3 ms·
> Tough to do when you’re sharing a curve with a bunch of cheaters Are curves still that common these days? In my time at university, the only classes that got
by TulliusCicero 4y ago
> Tough to do when you’re sharing a curve with a bunch of cheaters
Are curves still that common these days? In my time at university, the only classes that got curved were a couple math classes that were curved in the students' favor.
- jefftk 4y agoCheating still a fairness issue even if the curve is "in your favor". The higher the scores of your classmates, the lower your post-curve score will be.
- sodality2 4y agoSometimes a "curve" can be a test that isn't norm-referenced, but instead just curved up on a straight static curve. For example, 10*sqrt(n) on a very difficult final can provide a grade boost to lower grades. It might be easier to just raise grades than to modify the test, if you see students that you feel should have passed, fail.
- TulliusCicero 4y agoYeah, fair.
- Sirened 4y agoCurves are extremely common in STEM classes today at Berkeley. I think I've only had a handful of upper division classes that were not curved. A lot of the internal discussion on curving vs not curving is based on the fact that building an exam which generates a good distribution is really hard, especially for classes where the understanding is very stratified due to differing backgrounds in the area.
- anonymoushn 4y agoover a decade ago, the only curved class I took was a calculus class entirely full of kids who went to college at 16, and the guy teaching it seemed to have no issue declaring that this class should contain the same proportion of C's as all his others, regardless of how well we learned calculus :)
- mrep 4y agoI think it highly depends on the school and degree. All my math classes and most of my CS classes at Purdue were curved.