Spring Break
Editorial: 'A for effort' policy unfair
Staff Editorial
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Opinions
Wouldn't it be nice if A's were just given out regardless of how well a student performed?
What if instead of basing grades off quality work that properly achieves a goal, professors graded students for so much as trying?
Sounds heavenly, doesn't it?
It's a nice thought, yes, but it's also completely unfair.
Too bad it happens.
Professors who base grades on just the effort students put forth in completing an assignment miss the point of grading altogether.
As much as some students may strive for good grades - spending hours studying and working on essays and projects in order to pass a class - they should be expected to come up with the right answer.
To students who execute the assignment correctly, giving someone a good grade on a sub-par submission based on the effort involved is incredibly unfair; why should that student get a good grade for trying when the work is still incorrect?
Of course the professor appreciates the effort the student put forth, but that doesn't justify rewarding a student for coming up with the wrong answer.
If a professor graded a student based on a student's response, a lower grade may serve as motivation for the student to work harder to do a better job next time.
However, if a professor gave the student an A and said, "Thanks for trying, have this free grade," the student might become lazy and expect good grades for every sub-par assignment submitted, provided, of course, the student could make it look like some effort was put forth.
It's been said college would be better if not for the papers, projects or exams hindering the party lifestyle one may wish to achieve.
Alas, students are still required to sit through lectures and absorb information that may be helpful to them for the rest of their lives.
It's tough and it can be grueling, but it's worth it in the end.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
What if instead of basing grades off quality work that properly achieves a goal, professors graded students for so much as trying?
Sounds heavenly, doesn't it?
It's a nice thought, yes, but it's also completely unfair.
Too bad it happens.
Professors who base grades on just the effort students put forth in completing an assignment miss the point of grading altogether.
As much as some students may strive for good grades - spending hours studying and working on essays and projects in order to pass a class - they should be expected to come up with the right answer.
To students who execute the assignment correctly, giving someone a good grade on a sub-par submission based on the effort involved is incredibly unfair; why should that student get a good grade for trying when the work is still incorrect?
Of course the professor appreciates the effort the student put forth, but that doesn't justify rewarding a student for coming up with the wrong answer.
If a professor graded a student based on a student's response, a lower grade may serve as motivation for the student to work harder to do a better job next time.
However, if a professor gave the student an A and said, "Thanks for trying, have this free grade," the student might become lazy and expect good grades for every sub-par assignment submitted, provided, of course, the student could make it look like some effort was put forth.
It's been said college would be better if not for the papers, projects or exams hindering the party lifestyle one may wish to achieve.
Alas, students are still required to sit through lectures and absorb information that may be helpful to them for the rest of their lives.
It's tough and it can be grueling, but it's worth it in the end.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Rouge
posted 4/02/09 @ 11:44 AM CST
How ironic this editorial came from the current DEN.
Never in the history of Eastern has there been a student group so accustomed to using the sentence, "But I tried. (Continued…)
Reader
posted 4/02/09 @ 10:23 PM CST
What the editors seem to not understand is that grades are already inflated.
Chuck Eberly
posted 4/06/09 @ 8:48 AM CST
Criteria for awarding marks in a course are, in most cases, based on standards of excellence, not on effort. A careful examination of average student performance on other campuses is warrented to determine if EIU marks are inflated. (Continued…)
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