Anyone ever filed a grade grievance for a college course?

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Bill86

I've found that saying ANYTHING to the teachers puts you closer and closer to the firing squad. Teachers aren't very nice people and love to make your life a living hell. Especially if you have him/her next semester.....just suck it up or try to switch teachers.

Really? That makes as much sense as saying "All kids named Bill are a$$holes"

fwiw, my daughter is a teacher and is very nice
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[GreekGodX]

Originally Posted by pnoon

fwiw, my daughter is a teacher and is very nice
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Noooo can't be true, Peter I just read that all teachers aren't very nice people and love making life a living hell. That means your daughter who is a teacher is not very nice. And if she is nice then she isn't a teacher

[CasaDooley]

Originally Posted by Goldie

First of all, that's hilarious.

And I guess as far as just sucking it up, I know that I should, but I feel like that is what has put me in this position already. I didn't speak up all quarter, and just let things roll off my back, because I know I have another 10 weeks with this douche.

But the reason I feel I was graded improperly is because I compared my work with other students who had nearly identical answers and they would lose one point, or none, where I lost all credit for the answer.

On one assignment, he deducted points because he thought I typed the answers to the questions sloppily. It just feels like he is being petty about my grading, and I don't really feel like I should stand for it. It just pisses me off.

Do I deserve an A in that class, not really, but a solid B is what I expected to get. I just averaged all of the average grades for the assignments and it came to a 73% which is a D. The average grade is a D! He grades too hard, and his tests are above our knowledge level. This is an ASL class, so we are learning this language, and he grades like we already know it.

Anyway, I think I will go back and look at all of my homework and see if I can really make a valid argument. It sounds really like I am **** out of luck, which is fine. I always take the diplomatic route and bite my tongue because I know it will benefit me in the long run, but this guy has just pushed me too far and now I feel like being the biggest dick I can be.

I guess we'll see.

So let me get this straight; your upset with your teacher, yet you have not spoke to him about your grade but rather you went above his head to his superiors. As others have stated "Go talk to him" and be diplomatic when speaking with him. Maybe he is a tough grader and you might have to study harder and be even more prepared for his class. Life's not fare, but you can make it easier if you sometimes take the first step in trying to resolve a conflict. just my

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Goldie

My wife's uncle is a lawyer, I think maybe we could work something out. He helped me before with the guy we hired to DJ our wedding. I gave him a $250 deposit, and he never showed. We had to get someone else the day of the wedding.

Proving a civil/contract case is MUCH different than proving a subjective case like the your current one. Just sayin'.

[markem]

As a former college professor (and current adjunct professor), I'll toss in my two centavos.

In the end, it depends on the policies of the school. I have never had a department head overrule one of my grades, but I have had the university administration do it (father threatened to sue). It is unfortunate how your last term went. The way it appears to be represented is that you were not treated the same as others and perhaps singled out.

Your school should have a student services or similar department that acts as an advocate on behalf of students. Go talk to them and bring as much evidence as you can. Most schools, and hopefully yours, will run an investigation independent of the faculty member and department head. At my school, the department / professor was never informed when a grade had changed, they had to notice that the grade report changed for the student involved.

If other students are willing to cooperate to prove your case, then I would assume it could happen.

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by pnoon

Really? That makes as much sense as saying "All kids named Bill are a$$holes"

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Ahhhh. I've been stabbed. The pain.



My wife teaches part time at the college level. She has kids that don't show up all semester, miss assignments and tests, Google/copy all their homework, and then complain to the Dean when they fail. It ain't always easy on the other side either.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Ashcan Bill

Ahhhh. I've been stabbed. The pain.



My wife teaches part time at the college level. She has kids that don't show up all semester, miss assignments and tests, Google/copy all their homework, and then complain to the Dean when they fail. It ain't always easy on the other side either.

Nothing personal, Bill.

Besides, you're no kid.

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by pnoon

Nothing personal, Bill.

Besides, you're no kid.

Stabbed, followed by a low blow.

That's it. I'm going to go smoke one.

[xlc12rf]

I think there is a distinct difference between a "college" (say a Community college), and a "University". If the professor in question has a Ph.D. a large majority of them are as described in this thread. In my department of 14 Professors, I have only dealt with 2 of them who are understanding and supportive of the student.

It sucks, but that's kinda how it is. Stroke their ego to get your way.

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by xlc12rf

I think there is a distinct difference between a "college" (say a Community college), and a "University". If the professor in question has a Ph.D. a large majority of them are as described in this thread. In my department of 14 Professors, I have only dealt with 2 of them who are understanding and supportive of the student.

It sucks, but that's kinda how it is. Stroke their ego to get your way.

Mark (markem) stated that he was a college professor. Both Dokk (The Professor) and Jeff (The Dakotan) on this board are professors. My father is also a professor. I think I would reword that statement. I know plenty, plenty, plenty of people who hold Ph.D.s and are great people. During my entire experience at my university, I only met a slight few who had major egos.


BTW, I'm a teacher too, and I am mean! It is my job to make my student's life a living hell. (That's a joke.)

[Goldie]

Kevin (Casadooley):

I mispoke. I did bring my concern to his attention early in the quarter and he told me that I Was wrong. Flat out, right to my face, that I Was wrong.

Two weeks ago I got pissed off again by a grade I received on two assignments, and I brought it to his attention. While I was in mid sentence, he turned away from me, and went on to the next student. And it was so blatantly obvious, that even the next student said something to me about how rude it was.

So that is wen I went and spoke with his boss. I apologize for that oversight. I did not jump the gun on him, I tried talking to him twice, and got no where, so that is when I decided to take it further. I meant more along the lines of, didn't say anything to his boss until recently.

[markem]

Deep breaths gang. Let's try to stay focused on helping Drew with his specific problem. Broad generalizations are not going to help.

Good luck Drew. Hope you are able to get this resolved before the start of term.

[bobarian]

An advanced education is part of your life experience. While a grievance may get you temporary satisfaction, it may also dig you a deeper hole. This will not be the only time in your life where you will feel you were under appreciated or mistreated. Sooner or later you will come across a boss, supervisor or other superior who may exhibit the same behavior.

You will NEVER be able to convince him he is wrong. But by talking with him about his expectations you may find a way to succeed in the future. Look forward and not back, the next class is more important. A single low grade will only show as an anomaly if you pass the next one with flying colors.

[Goldie]

Well said Bobarian.

And I know what you mean about feeling unappreciated and mistreated. I got laid off from my job last March. A job that I thought I would stay at for a long time.

So I know how it feels, and I know that I need to keep my eye on the big picture. I will talk to the prof's boss tomorrow and see if I can actually talk to the prof one on one. Well, he's deaf, and I don't know the language well enough to have a sit down discussion so we will have to have an interpreter present. But you get the idea.

Thanks to everyone who gave their time and feedback. I hope this will work out in the long run for me. One bad grade won't kill me, but it hurts on the inside (as lame as that sounds).

[357]

Originally Posted by Goldie

Well said Bobarian.

And I know what you mean about feeling unappreciated and mistreated. I got laid off from my job last March. A job that I thought I would stay at for a long time.

So I know how it feels, and I know that I need to keep my eye on the big picture. I will talk to the prof's boss tomorrow and see if I can actually talk to the prof one on one. Well, he's deaf, and I don't know the language well enough to have a sit down discussion so we will have to have an interpreter present. But you get the idea.

Thanks to everyone who gave their time and feedback. I hope this will work out in the long run for me. One bad grade won't kill me, but it hurts on the inside (as lame as that sounds).

Pride is tough to swallow. I'm not saying that in a condescending or negative way, but believing you're right and having to accept another answer is tough sometimes. Whether you're right or not isn't the point. Often in the workplace you'll find that you can bend over backward to show evidence that a decision to be made should go in a certain direction. You can prove it beyond dispute, and your boss will still go the other way. It is tough to swallow, especially when you know it means more work/PITA for you. Just chalk it up to a learning experience. Learning to deal with a$$holes in a position of power if you must, but a learning experience nonetheless. At least he won't be your boss for the next 10 years. Find out what he wants/expects and do your best to appease him. It'll help your grade next semester, and move on.

[jkim05]

My friend wen through this with a professor, and he had her again as well. She failed him on his final paper for an education course because she disagreed with his papers main point. Even subjective things such as papers have to be graded fairly based on some kind of rubric. They compared his paper to the rubric and gave him a much higher grade. That being said, going from a C to a B/A is going to be much more difficult than going from failing to passing because there is less at stake from the administration's perspective. Your school should have a documented process for requesting a grade review, but you should carefully consider all options including speaking directly to the professor, and all consequences. It may actually help for the next semester as the administration is much less likely to be sympathetic if you don't file a grievance for this past semester but then seek to do so for the fall semester. If you feel you were genuinely graded unfairly, and you think the teacher was beyond a reasonable range of bias in terms of grading, you shouod complain, you may not be the only student with that problem.

Originally Posted by pnoon

fwiw, my daughter is a teacher and is very nice
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She must have acquired that trait from her Mother.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Darrell

She must have acquired that trait from her Mother.

That. AND her good looks.
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[CasaDooley]

Originally Posted by Goldie

Kevin (Casadooley):

I mispoke. I did bring my concern to his attention early in the quarter and he told me that I Was wrong. Flat out, right to my face, that I Was wrong.

Two weeks ago I got pissed off again by a grade I received on two assignments, and I brought it to his attention. While I was in mid sentence, he turned away from me, and went on to the next student. And it was so blatantly obvious, that even the next student said something to me about how rude it was.

So that is wen I went and spoke with his boss. I apologize for that oversight. I did not jump the gun on him, I tried talking to him twice, and got no where, so that is when I decided to take it further. I meant more along the lines of, didn't say anything to his boss until recently.

Now I have a better understanding of the situation Drew, thanks. I don't know that I can add to any of the good advise given here except to say good luck and remember that your diploma won't show your GPA on it, but it will let others know how hard you worked to get it.

[d'am]

Originally Posted by Goldie

And I guess as far as just sucking it up, I know that I should, but I feel like that is what has put me in this position already. I didn't speak up all quarter, and just let things roll off my back, because I know I have another 10 weeks with this douche.

At a minimum, you're going to need a good explanation for this. If you ignored the grades during the quarter and only bring the issue up when the final grade is delivered, you lose sincerity. Make sure to bring up the discussions you had during the quarter and a good reason (e.g., retaliation) for not bringing it up sooner. Don't act like the final grade was a surprise. It's a simple continuation of a pattern. I know it sounds obvious, but you need to prepare yourself to make those points clearly during the meeting. Good luck.