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an unsurprising academic study

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
The concept of extra credit is ludicrious. If someone works harder than the rest of the class, that's called competition. If you can't compete, get out of the way of those who want to.
I've had college courses both ways and I definitely worked harder in the courses sans extra credit. Some of my professors in my entrepreneurial classes would in fact purposefully write the requirements of the class/projects/tests in the syllabus at a 70% (minimum required to pass). Meaning if I did everything outlined in the syllabus to a T, I would get a 70% for the course. If I wanted anything above that I had to figure out on my own how to go above and beyond the requirements on a particular assignment or project.

On the flip side, my least favorite classes were my law, finance, accounting classes where my entire grade for the semester was decided by an average of 3 exams.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,102
1,153
NC
So mostly this........
Guess I'm just saying that the discrepancy between those that excel and those that skate by is bigger than it needs to be, and I suspect that bringing up the minimum standards will result in the majority of those students rising to meet them (and thus learning more) rather than failing out.

This really doesn't reflect on the capability of our universities to provide a good education. I worked my ass off for my degree and learned a sh*t ton. I just think the minimum standards (for some programs) are too low when people who don't grasp a single concept out of the class they just took are still passing them.

Most science/engineering majors are much better insulated to this kind of thing because there's little you can do to fake it in such programs.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
I've heard recently that many state universities in the future will be recieving state funding as a function of student retention/graduation. This means that, like in so many high school systems, the professors will be prompted to pass or advance marginal students that otherwise they would not, because it will reflect poorly on them for failing too many students and causing the school to miss out on $$$. The end result will undoubtedly be lower overall standards/test scores. This might already be the case in some places, Im not sure.

Anyway, college wasn't real hard for me. Most people don't put much effort into it at all, so even half-assing it makes you look pretty good. Grad school is a whole different animal though. Thankfully Im in my last semester.
 

TheMontashu

Pourly Tatteued Jeu
Mar 15, 2004
5,549
0
I'm homeless
Agreed, that's what I meant by having all of these avenues to pass the course.

A few difficult and rigorously graded papers/tests pretty much forces you to learn at least some subject matter, even if it gets forgotten.

So many teachers now offer extra credit, a hundred piddly projects, fifty small, easy quizzes to supplement the big tests... like it's doing all the kids a favor that they can fail the final and fail to write a coherent paper, but still get a C by passing their side projects that contribute little to learning.
Funny, cause none of my teachers give much in the way of extra credit. I had a history teacher that did, but he made it incredibly hard, and it really wasn't even worth the points. We had to choose 3 of 5 questions at the end of the test to write 5 paragraph essays on, the extra credit gave you a 1% bonus on the test, and you had to write on the other 2 prompts.



I guess it makes things easier for me because I actually go to class every day, I only average 1 or 2 absences per class per semester. It's also amazing how much showing up and participating and class helps your grade
 

TheMontashu

Pourly Tatteued Jeu
Mar 15, 2004
5,549
0
I'm homeless
So, we've learned that students who go to school just to get a job do a ****ty job of actually learning?

You can't teach passion.
If there was still a working class economy in this country, we might not have so many kids that are ONLY their to get a job that's good enough to buy a house with........
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
Speaking of credentials, where the hell did you hear that? Glenn Beck?
i don't think he comments on anything but hillsdale college
On the flip side, my least favorite classes were my law, finance, accounting classes where my entire grade for the semester was decided by an average of 3 exams.
unless you're pullin pints of natty boh for $2.01 + tips @ hammerjacks, this is pretty much how the real world works
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
i don't think he comments on anything but hillsdale college
unless you're pullin pints of natty boh for $2.01 + tips @ hammerjacks, this is pretty much how the real world works
mmmmmm natty boh :drool: and :rofl: @ hammerjacks (went out of business)

I guess my point was: How many job performances are decided by 3 singular events? The whole 3 exams per semester = your grade always seemed like a cop-out for professors that didn't feel like grading more assignments. I realize in certain instances it's necessary to structure the grading this way: entry level classes, large auditorium style classes, pass/fail classes.

For me, this type of grading structure was the least helpful in terms of actual learning. Memorize everything before the test, execute during the test, and forget afterwards. The classes I learned the most from were the ones with big semester long projects, group assignments, presentations, and a combination of tests and exams. And coincidentally it was always the better professors that structured their classes this way.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
For me, this type of grading structure was the least helpful in terms of actual learning. Memorize everything before the test, execute during the test, and forget afterwards. The classes I learned the most from were the ones with big semester long projects, group assignments, presentations, and a combination of tests and exams. And coincidentally it was always the better professors that structured their classes this way.
Depends on the class and the style of test. If it's some multiple choice test asking you a bunch of random facts you should have memorized, Id say it's not very helpful longterm, but there are situations in which this is the only type of exam possible. For instance I just had a class in identifying freshwater mussels. Final was about 100 mussel shells laid out on some tables, and I had to go around and identify them. How else are you going to prove you have learned them?
 
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ohio

The Fresno Kid
Nov 26, 2001
6,649
24
SF, CA
Sure, I completely agree. The lack of learning by some doesn't mean that those who do study don't have a lot of education at their fingertips.

I just mean that the standards for passing are so ridiculously low in many cases/many majors, it does nothing to help encourage the unmotivated student to actually learn.
Complete agreement. Grade inflation, shrinking endowments, competition between schools, and American sense of entitlement have turned the average college experience into 4 years of summer camp. But the education is still there, it's just that students don't have to receive it if they don't want to.

There is room for academic rigor AND an unhealthy drug and booze filled college experience. That pretty well describes mine.

What are these studies, and do they include the entirety of the educational system? There are good schools out there and there are crap ones (for-profit ones come to mind immediately…).
No it's not the entirety of the system because it's nearly impossible to pick a point to cut off the long tail (see U of Phoenix reference). It's for the top hundred or several hundred, which is to say, if you want to get a good (let alone great) education, most of the universities you would consider are in the US.

This, along with English as a native language, is the reason we attract more international students than any other nation, both in absolute terms and per capita at our Universities. It's certainly not because of our cheap tuition and friendly student visa policies.

Here's one (reasonably reputable) example:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_Ranking_of_World_Universities#Rankings
This is their top 100 globally for the last 5 years. More american flags than every other country combined.

While there is plenty of room for improvement (more multi-disciplinary teaching/learning, more contextual/real-world problem solving) and grade inflation is out of control, we still do the best job of staying true to liberal arts by encouraging debate and critical thinking. This produces IMO the most adaptable and creative graduates in the world (unfortunately, they are also IMO the most egotistical, entitled, and lazy of university graduates).
 
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