I've seen this story circulating around the net, particularly in conservative circles, about a college professor who supposedly taught the evils of socialism using averaged grading of his class. Check out this link here for a variation on the story: http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/socialism.asp.
It's a dishonest representation of socialism, and an unfair representation of conditions present in America today. All the students in the putative class have equal access to the textbook, equal access to the professor, and all exams are graded equally and impartially.
In a situation of equal opportunity, yes, the harder a person works, the more likely they are to succeed and prosper, but what about when the cards are stacked against you from the start ? Let's set up a counter-situation and see how students fare, mimicing the current socio-economic state of the country today. I'll use a class I teach on computer mapping as guinea pigs and see how they fare under these conditions.
I have 50 students. I'll group them at the start, picking them randomly for each group, and provide each group with different resources, just as we're all born to different starting social and economic conditions.
Group 1 has 5 students. Each student is given a free textbook, a free laptop with the software installed on it, four hours a week of personal tutoring by me, and a review guide. Exams and assignments are optional, and if the student wishes to take an exam, copies of all past exams, with answers, will be accessible. At the end of the semester, if a student isn't happy with their grade, they can "buy up" a grade, for $100 a level (to go from a C to an A, for example, they'd have to pay me $200).
Group 2 has 15 students. They have to buy their own textbooks, and they can use the software on the computers in the school lab during regular business hours. There are three exams, all mandatory, and a set of 15 assignments. If they hand an assignment in late, they can make it up for half credit.
Group 3 has 15 students. They have to buy their own textbooks and software, and they may not work in the university computer lab. There are three exams, all mandatory, and a set of 15 assignments. There is an attendance policy; missed days may not be made up and missed assignments may not be made up.
Group 4 has 15 students. They are not allowed to buy the textbook; they have to rent it from me for $100/semester. They are responsible for purchasing or borrowing their own software. There are 3 exams, all cumulative, and a final exam. There is a course fee of $100; furthermore, each student must pay for the exam and assignment copies. There is an attendance policy; if they miss a day of class, they fail the course.
What grades do you think each group will get ? Even the stupidest student in Group 1 can get a grade of "A", without even having to show up for the course, whereas if the smartest student in the whole class is in Group 5 and misses a day of class due to illness, missed the bus, a sick kid, whever - they fail.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
---You are not describing the typical college class. Students have different course loads, a few probably have jobs, and they all have different backgrounds. What if a couple of them are retaking the course? A few in the class may be dealing with issues at home or with their roommates. That is not a level playing field and these situations affect study time and ultimately their class performance.
Whether this is based on real events or just an imagined scenario, the professor has a justified reason to employ his grading method if one believes in compensating for unequal opportunity. The hard working students should realize that no one is self-made and that they need to pay their effort forward to their fellow classmates.
.