This is getting out of hand (Stat professor and homework)

YoshiFan1

YoshiFan1

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I don't want to get into all the details because it would make this post very long but I disagree with the way my Stat teacher has handled everything this semester (grading a midterm where 28/33, an 84% is a C+ after he had stated at the beginning of the semester you will receive the grade you earn and did not mention any grading like this, refusing to do example problems in class etc.).

This class is a Tuesday, Thursday class. No homework was assigned on Thursday. I checked my e-mail today and I see 2 e-mails from this professor. One was on Saturday saying there was a quiz on Tuesday and one e-mail was today, with an attached homework problem to be collected Tuesday in class. I don't ususally check my school e-mail because it's really never used for anything but am I wrong to think it's unreasonable for him to just make up assignments and quizzes to assign days after class has ended? Had I not just decided to check my e-mail, I would have been unprepared for both the homework and quiz. At least in 6 more weeks the semester is over and I don't have to deal with him anymore.
 
While I agree it's bullshit, when I went to college, they made a big deal in my senior year that it was your express responsibility to check your school email as often as possible and any work you got there was up to you to read/do etc. Crappy, but that's the way my school worked.
 
Here is the explanation about the grades, I was furious when he announced this because I studied for hours and was relived to see I got an 84%, then when I read this, I was so tempted to curse him out and walk out but of course I couldn't do that:

Some of you have shown concern about the scale used to judge the performance in the midterm. That is:



33= A, 32 = A-, 31 = B+, 30 = B, 29 = B-, 28 = C+, 27 = C, 26 = C-, 25 = D+, 24 = D, 23 = D- , 22 or less =F



The concern appears to emanate from the fact that a score of 79% could be worth only a C- grade. Sensing your anxiety, I should give an explanation.







First of all, is the scale truly that bad? Following it, the distribution of letter grades in midterm is: out of 32 students taking the midterm, 4 students scored perfect for A, 3 scored at A-, 6 at B+, 2 at B, 2 at B-, 7 at C+, 3 at C-, 1 at D+, 2 at D, and 3 at F.







Now, as a teacher, my experience over the years has been that stat 21 students do better significantly in the first midterm compared to in the second and the final exams. Why? It is partly because students come with some familiarity with the material that is covered through the first midterm from their prior academic background. It is also easy. In past I have also noticed the performance in quizzes through the semester does not add up to being as good as the first midterm.







So, following the midterm, my motive has been to motivate students to begin devoting even more time to the course through the remainder of the semester. It will be more demanding. I want to ward off a feeling of over confidence for those who did well and motivate the rest to begin taking the course seriously now. Otherwise the chances of earning a good grade or even passing are reduced.
 
If I remember correctly my business statistics class had a similar skewed scale. This is why I always make it a point to read sylabus's, I assume he passed one out, they are required at my university.
 
This is all the syllabus says about grading:

Course Grade
The course grade will be determined equally (each 25%) by the followings.
1. Midterm 1: Tuesday, October 5, 2004
2. Midterm 2: Tuesday, November 9, 2004
3. Final Exam: December 14, 2004
4. Assigned exercises, quizzes, class participation, and attendance.

Midterms, final exams and quizzes are all closed book. The text can be used for tables if they are needed to complete an answer to a question.

Had he mentioned this grading system in the syllabus or anytime during the drop period, I would have switched into another section. He mentioned it after the first midterm, way too late to change class. But that's his answer to everything, "If you don't like my teaching, drop the class!", "I am the teahcer, you are the student, don't contest grades with me, if you have a problem with my grading, drop the class" just an example of what he says.
 
At least your prof tells you what he expects of you... some profs won't even e-mail you, teach, or make any effort to get anyone to understand what the hell he's talking about. *sigh*
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']Had he mentioned this grading system in the syllabus or anytime during the drop period, I would have switched into another section. He mentioned it after the first midterm, way too late to change class. But that's his answer to everything, "If you don't like my teaching, drop the class!", "I am the teahcer, you are the student, don't contest grades with me, if you have a problem with my grading, drop the class" just an example of what he says.[/quote]

Either he's a marvel at teaching despite his surly personality and enough of the class will do well in the class to result in a decent number of positive teacher evaluations at the end of the semester/quarter....or a slew of rock-bottom evaluations would hopefully give him a bad reputation to warn future students away from his courses. Unless, of course, he's got tenure and gets handed the requisite courses. In which case, pass me another brewskie.
 
Some of the weirdest teachers I have had, have taught statistics and economics. I think you need to be a little crazy to teach those subjects anyway. I am taking my last statistics class this semester. Lots of students don't like the teacher I have since he's really sarcastic, but at least he curves the grades. He also lets us have open book quizes. The only downside to the open book quizes is the fact that he gives a lot of questions in a short period of time so you either know what you are doing or you don't.

It is a horrible class to have test anxiety in. Luckily I haven't freaked out too many times. I am getting a "B" right now which is pretty good for what we are doing.

But, anyway, I'm sorry that you got such a sucky professor. Is is against your college's policy for the teacher to follow a different grading scale? I think it is at my school. There isn't much you can do, but if you continue to get an 84% and he gives you a C- as a final grade you could contest it with the department/college. Unfortunately, unless you are at a two year college, most four year colleges don't give a crap about you complaining about grades.
 
Wow. By the end of the course, statistics becomes extremely hard to grasp. I took it my senior year of highschool, and had an A up until the second semester, when my entire class virtually gave up. Then again, we were seniors, and not many people do anything after winter break. I only finished about half of the AP exam, and then took a nap. Luckily I somehow passed it, and won't have to take it in college. Anyway, good luck with the rest of the course. Hopefully you can overcome your douche of a professor and stick it to him on your final.
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']This is all the syllabus says about grading:

Course Grade
The course grade will be determined equally (each 25%) by the followings.
1. Midterm 1: Tuesday, October 5, 2004
2. Midterm 2: Tuesday, November 9, 2004
3. Final Exam: December 14, 2004
4. Assigned exercises, quizzes, class participation, and attendance.

Midterms, final exams and quizzes are all closed book. The text can be used for tables if they are needed to complete an answer to a question.

Had he mentioned this grading system in the syllabus or anytime during the drop period, I would have switched into another section. He mentioned it after the first midterm, way too late to change class. But that's his answer to everything, "If you don't like my teaching, drop the class!", "I am the teahcer, you are the student, don't contest grades with me, if you have a problem with my grading, drop the class" just an example of what he says.[/quote]

Most colleges allow students some way to protest grades. Talk to someone in the Dean's office. It may do no good, but if the professor is not giving fair grades and did not spell out what was needed to get each grade, you may have someting to stand on. Don't wait until the end of the semester though. ALso, if the Dean is getting a bunch of complaints about the professor, he may at least talk to the professor about the situation.
 
Male math teachers generally have some horrible personality faults. In fact, in all my years of education, I can't remember a single male math teacher that wasn't a fucking loony.

Of course, it works the other way with English. Female teachers teaching English are either totally insane, total bitches, or both.
 
[quote name='RBM'] Unless, of course, he's got tenure and gets handed the requisite courses. In which case, pass me another brewskie.[/quote]

That's exactly what is going on, he's got tenure so they can't get rid of him.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I am going to try to talk to some other people in class on Thursday and see if anyone else would be interested in going to complain to the dean or someone in the statistics department because I really don't want to go in there alone and I think it would have more impact if they saw lots of people with the same complaints.

Oh and to make things even more interesting, that homework he assigned yesterday through e-mail, that said in the e-mail it would be collected for credit, he didn't collect it. The reason...he didn't figure out the answer himself so he couldn't collect it without knowing the correct answer. And to top if all off, he decides to give a pop quiz on new material he had just spent 20 minutes going over. People complained about this since how can you have a quiz on material you have seen for the first time and not even studied before, his answer? "Don't argue with me over this quiz, if you don't want to do it, hand it in blank and take a 0."
 
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