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Show lessons, Fail 2003 page 21 funny/' when they might be more serious or studious on a full professor's time. More than getting the grade, students in writing 2010 classes "are more concerned that the teachers will be objective," says Becky DaPra, a graduate student instructor of writing 2010. Though they display more concern about objectivity, students also feel a lot of pressure to earn good grades. Last semester, DaPra received several emails from students who wanted to boost their grade. One email from a student was titled "To the Greatest Writing 2010 Teacher at the U - Need an A - Will Do Anything!" Professors also hear students voice their concerns about grades, but perhaps to a lesser degree and in a different fashion. Professor/Lecturer Anne Roberts, former math 1030 coordinator in the math department says, "There's always tension around grading. Students want to do well and to feel they've accomplished something. Teachers want to see students achieve their goals, but they also want evaluate student work fairly." Pre-med students, or students in other pre-professional programs, Roberts said, "want to get as high a grade as they can, which puts pressure on the [graduate] students." Classes where the pressure is high for an A include business algebra and business calculus, as well as MATH 4010 and 4020 for elementary education majors, says Professor Alfeld. Pressure to earn a good grade is also high in writing 2010 and upper-division writing courses, such as writing 3400, which is a graduation requirement for students majoring in business. Professor Maureen Mathison, associate dean of humanities, feels that graduate teaching assistants are challenged more than full professors about grades. Graduate students, she says, "are in a more precarious situation because institutionally they don't have as much power -although they are no less important." Not only are professors "perceived to have more authority, [but] graduate students perceive themselves to be graduate students, and they don't think they have authority sometimes. "It took me a while to feel that I had that authority," said Mathison. Moving from being a graduate teaching assistant to a full professor is a transition. She said that a course on discipline that she was required to take while earning her master's degree in education, has helped her to know how to establish authority in the classroom. The writing program at the U does much and spends a lot of time with graduate teaching assistants to make them feel comfortable in the classroom, and to assist them in establishing their own authority. New teaching assistants in some departments are required to attend a week-long orientation, and then meet every week during the semester to discuss issues that may arise. Though she has had a range of experiences while teaching, including "anything from a student screaming in [her] face, to respectfully asking to talk about grades," Professor Mathison says that students usually approach her tactfully about such issues. Despite the difference in how students approach graduate students and tenured professors about their grades, there is not much variation in the way graduate students and professors handle the student's concerns. To begin with, math and writing graduate student instructors, as well as professors, clearly outline their grading criteria in their syllabi, along with the course objectives at the beginning Maureen Matheson says that TAs experience more pressure in terms of grading their students. of the semester. Although grading procedures differ for each class section, instructors in the math department follow a set of recommended teaching guidelines, which are outlined on the math department's web site. Professors and graduate teaching assistants are encouraged to enforce grading policies explained at the beginning of the semester, and to give grades that accurately reflect the student's comprehension and application of course material. Professors and graduate students believe grades are an important reflection of the student's skill level. Professor Alfeld says, "The idea of grades is to indicate how well students understand the subject. This is particularly important if the course is a prerequisite for another course." Graduate students in the writing program follow similar guidelines. Grades are given that are reflective of the student's skill level in writing. Students are expected to understand and be able to execute the writing process before moving on to any advanced courses. Professor Mathison says, "You have to achieve a certain standard of performance. It's not right to give an A if [the student] has worked really hard, but has not demonstrated A level writing." Grades, she says, are about "achieving a certain level of performance," although "improved performance is also important." Graduate students, as well as professors, distribute grades based on how well the student grasps and applies the concepts taught in writing 2010 and writing 3400. Many graduate students and professors recognize a growth of opportunity for students who question their grades. When |
