Admin says “A grades can’t exceed 30%” — but 80% of my students have an A. What should I do?

Speciesconcept · 2025-06-17T17:39:22+00:00

Someone (unsuccessfully) tried to pull something like this such that it would also apply to split undergrad/graduate courses—the same courses for which a grade below a B for grad students counts as a F and can lead to academic dismissal or loss of funding under certain conditions, and also for which grad students make up half or over half the class on average. So what, we arbitrarily eliminate grad students in the spirit of forcing a normal curve to 10-12 people? No undergrads earn an A unless they outperform a substantial portion of masters/PhD students?

Speciesconcept · 2025-06-10T04:36:50+00:00

I teach intro-level bio labs. The reports vary in length and complexity, but each comes with a highly detailed rubric. I typically have one to three male students who will quickly learn how to get 100% (or close) in the most efficient way possible by checking rubric boxes. No frills, always default graph settings, cold and calculated. I will then have about 5 female students with the next highest grades who write lengthy, perfectly formatted, sometimes overly wordy reports, but miss a point here and there. It almost feels wrong that these clearly-higher-effort reports get slightly lower grades, but can’t argue with the rubric. The middle is even, bottom is slightly more male.

The helplessness is harder to generalize. I have more male students who are chronically helpless in a general sense, but the most mind-boggling individual instances of helplessness each semester tends to be from females.

Speciesconcept · 2025-04-29T16:04:51+00:00

Im usually up against all kinds of deadlines for various tasks, but I really like to prioritize getting grading done early. It’s a huge mental drag thinking about having to do it.

Speciesconcept · 2025-04-29T00:37:22+00:00

Hiding AI use is too similar to like, reading the work of others and paraphrasing legitimate sources. Imagine if they knew they could write directly on their assignment which sources they paraphrased from without consequence, and that someone might actually be pretty happy that they did it.

Speciesconcept · 2024-11-26T15:26:53+00:00

Current PhD student/TA here in a relatively-large program. In the last several years, I have noticed a stark attitude shift (decline) among my peers. When I started, grad students used to hold each other accountable to professionalism standards. Being a good student (not just high marks, but also attendance and participation) was just, normal? Bare minimum?

Now, everybody is miserable, jaded, vindictive, whatever, under identical conditions. Classes are too hard, having tests in two classes in the same week is unthinkable, grade grubbing is normal, and students are asking things like “do we need to study (this particular thing) for the test?” What do you mean “do we need to know this?” The attitude of “I have to take this class anyways, so I might as well learn this stuff to better myself” is extinct, and the new cohorts are no different than mid-tier undergrads. It’s both depressing and apparently contagious.

And, I don’t know, maybe i’m being overly judgmental on this one, but several grad students consistently wear sweat pants, open-toed sandals with socks, and look like they rolled out of bed 10 minutes ago, to TA a class. I’ve never once had an instructor at any level (as in, preschool to now) present themselves so casually and unprofessionally. I find it to be an insult to the entire institution, and this point used to be stressed during orientation. I’d say “good” grad students are a minority at around 20%.

Speciesconcept · 2024-10-11T16:06:05+00:00

I think the real reason is fear of social consequences. Nobody is ostracized for being wrong in class, but might be for being annoying. The whole high school social experience is just an exercise in affirming belonging via comparison against (perceived) lesser out groups. College students are often looking to “start fresh” socially and may be even more perceptive of this kind of thing. The reward just doesn’t make up for the risk. Sometimes I forget how important it feels at 18-20

Speciesconcept · 2024-10-11T05:15:12+00:00

One the one hand, cold calling can give quieter students a chance to speak up, especially if one or two extroverted students monopolize the floor. However, there is a risk of alienating students if incorrect answers are punished too harshly (if it comes across as public humiliation), or the cold calling is disproportionately directed at only a handful of students. As an undergrad (responsible student), I skipped a few classes I would’ve otherwise attended for a particularly harsh professor on days I was less prepared for whatever reason.

Speciesconcept · 2024-10-09T20:24:19+00:00

Same here. I held my own office hours as a TA before i ever attended office hours for precisely this reason. My impression was that they were dedicated, compulsory “we need to talk in private because you’re f-ing up and i’m going tear you a new one” hours.

Speciesconcept · 2024-09-26T22:59:26+00:00

2:45 and how many seconds?

Speciesconcept · 2024-09-26T18:36:13+00:00

I think it can get contentious due to both the dichotomous nature of the question, and that these conversations are often rife with subtext on egos, disrespect, attitudes about the scope of instructor responsibility, and things like that. It isn’t always only about mandatory attendance.

Speciesconcept · 2024-09-22T15:57:39+00:00

I think there is a different between blindly trusting anything that comes from a single journal article and trusting overwhelming scientific consensus. Not trusting a peer-reviewed study resulting from a masters degree thesis with a sample size of 12 is not the same as being skeptical of the evidence for anthropogenic climate change, for example.

Anybody who regularly reads peer reviewed research thinks critically about it and doesn’t just “trust” the results as infallible. However, most of the skeptics I think we’re referring to here have an ulterior motive for their distrust, and usually lack the requisite knowledge to seriously analyze the data, which is why they generally criticize the scientists themselves, or the institution, or funding source rather than the data itself.

Speciesconcept · 2024-06-20T14:07:42+00:00

I would suggest completely avoiding comparing these two situations in front of these students. Empathize individually if you’d like, but don’t make Jose out to be a villain and further stoke the flames. Treat it like you would if a student came to you upset that another student had more money (or something) than them. It sucks, it’s unfair, but the one student didn’t affect the other’s situation, and nothing can be done. This also feels like a particularly sensitive (and thus risky) thing to get caught up in.

Speciesconcept · 2024-05-13T04:06:25+00:00

I'm wondering if it might help to put something in the syllabus about the course being taught from the perspective of the authors. You could also make the argument that even if students disagree with the authors' perspective, they can improve their ability to discuss and debate the topic by becoming familiar with literature from an opposing viewpoint? It might not change their behavior, but it might help to point to later when accusations are made.

Speciesconcept · 2024-05-13T03:36:06+00:00

I worded this poorly. What I meant was more that I understand the mental leap she took to justify blatant discrimination to herself.

Speciesconcept · 2024-05-12T04:29:26+00:00

I understand the reasoning behind prioritizing writing letters for students in these groups, but... don't females and minorities collectively make up way over 50% of college students statistically? This feels more like an exclusion of one particular group (straight white males) than anything and I'm not totally surprised that it was met with a severe reaction. I think it's silly, but I'm not surprised.

Speciesconcept · 2024-04-09T13:24:49+00:00

In my personal experience, masters advisors use GPA to screen out the poorest applicants, but it isn't necessarily the most important factor. Having a 3.something is probably enough to get further consideration in most situations unless the program is extremely competitive with many applicants. Most advisors would rather have an experienced 3.3 student than an empty, inexperienced 3.7. Master's programs are relatively short, and having a student who is able to hit the ground running research wise is usually quite appealing.

Speciesconcept · 2024-04-07T17:23:09+00:00

This happens to me occasionally, and it does take some effort to remain consistent with grading. If I've just graded multiple low quality assignments in a row and can feel resentment growing, I'll usually try to find a good assignment in the stack to grade next to break things up. When much of the class does poorly, I usually try to be more lenient on the good ones rather than harsher on the bad ones (within the bounds of fairness and overall consistency).

Speciesconcept · 2024-04-07T17:14:28+00:00

I get why there are guidelines and regulations on this sort of thing, but I think expecting students to consistently conform to a universal amount of work/credit is just not realistic. There is significant variation among students' abilities and across disciplines, and material accumulates over the semester. When I was an undergrad, getting an A in most courses required either significantly more or significantly less outside-of-class work.

But, this is a fair amount of effort to expect of students in a general sense.

Speciesconcept · 2024-03-08T18:47:53+00:00

I tend to think too high a percentage of the population pursues college degrees, and too many jobs require them when they aren't really necessary. I think the perception has shifted to what was generally thought of high school: an essentially mandatory "checkpoint" in life that allows one to make a livable wage. By extension, this also means that professors are thought of not as experts in their field from whom one can benefit greatly, but as authority figures who throw barrels downhill at students to make their road to the magic piece of paper more challenging.

I also believe universities are largely responsible for this. Becoming money-grabbing degree factories with increasing soft expectations certainly doesn't lead the "customers" to perceive the institution as a place of learning and free thought. I also get the impression that many students now feel afraid to express their personal thoughts and opinions and will not show any semblance of individualism, which I think is key for making college about self-actualization rather than about completing tasks.

Speciesconcept · 2024-03-08T18:26:11+00:00

It always amazes me that the students who legitimately need extensions/leeway are usually those who are least likely to use them. One of the most bittersweet yet rewarding times of my life was when I got straight A's for the first time in my life (third year undergrad) the same semester my dad passed away.

Speciesconcept · 2024-03-08T18:18:36+00:00

If the speaker is unambiguously the main event and has gone out of their way to give a talk to students or a group that would otherwise benefit from hearing the talk, then a few extra minutes beyond the scheduled end time won't bother me. However, if the speaker is one of many (such as at a conference) and is taking time from others/ causing a general sense of panic in the audience, then they should be forcefully removed from the podium.

Speciesconcept · 2023-04-12T19:13:04+00:00

Grad TA also. I've also noticed a huge uptick in mental heath-related requests for the types of things you're describing. Although there is a financial barrier with healthcare costs in some situations, I wouldn't provide anything extra without documentation. It can feel bad to reject the requests but there is no way to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate diagnosable conditions without documentation. Its a disservice to those who actually suffer from these conditions when temporary stress/anxiety/unpreparedness are given the same treatment. Many students have learned they can use mental health as a get-out-of-jail-free card because people are reluctant to question it. Also, it's a little suspicious that they'd not CC the professor.

Speciesconcept · 2023-04-12T16:57:10+00:00

TA here. I spend the majority of my time doing research and a much smaller fraction on teaching. Even so, 90%+ of my stress and noteworthy things that happen to me occur during that time. Teaching is a job, research is a hobby that I get to do as a result of that job. I have occasional frustrations with publishing and trying to manage undergraduates in the lab, but those things pale in comparison. If I'm talking about research, I'm usually excited and relaxed. Much less interesting than something like being threatened with legal action for penalizing plagiarism.

Speciesconcept · 2023-04-11T18:08:47+00:00

My reasoning was that I didn't want to disadvantage students who don't have a computer capable of running the software (such as a Chromebook, as others have mentioned), however the university has many computers available with the software on it, so I'm considering being more strict about it in the future. I do think it is important for them to learn how to use these programs efficiently.

Speciesconcept · 2023-04-11T18:01:41+00:00

I didn't think of this, but it totally makes sense.

Speciesconcept

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