of these 3 research based (US and Canadian) University systems. I find the study questionable. I am saddened that it is getting international press and is not being questioned.




-  Steve DiPaola    -  -  
 - Prof: Sch of Interactive Arts & Technology (SIAT);  

 - Undergraduate Chair: Cognitive Science Program; 

 - - Simon Fraser University - 
 - -  Web:   http://ivizlab.sfu.ca <http://ivizlab.sfu.ca/research> 

 

On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 10:08 AM, JD Fleming <jfleming@sfu.ca <mailto:jfleming@sfu.ca> > wrote:

perhaps of interest

 

 

 


GPA “arms race” makes “A” most common grade in US higher ed


The scramble to attract more students has resulted in a “GPA arms race” among American higher ed institutions, writes Catherine Rampell for The Washington Post, and this process has led to more “A" grades being awarded than ever before. According to a recent study from Duke University, 45.3% of all grades issued by US colleges are an “A.” Another 33.6% are “B”s, while only 3.5% are “F”s. Rampell explores a number of potential causes for this grade inflation. But whatever the reasons, she concludes, “without collective action—which means both standing up to students and publicly shaming other schools into adopting higher standards—the arms race will continue.”

 <http://academica.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=adff35e3091cad1452f767ad5&id=52d1225e0d&e=c9d33ec380> Washington Post

 

 

 

-- 

James Dougal Fleming
Associate Professor
Department of English
Simon Fraser University

778-782-4713 <tel:778-782-4713> 

 

Burnaby -- British Columbia -- Canada.

 

"You will be careful to keep them separate, citizen?"

--A Tale of Two Cities