Grade inflation—higher grades awarded without a commensurate increase in learning—is a documented problem in higher education. It is fueled by a consumerist educational environment, the desire to please students and parents, the connection of student satisfaction surveys (e.g., “course evaluations”) with employment and promotion, and coddlers who view any source of student stress as problematic. Combined with […]| Minding The Campus
I teach at an Ivy League university. I can’t count how many colleagues have told me that they “just give everyone an A.” This mindset doesn’t belong to just one instructor, department, discipline, or generation. I do not “out” any one or two particular people when I describe my experience with grade inflation. It’s happening […]| Minding The Campus
For decades, schools have followed a policy of promoting students regardless of whether they meet established standards, often justified by the belief that students will “catch up” when they “find their passion.” However, many never do, and for reasons rooted in basic biology. The brain allocates energy to a task only when it expects a […]| Minding The Campus