WWYD? Should I challenge my grade?

[lauren grier]

If you feel you are being graded unfairly, then by all means.. I would do something about it.
My biggest.. chuckle? here is that this is clearly not an english or writing course correct? She shouldn't be giving you a C because she disagrees with your paragraph organization - if you met all other guidelines for the assignment.
She sounds like a very particular/difficult teacher- which is a good t hing, it challenges you.. However- she also sounds like a scatter brain which is not helpful. Marking wrong answers that were based on the coursework she provided earlier is just wacko. Did you bring that specific issue up with her? Showing her your notes etc?

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by lauren grier

My biggest.. chuckle? here is that this is clearly not an english or writing course correct? She shouldn't be giving you a C because she disagrees with your paragraph organization - if you met all other guidelines for the assignment.

Yes, it is definitely not an English course. It is a course in Visual Merchandising. Most of our professors put a certain weight on grammar, such as 10% of the grade is grammar based, and the other 90% is meeting the requirements in content. Instead, she chose to weight the grade on grammar so much that my paragraph set-up cost me 28% of my grade. Additionally, many professors will give a clear rubric, stating how much emphasis is on what features and requirements. This professor never gives a rubric stating how much weight is on each portion of the project, which is odd.


I discussed the issue with the discrepancy in the notes. She firmly states that I must have mis-typed the notes for the assignment. I know for a fact I didn't.

[KyRainbow]

Well, didn't you say that that particular portion of the exam was one she noted as having a "lot of people" having lost points on? If so, I think I'd check with a few of the other students in the class and see if they have the same discrepancies in their notes. If so, then maybe you could approach her as a group about that particular issue.

[dgreenshield]

The additional column in the spreadsheet, I would blow off. As for the definitions, are her presentations on blackboard? Contact a couple of other students and ask to see their notes for those particular lectures. If they have the same definitions, find out if they lost points on those areas as well. If you have your exams to compare then I would look at those questions and then collectively ask her about them. I would not go to your advisor or dean until you have exhausted your options with her.

[jessica31876]

Id let it slide. If you receive an A in the class is it really going to matter if it is a 93-A or a 100-A? I dont know about how college is but my son had a test and he had a problem which was RIGHT 100% right. I took it to the teacher myself and she became even more critical of my son. She assigned a "family project" where he had to research and write about three different figures in US history. I cannot remember who he chose but I do clearly remember one was Abraham Lincoln. I helped a little as it said on the paper family help was allowed. We got info online and from books but she did not require him to site his sources. One of the sources was wikipedia I think. We copied the line about when/where Abraham Lincoln was born. I dont remember the date but the sentence on the site was : Abraham Lincoln was born on xx/xx/xxxx in whatever city. Something like that. It was the ONLY sentence copied exactly. He got an F on it. First she claimed she had never said it was a family project and had a new flyer...in fact a huge stack of flyers saying it wasnt when I called to have a meeting with the principal. It was different then the one my son brought home but of course I could not find the one he had brought home saying your family could help. When I asked them to show me where my son plagarized the site they could site only that one sentence in a report which was one full page long. How many more ways is there to word so and so was born on such a day? I was beyond angry. She was clearly targetting my son at that point. So I insisted he be moved and he was. He did so much better in the new class and I never had an issue with the new teacher. So my point is if you challenge the teacher it may make you a target and if you already receiving a good grade maybe its not worth it to become a target.

[newfiemountiewife]

Originally Posted by dgreenshield

The additional column in the spreadsheet, I would blow off. As for the definitions, are her presentations on blackboard? Contact a couple of other students and ask to see their notes for those particular lectures. If they have the same definitions, find out if they lost points on those areas as well. If you have your exams to compare then I would look at those questions and then collectively ask her about them. I would not go to your advisor or dean until you have exhausted your options with her.

This.

[Jengerbread88]

I spoke to the other student about the notes. No one else in the class takes notes- I asked every single student. (Then again, everyone else has a C to an F in the class, so I guess it makes sense). However, across the board, all tests listed the same stores I did in the same categories I did, so that may be something to consider. Why would we ALL have listed it under the same category?

Jessica, the reason that it DOES matter to me if I have a 93% A versus a 100% A is that our school decides GPA based on the percent you have, not the letter grade. I had a separate class online that I got an 86% in, and need the extra boost in my GPA to get on the honor roll. I need an additional 3% right now in this class to balance it out. If the grades I disagree with were raised, I would have a 98%, which is above the 3% I need. That's the only reason I'd consider fighting something that is an A anyway.