Syllabus Problems
Jan 2005
38. This
section covers cases where a student may have problems and details the
procedures to follow. These procedures are like insurance, they are designed to
be a safety net to protect students against unexpected accidents (which can
happen to any of us). However if it is abused, as with insurance, costs go up,
everyone pays more, and the person who needs it may not get it. If you have a
case, please use these procedures. If you don’t, please do not try to abuse the
system with the goal of "passing by other means". The only way one
should pass this course is by correctly understanding what the course teaches –
this learning is indeed what you are paying for.
A. How to complain
39. Examples.
The teaching staff are there to help
you, but not to do your learning or work for you. In grading we aim to be fair
and unbiased, so really you grade yourselves. Should you, due to your
own lack of work or inability to understand the subject, fail this course, or
not get the excellent grade you expected, DO NOT do the following (expected
responses from your Professor are in brackets – all are actual cases).
a. Cry and plead
with your instructor to improve your grade. (Please do not embarrass yourself
and me. On this course no points are given for crying and pleading.)
b. Beg your
instructor to "Please have mercy on me." (We have never judged
you –to change your grade for pity would not be mercy, it would be cheating.)
c. Ask
"Please give me another chance.". (This whole course was chances.
You had lots of chances. Every assignment was a chance. You will have another
chance when the course runs again. If we give you special "chances",
is that fair to the other students? Shouldn’t they be given the same options
too?)
d. Say "Is
there anything I can do to make up the grade?" (Sorry, the course is
the course. Each assignment is done once, graded, and that is it. It is
ineffectual to re-do work, and re-issue assignments and re-grade them. If we did
that, we couldn’t cope. And if you get special extra points, just for you, is
that fair to other students?)
e. List the
manifold sadnesses of your life, and how your whole life will be destroyed if
you do not get a better grade. (Sorry, but we are not causing your life,
you are.)
f. Point out that
you are "the customer", and paid for this course, and entitled to
value for money (You did not pay for a pass, you paid for an opportunity to
learn, which was given. At this University, grades are not for sale.)
40. It
is not very useful to send emails demanding your instructor to "explain in
full detail" why you got the assignment grade you did. Faculty may not
respond to such mails. They have already explained the grading process in
detail in the assignment specification, and given class feedback after the
grading. In most cases, how your grade arose from this grading is self-evident.
Some grades will involve matters of judgement, in which case the instructor’s
judgement overrides yours. If you think your work was "brilliant" and
your Professor grades it as "inadequate", then the latter grade
holds. You may ask for feedback as to why you received a grade (see 16.
Student Feedback), or may query your grade because you feel you received
the wrong grade (see 41. Querying a Grade).
B. Querying a grade.
41. Querying
a grade. If you wish to query your grades you must raise the
issue within two weeks of their return to you. You must make a valid case why
your grades should be changed. If you do so, and we have made an error (and
this can happen), we will gladly correct your grade immediately. However please
understand we do not "negotiate" grades in any way. Do not found your
case on "arguments" such as being overloaded, not understanding, and
needing a higher grade point average. These have been tried and do not work.
Your grade is based solely on what you submit. The procedure for querying
grades is:
a. Send a personal email to your
instructor, or arrange to visit during office hours
b. Reference and preferably quote the
assignment specification and class feedback
c. Propose the score you think you should
have got. Make a rational case based on your own completion of the grading
schedule given with the assignment
d. Conclude with the score you feel you
should have got. Either state that your work was on time, or
include late penalties in your calculation.
e. Try to sound polite
If your arguments
are valid, your grade will be changed, if not, it won’t.
C. "I misunderstood".
42. Students
come at various times saying they did not understand the requirement for some
assignment, and please, give them consideration. We go to great pains to spell
out for you all that is required in a clear way, so the response is always the
same – to pull out the stated requirement to see if it is ambiguous or
misleading. Sometimes it may be. In this case the student is always
given the benefit of the doubt. However if it isn’t, then there is no case.
If a requirement is clearly stated, then it is the student’s responsibility to
make sure they understand it. If they don’t, as again is always the case
everywhere else in society, the loss is borne by them. Our advice to you all is
to always make sure the requirement is clear, and if it isn’t – ask. If you
read what is written carefully you really can’t go wrong. Obviously this
applies when answering exam questions too – no grades for answering the wrong
question, e.g. if asked to define color constancy and you define habituation,
then your grader is very sympathetic, but sorry - no points. Ignorance is
not an excuse.
E. Incomplete
43. The
purpose of this section is to make clear the requirements for incomplete. If
you do not fit these requirements then you should not bother applying since you
will not get one, and a refusal can offend. Also you apply once and only once.
However the incomplete grade is there for a purpose, so if you fall in that
category, please apply.
44. Definition.
The purpose of incomplete is to help
students who would normally complete the course but something happens outside
their control. The NJIT regulations state:
"Incomplete. This grade is given ONLY
IN RARE cases when the student would normally complete the course work but
could not because of special circumstances."
a. Rare. Firstly it must be understood that rare means rare –
under 5% (1 or maybe 2 in a class of 60). Basically an incomplete means
redoing-work already done.
b. Normally
complete. Secondly that the instructor must have reason to expect the
student would "normally complete" the course – this means a
successful assignment record so far. If you come to the first class and break
your leg don’t apply for an incomplete – withdraw from the course. If you are
not handing in assignments and then break a leg you also will not necessarily
have a case for an incomplete – you have to have been "tracking to
pass".
c. Special.
Lastly that the student has "special" circumstances. This latter
means that something happened that was unexpected, and outside the student’s
control. Unexpected here means something occurring after the date students can
withdraw without penalty that was not predictable before. If a student has a
busy job, a sick mother, and ten kids, and then signs up for this course - that
does not provide the basis for an incomplete. It means they made a bad choice,
and they have to bear the results. Neither does throwing yourself off a bridge
work. Even having a baby is usually not unexpected. This may need to be
repeated: IF YOU ENTER A COURSE KNOWING YOUR EXPECTED TIME RESOURCES AND THEN
FIND THEY ARE NOT ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE COURSE, THAT IS NOT A BASIS FOR AN
INCOMPLETE.
45. The
last two factors may trade-off. Clearly the less of the course a student has
completed, the less sure I can be that they would normally pass. Also the less
extreme the circumstance they present, the less it can be regarded as
"special". So if you have an accident early in the course and have a
few days off sick, that is not a case for an incomplete - you can catch up.
However if you have an accident the day before a final exam and all your
previous grades are good, that may be. In this case you may have to wait until
the exam is run next semester, unless we run a special exam just for you. In
assignments you are expected to build in some "fat" to allow for
unexpected events – this is your personal management. If you always cut time
schedules to the last minute then that is your choice, and if some minor thing
occurs at the last minute, that is your problem. Where an assignment is graded
incomplete you can expect an entirely new assignment to be given.
46. Incomplete
requests must be accompanied by documentary evidence to support the request.
You make ONE request with ALL the information, and then a decision is made. You
need to provide the following:
a. What has been
completed. The assessments you have completed and the grades for each. What
your average grade was (as a percentage). What percentage of the course this
amounts to. Clearly the less % of the course completed, and the lower the
grade, the weaker your case.
b. The unexpected
event. The date on which the unexpected event occurred that interfered with
your performance on this course, and the date which it ceased to interfere with
your performance on this course (i.e. when you "recovered" – this may
of course still be "not yet"). State the degree to which your
performance was affected over this time, as well as for how long. Provide
documentary evidence of this effect and these dates (e.g. Doctors note, giving
dates, on medical center stationary). Provide contact information for people
who can verify what you say (e.g. employer). If you work, in addition state
whether (or not) sick leave was taken, and if so for what dates.
c. Your request.
State the assessments for which you request an incomplete, what percentage of
the course this amounts to, and by when you feel you would be able to complete
them (give a date). Make the connection between what has been completed, the
event and your request. Clearly a minor upset does not justify an incomplete on
80% of a course’s assessments.
d. Signature or
presence. If you apply in writing, write at the end "The above
statements are to the best of my knowledge true and accurate.", and sign
and date it and post it in. If you wish to apply in person, bring the above
information and documentary evidence. E-mail applications are not
accepted.
47. The
above information should be easily available to anyone who has a genuine case.