Graded Unfairly, what should I do?

baktrax
Sat, 20 Jun 2015 23:52:36 +0000

believe her grading system is unfair, grade replacement allows one student to eliminate an unflattering but accurate assessment of his or her knowledge from the course grade.
While another student is required to accept the same assessment as part of the course grade (original course grading). The fact that all students are wronged ―equally, does not justify her practice.

But my point is that you had the option to replace your midterm grade with your final grade as well. If you’re grade was calculated with the original grading scale, it is because that was the most beneficial grading scale for you. You can request that your grade be recalculated with the new grading scale that other students used (out of principle, I guess), but your grade would be lower (and would still be a B). Letting students use the old scale if it is better for them is still fair because that was the grading scale that students were aware of at the start of the course. You’re right–it was changed in the middle. So your professor allowed students to use the grading scale that was more beneficial to them.

What would make it unfair is if certain select students were allowed to replace their midterm grade, while other students were not. ALL students (at least, this is my understanding) were allowed to replace their midterm grade with their final grade, including you. She probably assumed that if this new grading system hurt your grade that you would prefer to go with the old grading system, and since that was the grading system that was spelled out at the beginning of the course, she decided to honor that system if that was better for any particular student. You still, I’m sure, have the option (just like everyone else) to replace your midterm grade with your final exam, but since this would give you the lower grade, I think your professor assumed that you wouldn’t like this.

If you’re just arguing out of principle that you shouldn’t have different students using different grading systems (meaning different assignments are worth a different percentage of their grade), then fine. Ask your professor to recalculate your grade with the new grading system that she changed to so that you’re graded the same way as everyone else. Your grade will go down, but you will still get your B. You can’t make her recalculate everyone else’s grades to the system that you prefer though. That is not your decision to make.

perhaps what you are trying to say is that you would have felt it was more fair if she had kept all the grades as is, and curved the score? That probably would have given you an A. I could understand that.

I agree with this, though. That may have been the preferable system for you, but it was the professor’s call with how she wanted to handle the situation. That sucks, but it’s life.