CIS 120: Homework - Blog Post!

For my Computer concepts class, I read an article at the link I listed below and answer the following questions:

1.  Is professor Grossman off the mark when he says “I tell my classes that if they just do what they are supposed to do and meet the standard requirements, that they will earn a C,” he said. “That is the default grade. They see the default grade as an A.” why?

I feel that yes, he is off the mark. I agree that students should have to earn their grade in every class. I think if a student does everything the teacher asks them to do, at an A level, they deserve an A. Unless the teacher expects us to read his/her mind and come up with extra work to bump themselves up to an A... not sure how else it would be possible if everything they asked for only gives us a C. 

2.  What do you think is causing students to feel entitled to receive a good grade? Is it because a grade of A is now the expected default for "average" work where in reality a grade of A denotes "above average"?  Are the students prior experiences in high school or earlier the cause?  Are parents to cause "my child is perfect so it must be the instructors fault"?  

This question is hard for me to answer because i don't feel average work deserves an 'A'. A 'C' is average and, therefore, average work deserves a 'C'. If a student does feel that way, then yes I feel that something from their childhood, school years or parental influence causes this feeling. No one deserves an 'A' for average work. If any parent is thinking, "My child is perfect so it must be the instructors fault", then their thinking is seriously flawed. No one is perfect and in most cases, the teacher, the one with the experience and education, is going to be right. 

3.  Give your honest opinion of the article.  Do you feel you deserve grades based on your effort or is it that you earned the grade you receive because of your effort?  Anything else you would like to add?

I feel a person earns grades based on their effort. If effort alone counted in college, then people would think that's the case once they hit the real world. "Well boss, I tried to make it to work this week. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't make it in." I highly doubt the boss is going to say, "Well, you're effort is all that counts here!" A ridiculous example, but one that applies. Things that are deserved in life, still have to be earned. That's the way it goes. Any anyone who thinks things like good grades are going to fall into their lap is going to be seriously disappointed. Also, if teachers are just handing out 'A's' for effort, the student may not actually be learning anything. Then that student graduates and gets a job and has no idea what they are doing. All in all, grades need to be earned and are not deserved based on effort alone.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/education/18college.html?em