An alert EMUTalk.org reader suggested that I post a link to this article from last week’s Inside Higher Ed, “Who Really Failed?” Here are the opening paragraphs:
Dominique G. Homberger won’t apologize for setting high expectations for her students.
The biology professor at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge gives brief quizzes at the beginning of every class, to assure attendance and to make sure students are doing the reading. On her tests, she doesn’t use a curve, as she believes that students must achieve mastery of the subject matter, not just achieve more mastery than the worst students in the course. For multiple choice questions, she gives 10 possible answers, not the expected 4, as she doesn’t want students to get very far with guessing.
Students in introductory biology don’t need to worry about meeting her standards anymore. LSU removed her from teaching, mid-semester, and raised the grades of students in the class. In so doing, the university’s administration has set off a debate about grade inflation, due process and a professor’s right to set standards in her own course.
There are a couple of things about this story that make it a little more complicated than another debate about grade inflation and a professor’s rights to set standards. According to the dean involved, 90% of the students in Homberger’s class of non-science majors were either failing the class at mid-term or had already dropped it. In my way of looking at things, if 90% of students are failing, there’s a problem with the teacher.
Further, it turns out that Homberger had not taught an introductory course like this one for about 15 years. I can’t speak for what it’s like in the sciences, but when it comes to writing classes, first year students and graduate students are miles and miles apart, and it would be a problem if I went into an first year composition course with the same expectations as I have in my graduate course. Homberger deserves some of the blame for that too, though I also think that her department leaders should have given her a little guidance.
I’m not sure how we can lay blame unless we were given access to all the materials. I don’t know if it’s the instructor’s fault if 90% are failing…how many people in this class are we talking about? Was the material too high level, or were the students not putting in the time and effort?
I think having 10 multiple choice questions instead of 4 is the call of the instructor.
Do note the Dean claimed “90% failing or DROPPED…” so we don’t even have a clear picture of how many were failing.
And…no matter what the number…if this instructor was teaching at an appropriate level, what was he supposed to do if some 90% simply didn’t study enough?
Looking over the full article, there are a few disturbing facts:
1. Homberger gave 2 tests and a series of quizzes and improvement was part of their grades. She stated many were improving a lot and this effected grades. She was removed after test #2, which she also cited a lot of improvement. AND she gave extra credit questions. The semester wasn’t over yet. This also implies some students dropped before the second test or right around it.
2. She was removed from class with NO discussion from a superior to her about these issues. No hearing, no Dept. Head friendly chat asking “hey what’s going on here?,” nothing from a dept. advisory counsel, no grade grievance… nothing. Just a lot of student complaints to a Dean and you are gone at midterm.
3. A bunch of non major students who complained…seem to “know more” about what is appropriate test content and grading system than a tenured professor in that subject who I assume has a record of accomplishment and research in that field?
I’ve seen this attitude at EMU…college professors are not short order cooks, nor should a class be treated like Burger King where you “have it your way” with an B+ and an order of fries… just for complaining enough.