The first time I was called into the Assistant Dean's office, I was curious about the reasoning behind the summons. I calmly sat down and incorrectly wondered if I were going to get a raise. After a few minutes of small talk, Student X came was brought up by the Dean. Apparently I had submitted midterm grades a few weeks ago and she, the Dean, wanted an update. I proceeded to tell her that he still missed two classes for every one he showed up to, did even less homework than his attendance would suggest, and could barely write a coherent sentence, much less an essay. I was stunned when she proceeded to tell me that my class was his third attempt at English Composition 101. I would have expected a little more effort if it were his third time taking the course. The Dean went on to explain how his financial aid would be cut off and that The Place needed him to pass the course because he wasn't going to pay out of pocket. The two of us sat in silence for a few moments, what did she want from me? I knew, but I wasn't taking the bait.
The Dean continued with examples of ways Student X might be able to pass the class: extra credit assignments, acceptance of late work, ignoring the attendance rule, giving him an incomplete for the course and extending the term for him until he passed. I thought about the possibilities, and I thought about Student X's lack of respect and effort in and out of the classroom. I looked at the Dean and said, "No, he earned his F and that's what he'll get unless he can miraculously pull himself up by completing the rest of the assignments and the same extra credit assignments that are offered to the entire class." The Dean shook her head and smiled, and I left the office. This type of meeting happened two more times that term and once the next term, with the same result.
Further into the next term I was pulled into the Dean's office again, this time I knew what was coming, or at least I thought I did. I was wrong. She welcomed me and got right into the meeting. The Place was changing some of its pay policies. They would be giving teacher's bonuses for each A their students earned. My smile was forced and I left the meeting wondering what this would do to teachers and students. I hoped most teachers would still continue to grade the same, but I could see how a financial reward might be tempting to grade a B as an A. At The Place a few teachers might have needed to put some vigor and effort into their teaching, but for the most part the teachers were competent. More often than not, at least in my composition classes, students weren't getting A's because they weren't turning in their assignments or showing up to class. The new incentive didn't encourage student effort, but it did make the student's artificial success seem inflated to potential employers that thought they were hiring A students. I didn't agree with the concept, so I continued to grade as I had done in the past.
A few weeks later I had a violent student in the classroom (view previous blog), and I quit The Place.
Oh. My. What a story.
ReplyDeleteThat's unbelievable that one of your administrators would put you in a place (on multiple occasions!) where you had to question your values and ethics as a teacher. I'm sorry :(
From your description, though, it seems that you handled it fairly well, and I agree with your determination to resist the "incentive."
WOW. No wonder you refer to it as "The Place." I definitely need to go back and check out your previous blog. I guess this is the extreme example of when a college education is reduced to a consumer experience (by the administration, rather than the teachers, in your case!)
ReplyDeleteThis is insane! I think a lot of has to do with the steady transformation of universities as bastions of learning and scholarship into consumer centers where students except to get something for their tuition money regardless of the amount of effort they put into their coursework. I've never seen anything so blatant as you describe here, but when universities put more money into making dorms resemble 4-star hotels than they do into keeping academic buildings in the current century, it kind of show where their focus is. It's not on teaching anymore, it's on convincing students to come here because it's fun -- forget about the learning and focus on the nice accommodations, 5-star dining, and the many amenities around campus.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, The Place is totally insane and should probably lose their accreditation if they're literally paying instructors to pass failing students. Totally insane.
You should contact This American Life with this story.
ReplyDeleteThey are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). I'll look into the accreditation and reporting process later this week.
ReplyDeleteThis is not only disturbing, it's unethical at best. A financial incentive for each "A" is bribery at best and contributes nothing except misery to both the teachers and the students--the student doesn't learn anything, and the teacher sells out. Further, as grade inflation is a problem experienced on many levels of education, the financial incentive further contributes to what is an apparently failing (no pun intended) system. I hope those administrators get the heave-ho.
ReplyDelete