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Of course there’s a rational argument to using the distribution of scores to set the grades: If everyone in the class gets half the questions wrong on the final
by seoaeu 4y ago
Of course there’s a rational argument to using the distribution of scores to set the grades: If everyone in the class gets half the questions wrong on the final exam, you shouldn’t just fail the whole class! The test was probably just harder than expected
But in that same example, if many of the students get close to 100% on the final by cheating, then the remainder of the class will suffer
- adlpz 4y agoI disgree. How hard it is to pass a class should be an absolute. It shouldn't be easier for one cohort over another just due to the first being, on average, less prepared than the second. If an exam turns out to be too hard the teacher can investigate, consult their peers, talk to their students and decide if it's worth to scale all grades by a factor to correct.
- derevaunseraun 4y ago> How hard it is to pass a class should be an absolute. It should be, but profs and TAs change from semester to semester. The coursework changes also. Also the profs, TAs, and coursework of prerequisites change too > It shouldn't be easier for one cohort over another just due to the first being, on average, less prepared than the second. A good professor will have the sense of discretion necessary to know when a class is half-assing on average
- myrion 4y agoNo, the proper response to that is still not a curve, it's to identify which block of questions wasn't appropriate and removing those from scoring or turning them into "bonus points" and similar measures. That way you don't incur any of the (pretty severe) drawbacks of a curve but don't punish students for questions that were badly phrased or weren't properly taught.
- chongli 4y agoSimply removing the offending questions after the fact doesn't solve everything. Students may have fruitlessly wasted a ton of time on those questions, causing their grade in other parts of the test to suffer.
- seoaeu 4y agoAre how do you suppose an instructor can identify which questions were too hard when a big chunk of the class got them right by cheating?