Disorganized Chem Lab, now I have a C

[Ashley1989]

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Hi everyone!

So I just checked my final grade for a general chemistry lab worth one unit and I currently have a C. I earned an A first and second quarter, but third quarter we were assigned a new instructor. This new instructor let another person (not an instructor) make the quizzes and essentially run everything, and the quizzes were horribly made with an extremely confusing format.

There were some quizzes where literally people would say "what is going on I don't understand how to answer this" because the quiz came with no instructions, and the teacher would flip out or say she didn't make the quizzes so she didn't know and to just answer it how we think. I would be taking the quiz and people would just start cracking up out of frustration and disbelief at how confusing and unnecessarily hard they were.

Some examples of the confusion over the quizzes:
Some of them had multiple "right answers" with wrong chemicals, or the right chemical but wrong molarities so if we didnt choose one of the ones with a wrong molarity, or one that was the least wrong, we would have to leave it blank. Sometimes there was just a list on the side of the page with chemicals and numbers and the other side of the quiz had a list with two words for each number which was supposed to be the question, or a very vague statement about a previous question. For example, say i answered #3, the question below would say "opposite of question 3" or "added after question 4" and so if we missed one it was all downhill from there. We were asked a question where literally none of the chemicals were correct, many questions were of the sequence in which we added chemicals, but all the answers didn't match up when I looked in the manual after the quiz. We also were given questions where it said "in the book it listed that XYZ are everything except for...." and then had one statement exactly from the list in the book and the other four were how this person who made the quiz interpreted them to be but none of them made sense, so we werent sure if we should mark all four on the scantron as wrong or if three of them were actually supposed to be considered correct? Some questions had answers: A, B, C, D, E, F, G but we were taking it on a SCANTRON so we could only mark A-E. Some quizzes a person would come in and say there's multiple right answers (again, most of the time there was no instructions) and there was one time where they came in and said "only mark one answer, any one where you mark multiple answers will be wrong" the other times the professor said she didn't know what we were supposed to do.

They also demonstrated an experiment in lab instead of having us do it, the experiment absolutely and utterly failed because there was no reaction, and she wrote two numbers on the board for us to write down on our data sheet and told us to go. The next week what do you know we were quizzed on the experiment, what colors we observed they changed to, what the reactions looked like etc. and there was nothing in the book which would give us this information to compensate with. We were told not to worry about it because the experiment didn't work but instead focus on calculations, but that's not how it turned out at all.

The last few quizzes of the quarter were finally normal multiple choice, but at that point the damage was already done. I have spoken with many of my classmates and the quiz average from what I've gathered is between a 50-60%. I looked online and I have a 0% for one quiz (which i dont believe) and have a quiz that I never even took and isnt on the syllabus tacked on the end as a 60%. I have a 93% lab report average but very low quiz average. The professor said they would curve the quiz scores but never did, and also said they would mainly just look to the lab report grades for a final grade because of the quiz fiasco but didn't do that either. I emailed the professor and lab coordinator and have been told that there is nothing that can be done, and that they are too busy to show me the quiz where I received a 0% and my other quiz scores because they're "swamped in papers". the thing is that throughout the quarter we have been trying to talk to our instructors about our grades and they kept saying "I know it's disorganized but just relax it will all be okay. Besides its just a one unit class it's not like it's going to hurt you." I am so beyond frustrated right now, and I'm sorry if I seem whiny when I talk about the questions, but I can't even explain them properly they were so weird and I need to vent. 🙁

My question is, how do I go about fighting this? What do I say? Should I go in and talk to them in person and if it doesn't fix anything go to someone higher up? Do I even have a case? Do I have any rights when it comes to a situation like this? I need to go in with some kind of plan because the professor has a tendency to chop a person at the knees and then mow them over if they have any complaints so I need to know my rights if I have any.

Thank you.

 

[Ashley1989]

Haha I'm sorry I'm on my phone and am so irritated I can't sleep and wanted to ask here. I will split it up.

Edit: i split it up.

But what do I tell the dean? That the quizzes sucked? I don't think he will care unless I have rights to challenge my grade. Can I call out the professors on them saying they would curve the quizzes and never did? Or that someone besides the instructor made them? Also, do I have a right to see the quizzes or are they allowed to tell me that theyre too busy?

It absolutely affected my grade because I have an A in my reports and everyone that I've spoken with scored horribly in the quizzes, now I have a C.

I'm sorry if I seem whiny, but it really is frustrating because I also have a 0% as well as a mystery 60% on a quiz not in the syllabus, and I am being told I can't even see my quizzes.

 

[Ashley1989]

How'd you type all that on your phone??

I don't think you can legitimately complain about "hard" quizzes - anybody can just refute you by saying you didn't study enough. It really depends on what you think was unfair about the course. I haven't read your entire post, but from skimming it, you can complain about...

- Unwillingness to show you your quiz
- Scantron didn't allow you to answer some questions
- Lack of professor's receptiveness for complaints
- Bad directions or vague questions on quizzes
- Lack of course curve, if every student received similar grades

You'll have to provide proof to support your point, but if you are able to convince some of your classmates to also send in their own letters, it may help the dean force your professor to re-evaluate your grades.

Hahahaha I'm on my iPhone and can type really fast I guess. I also can't sleep at all so I don't mind wasting 20 min venting it out.

Thank you for your pointers, that has helped a lot. I don't know if anyone else will come forward because I attend a very small school and we will have to have these same people next year for ochem (God help us all) so I don't think anyone wants to rock the boat. I'm not too worried about making anyone mad, although I would prefer to tell them that I know my rights and know that the situation is wrong and not have to go to the dean..

Part of me is just thinking of letting it go, but it really upsets me. *sigh*

Also, it's not that the content was hard, it's that the manner in which the questions were asked was extremely confusing. Ie having more available answers then letters on the scantron, having wrong molarities, a failed experiment with no explanation and the questions were not based on information from the book but rather what we were supposed to see in the demonstration, etc.

 

[Ashley1989]

Same professor next year as well? I'm not sure if I'd follow my advice, after all... the professor could make your next class a living hell if he or she is forced to calculate grades again. You definitely have legitimate complaints, though - some of the issues with your quizzes don't seem very fair and can be blamed on the new instructor's lack of experience.

See what the rest of SDN says. It's still pretty early in the morning... I'm sure there will be more comments made in this thread.

Thanks for your pointers I appreciate it. They keep saying "it's just one unit don't stress out about it" but I don't think that's an appropriate thing to say because it's still a grade. This quarter's lab came out of left field and pretty much blew up in my face. Quite honestly, if I someone else posted this I would almost think they were trolling because it sounds so ridiculous. I don't think the quizzes were made maliciously with the intent for us to fail, I just think that the person making them didn't invest time into making sure that they were accurate and made sense.

Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it. I will wait to see if anyone else has suggestions as well.

I know they sound hazy, but we were told to just do the report and not worry about the quiz for the following week on the actual experiment because the experiment failed, and then BAM we have a quiz on the actual experiment instead of the calculations like we were told. It isn't okay to have the right chemical answer but completely wrong molarity when there is no other even remotely right answer because then its confusing because things don't match up. Did the person making the quiz want to see if we knew the molarities? Should we leave it blank because none are right? Was it an honest mistake, because none of the other chemicals were used at that step? No one knows. Worse yet when the question is based on the order of the experiment, and the chemical that was used in the experiment isn't on the list. Are you supposed to just leave that blank as well?

Yes, I do agree that some of these things are perfectly fine, but when coupled with all the other problems it turns into a huge issue. Again, towards the end they were perfectly fine, but a majority of the quarter it was very confusing.

I know it's hazy, which is why I don't know if I even have a case.. It's a grey area.

 

[kpcrew]

i don't think the dean can do anything without evidence. if something similar happens next year, get documentation and proof with pictures to show your dean. otherwise it's a he said, she said kind of case and there's no guarantee of the legitimacy of your claim.

 

[H Y F R]

Don't blame others for you not doing well. Rarely is a student's performance due to a professor/instructor. Chem class and labs are hard for everyone. Hold yourself accountable, not the instructor.

 

[Ashley1989]

Don't blame others for you not doing well. Rarely is a student's performance due to a professor/instructor. Chem class and labs are hard for everyone. Hold yourself accountable, not the instructor.

And I agree wholeheartedly but when the entire class is failing and I have a low grade on a quiz I have no memory or record of taking that is not in the syllabus, and when things are inconsistent, and when I cannot see my quizzes something is wrong.

I never said "the instructor is a meanie and it's not fair!!!" I'm presenting what happened and asking for advice and if I have a case.

 

[H Y F R]

And I agree wholeheartedly but when the entire class is failing and I have a low grade on a quiz I haverector key taking that is not in the syllabus, and when things are inconsistent, and when I cannot see my quizzes something is wrong.

I never said "the instructor is a meanie and it's not fair!!!" I'm presenting what happened and asking for advice and if I have a case.

I get what you are saying, but...

Most teen-aged premeds here are gonna agree with you and tell you to message your dean, and state your case, and blah blah blah - all just to justify their own short comings and lack of accountability in their own classes.

The more rational people here will tell you there is nothing you can do, pick up the pieces, and move on. I have 2 degrees in chemistry, and I have had my share of tough circumstances. I know what it is like. But there is no use dragging your feet in the sand box over your grade in a 1 unit lab class. Think of it this way- this won't be your last circumstance with a tough course. How about you learn to persevere through this so next time you face this situation you get the grade you think you deserve? That will be a bigger ego boost than your SDN friends blindly agreeing with you.

 

[Ashley1989]

I get what you are saying, but...

Most teen-aged premeds here are gonna agree with you and tell you to message your dean, and state your case, and blah blah blah - all just to justify their own short comings and lack of accountability in their own classes.

The more rational people here will tell you there is nothing you can do, pick up the pieces, and move on. I have 2 degrees in chemistry, and I have had my share of tough circumstances. I know what it is like. But there is no use dragging your feet in the sand box over your grade in a 1 unit lab class. Think of it this way- this won't be your last circumstance with a tough course. How about you learn to persevere through this so next time you face this situation you get the grade you think you deserve? That will be a bigger ego boost than your SDN friends blindly agreeing with you.

I see what you're saying as well but when you have a disorganized class (I'm not going to say why it's disorganized it's already been exhausted above) it sometimes doesnt matter how much you persevere. I can persevere all I want but will an unexplained 0% and failing mystery score magically go away? No they won't. I'm not looking to have people agree with me, I'm looking for opinions. Now I see what you're saying but you're implying that I simply didn't study enough which you do not know. You have two chemistry degrees, you should know that wrong molarities, inaccurate chemicals and flat out confusion makes it next to impossible to persevere and succeed in a lab. You're acting as if I had simply persevered in this tough course I would have been fine and while that is accurate 99% of the time it is simply not the case here. Am I to blame for some of this? Of course. Am I to blame for all of it? I'm not so sure.

 

[GreenStyle]

Don't blame others for you not doing well. Rarely is a student's performance due to a professor/instructor. Chem class and labs are hard for everyone. Hold yourself accountable, not the instructor.

Look. You can go to higher ups, but they likely wont care. The fact is, no one cares at all about you besides your family likely. That is the reality of the world. You need to fight for every point by studying harder. Complaining to anyone after the fact, with a 99% or a 2% will do no good and only make you look worse.

I have been in classes where people bitc hed and complained about stuff like this. I got an A through studying harder while others cried about it. Study harder next time.

 

[NightGod]

I looked online and I have a 0% for one quiz (which i dont believe) and have a quiz that I never even took and isnt on the syllabus tacked on the end as a 60%.. I emailed the professor and lab coordinator and have been told that there is nothing that can be done, and that they are too busy to show me the quiz where I received a 0% and my other quiz scores because they're "swamped in papers".

This seems to be the biggest thing you can do something about. Not being shown your graded work doesn't sit right with me at all. That and the questions that had more answers than Scantron bubbles (didn't anyone bring it up while you were actually taking the quiz?)

 

[Ashley1989]

Look. You can go to higher ups, but they likely wont care. The fact is, no one cares at all about you besides your family likely. That is the reality of the world. You need to fight for every point by studying harder. Complaining to anyone after the fact, with a 99% or a 2% will do no good and only make you look worse.

I have been in classes where people bitc hed and complained about stuff like this. I got an A through studying harder while others cried about it. Study harder next time.

You're completely missing the point that I'm trying to make. I want to know if because of this disorganization I should make a complaint so it doesn't happen next year, if there is anything i can do, and I want to see my quiz grades but am being told no so do I have a right to see them? I have questionable stuff in the breakdown of the grade, and i have a high lab report average so its not like i was being lazy. This is a class wide problem. Stop adding in stuff I didn't even say, it's confusing enough as is.

 

[H Y F R]

I see what you're saying as well but when you have a disorganized class (I'm not going to say why it's disorganized it's already been exhausted above) it sometimes doesnt matter how much you persevere. I can persevere all I want but will an unexplained 0% and failing mystery score magically go away? No they won't. I'm not looking to have people agree with me, I'm looking for opinions. Now I see what you're saying but you're implying that I simply didn't study enough which you do not know. You have two chemistry degrees, you should know that wrong molarities, inaccurate chemicals and flat out confusion makes it next to impossible to persevere and succeed in a lab. You're acting as if I had simply persevered in this tough course I would have been fine and while that is accurate 99% of the time it is simply not the case here. Am I to blame for some of this? Of course. Am I to blame for all of it? I'm not so sure.

Honestly, you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders compared to others who create this kind of thread. I understand what you are saying whole-heartedly in terms of the inaccuracies of what you are working with. But will anything change the instructor, the material, or the challenges you face? No. You are the malleable one. You are the person who can adapt. You are the one, who if you focus on things you can improve instead of how the "system" can improve, will do better and better each time you face this. I honestly think you can do it.

 

[Ashley1989]

Honestly, you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders compared to others who create this kind of thread. I understand what you are saying whole-heartedly in terms of the inaccuracies of what you are working with. But will anything change the instructor, the material, or the challenges you face? No. You are the malleable one. You are the person who can adapt. You are the one, who if you focus on things you can improve instead of how the "system" can improve, will do better and better each time you face this. I honestly think you can do it.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I also don't want anyone to get into trouble, I don't mind if a person gets mad at me but I don't want anyone jeopardizing their job or anything. Thanks for the great advice, i just don't know what to do this moment though. A 0% and extra failing quiz grade can make a huge difference because there are only 10 quizzes total. Should I go to the office and ask in person to see them? I've only just emailed.

 

[Hulk Smash]

Something similar happened to me at a major university, something like 50,000 students and nobody cared about you individually. What we did was SERIOUSLY complain to the Chair of the Chemistry dept., I mean everyone was emailing, calling, etc. The Chair eventually overruled the grades that didn't make sense and curve the quizzes/tests that were complete outliers and it worked out fine. We didn't all snag A's because of this idiot but we rolled through ok. We about kicked down the door on it.

 

[H Y F R]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I also don't want anyone to get into trouble, I don't mind if a person gets mad at me but I don't want anyone jeopardizing their job or anything. Thanks for the great advice, i just don't know what to do this moment though. A 0% and extra failing quiz grade can make a huge difference because there are only 10 quizzes total. Should I go to the office and ask in person to see them? I've only just emailed.

the only thing I can say is perhaps calmly and respectfully walk into the office and ask if those quizzes will at any time be available to be seen by you. Don't be accusatory, don't be inflammatory, and don't summarize your situation with the person you are talking to. The last thing you need is for you to gain a reputation with others for complaining.

After this, jut begin the process of moving on and kicking butt in your future classes.

 

[H Y F R]

You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, as well. What would you do if a professor gave you failing grades for work you didn't fail? What would you do if an answer choice was F, but you couldn't answer F on an answer sheet? Study moar?

It's obvious that she has legitimate complaints. She can't adapt to things like this. Nobody can.

I've been in a situation similar to this... I did what I could to respectfully communicate to the professor/instructor, and I kicked butt in every assignment thereafter.

Stuff happens in life, sometimes fair and often unfair. It happens in undergrad, grad, and medical school. But as aspiring physicians, stop looking to others to justify your short comings. Treat every situation as a means to improve yourself and learn. The OP seems like a good kid and can grow more by just moving on and focusing on the next task.

 

[235788]

that stinks. You are having horrible luck!

 

[Ashley1989]

that stinks. You are having horrible luck!

This quarter sucks so badly. I am 95% over it at this point

 

[Ashley1989]

This seems to be the biggest thing you can do something about. Not being shown your graded work doesn't sit right with me at all. That and the questions that had more answers than Scantron bubbles (didn't anyone bring it up while you were actually taking the quiz?)

Exactly I want to see my work but they keep saying they're too busy and swamped etc. because the professor in charge of the class didnt write the quiz when it was pointed out she said "just mark what you think." and got kind of pissy. what is that anyways? I think I don't have enough bubbles thats what I think lol

 

[penguinism]

You should definitely be allowed to look at your quizzes and assignments. You should send an email to your instructor and if it doesn't work, forward the string of emails along to the department head. Also, who was this "other person" that was making up the assignments? A new professor or another student? I think that you should be allowed to complain, or else nothing will be improved for future classes. Do you have any type of course evaluation that you need to fill out? I know that they don't always work, but sometimes if enough people complain the department will fix the problem.

If you can manage to get copies of your quizzes, you should show them to the department head to confirm their level of ambiguity and difficulty.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Hi everyone!

So I just checked my final grade for a general chemistry lab worth one unit and I currently have a C. I earned an A first and second quarter, but third quarter we were assigned a new instructor. This new instructor let another person (not an instructor) make the quizzes and essentially run everything, and the quizzes were horribly made with an extremely confusing format.

There were some quizzes where literally people would say "what is going on I don't understand how to answer this" because the quiz came with no instructions, and the teacher would flip out or say she didn't make the quizzes so she didn't know and to just answer it how we think. I would be taking the quiz and people would just start cracking up out of frustration and disbelief at how confusing and unnecessarily hard they were.

Some examples of the confusion over the quizzes:
Some of them had multiple "right answers" with wrong chemicals, or the right chemical but wrong molarities so if we didnt choose one of the ones with a wrong molarity, or one that was the least wrong, we would have to leave it blank. Sometimes there was just a list on the side of the page with chemicals and numbers and the other side of the quiz had a list with two words for each number which was supposed to be the question, or a very vague statement about a previous question. For example, say i answered #3, the question below would say "opposite of question 3" or "added after question 4" and so if we missed one it was all downhill from there. We were asked a question where literally none of the chemicals were correct, many questions were of the sequence in which we added chemicals, but all the answers didn't match up when I looked in the manual after the quiz. We also were given questions where it said "in the book it listed that XYZ are everything except for...." and then had one statement exactly from the list in the book and the other four were how this person who made the quiz interpreted them to be but none of them made sense, so we werent sure if we should mark all four on the scantron as wrong or if three of them were actually supposed to be considered correct? Some questions had answers: A, B, C, D, E, F, G but we were taking it on a SCANTRON so we could only mark A-E. Some quizzes a person would come in and say there's multiple right answers (again, most of the time there was no instructions) and there was one time where they came in and said "only mark one answer, any one where you mark multiple answers will be wrong" the other times the professor said she didn't know what we were supposed to do.

They also demonstrated an experiment in lab instead of having us do it, the experiment absolutely and utterly failed because there was no reaction, and she wrote two numbers on the board for us to write down on our data sheet and told us to go. The next week what do you know we were quizzed on the experiment, what colors we observed they changed to, what the reactions looked like etc. and there was nothing in the book which would give us this information to compensate with. We were told not to worry about it because the experiment didn't work but instead focus on calculations, but that's not how it turned out at all.

The last few quizzes of the quarter were finally normal multiple choice, but at that point the damage was already done. I have spoken with many of my classmates and the quiz average from what I've gathered is between a 50-60%. I looked online and I have a 0% for one quiz (which i dont believe) and have a quiz that I never even took and isnt on the syllabus tacked on the end as a 60%. I have a 93% lab report average but very low quiz average. The professor said they would curve the quiz scores but never did, and also said they would mainly just look to the lab report grades for a final grade because of the quiz fiasco but didn't do that either. I emailed the professor and lab coordinator and have been told that there is nothing that can be done, and that they are too busy to show me the quiz where I received a 0% and my other quiz scores because they're "swamped in papers". the thing is that throughout the quarter we have been trying to talk to our instructors about our grades and they kept saying "I know it's disorganized but just relax it will all be okay. Besides its just a one unit class it's not like it's going to hurt you." I am so beyond frustrated right now, and I'm sorry if I seem whiny when I talk about the questions, but I can't even explain them properly they were so weird and I need to vent. 🙁

My question is, how do I go about fighting this? What do I say? Should I go in and talk to them in person and if it doesn't fix anything go to someone higher up? Do I even have a case? Do I have any rights when it comes to a situation like this? I need to go in with some kind of plan because the professor has a tendency to chop a person at the knees and then mow them over if they have any complaints so I need to know my rights if I have any.

Thank you.

Got to student services and complain. They should have to show you your grades.

 

[235788]

Got to student services and complain. They should have to show you your grades.

yeah but if her grades come out to a "C" -- nothing will change. A student can complain all they want about disorganization/crappy tests, but they will not change her grade because of those reasons. The only way her grade would change would be if they miscalculated it somehow.

I'd advise to move forward and forget about it. Its only a 1 credit hour course (at least it is at my school).

 

[Ashley1989]

The person who made the quizzes is the lab coordinator. The two of them are friends apparently. When we thought the professor was making the quizzes we went to her (the coordinator) to complain and she said not to worry, that the professor was just new, and to trust her (the coordinator) and that it will be okay. It turns out she has been the one making the quizzes all along and every week we went to her to complain. I can't pretend like I'm not annoyed about that part as well.. Throwing the poor professor under the bus like that when we went to complain. The lab coordinator is the one who has ultimate control of the grades as well which is completely ridiculous but that's how it is.

 

[Newintown07]

Honestly, I'm all about pushing through and working harder because that's how I was raised; but I was also taught to never just roll over and to at least put up a fight when something is not being handled appropriately. I've been in situations where I didn't think a grade/class was managed appropriately. When I took the time to gather up the evidence and prepared to present my case I was almost always successful in getting an adjustment. There is no excuse for not being able to see your grades. And based on how poorly the class was run, I would make it a point to do so. My philosophy is that it never hurts to try. And ultimately, I believe standing up for yourself is just as important as learning how to fight through less than ideal circumstances.

 

[deleted393595]

China called... they want their wall back.

In all seriousness, if you feel that your grade was affected due to the course's organization, email your school's dean. I suggest separating your letter into paragraphs.

I don't know if you have already seen your grades and received your quizzes back, but if you haven't, go and get them from your instructor or lab coordinator to see if points were taken off for questions with no good answers or poorly worded questions.

Then, come up with a strong argument about why those quizzes were bad assessments. It's hard to argue over poorly worded questions, but you can at least come up with a reason for why the weird questions with multiple right/wrong answers should be thrown out.

But rather than talking to your dean first, go and talk to your lab coordinator in person about it. See what he/she says, and if you still feel disatisfied, go and talk to your dean about it.

Also, were there any As in that lab?

 

[gettheleadout]

You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, as well. What would you do if a professor gave you failing grades for work you didn't fail? What would you do if an answer choice was F, but you couldn't answer F on an answer sheet? Study moar?

It's obvious that she has legitimate complaints. She can't adapt to things like this. Nobody can.

Seriously. 👍

I get what you are saying, but...

Most teen-aged premeds here are gonna agree with you and tell you to message your dean, and state your case, and blah blah blah - all just to justify their own short comings and lack of accountability in their own classes.

The more rational people here will tell you there is nothing you can do, pick up the pieces, and move on. I have 2 degrees in chemistry, and I have had my share of tough circumstances. I know what it is like. But there is no use dragging your feet in the sand box over your grade in a 1 unit lab class. Think of it this way- this won't be your last circumstance with a tough course. How about you learn to persevere through this so next time you face this situation you get the grade you think you deserve? That will be a bigger ego boost than your SDN friends blindly agreeing with you.

👎

It honestly seems like you didn't even read the OP's post before replying. I hope people like the OP don't listen to people like you who are so quick to pin every frustration on personal flexibility, effort, or whatever. The OP clearly has legitimate complaints that merit administrative review and action, and you disregard everything and write it off as immaturity because there's no way something could possibly be out of the control of the student. You are right that a student has responsibility to him/herself to be accountable for the grades earned, but this includes standing up against biased or flawed grading procedures and the other circumstances the OP has described.

And for the record, as someone who totally disagrees with the way you present your philosophy, I have a near perfect GPA, and even so I acknowledge that every shortcoming I have met has been wholly my own. That said, I'd be damned if I let myself be complacent with a grade objectively unrepresentative of my performance. I'd say that's a greater offense to personal responsibility than raising legitimate concerns.

 

[Ashley1989]

I don't know if you have already seen your grades and received your quizzes back, but if you haven't, go and get them from your instructor or lab coordinator to see if points were taken off for questions with no good answers or poorly worded questions.

Then, come up with a strong argument about why those quizzes were bad assessments. It's hard to argue over poorly worded questions, but you can at least come up with a reason for why the weird questions with multiple right/wrong answers should be thrown out.

But rather than talking to your dean first, go and talk to your lab coordinator in person about it. See what he/she says, and if you still feel disatisfied, go and talk to your dean about it.

Also, were there any As in that lab?

My suspicion is that there were none because I hadn't heard of any when I talked to my classmates. With that being said I didn't ask everyone so I can't be certain.

 

[Ashley1989]

Seriously. 👍

👎

It honestly seems like you didn't even read the OP's post before replying. I hope people like the OP don't listen to people like you who are so quick to pin every frustration on personal flexibility, effort, or whatever. The OP clearly has legitimate complaints that merit administrative review and action, and you disregard everything and write it off as immaturity because there's no way something could possibly be out of the control of the student. You are right that a student has responsibility to him/herself to be accountable for the grades earned, but this includes standing up against biased or flawed grading procedures and the other circumstances the OP has described.

And for the record, as someone who totally disagrees with the way you present your philosophy, I have a near perfect GPA, and even so I acknowledge that every shortcoming I have met has been wholly my own. That said, I'd be damned if I let myself be complacent with a grade objectively unrepresentative of my performance. I'd say that's a greater offense to personal responsibility than raising legitimate concerns.

You are amazing. Thank you!

 

[H Y F R]

Seriously. 👍

👎

It honestly seems like you didn't even read the OP's post before replying. I hope people like the OP don't listen to people like you who are so quick to pin every frustration on personal flexibility, effort, or whatever. The OP clearly has legitimate complaints that merit administrative review and action, and you disregard everything and write it off as immaturity because there's no way something could possibly be out of the control of the student. You are right that a student has responsibility to him/herself to be accountable for the grades earned, but this includes standing up against biased or flawed grading procedures and the other circumstances the OP has described.

And for the record, as someone who totally disagrees with the way you present your philosophy, I have a near perfect GPA, and even so I acknowledge that every shortcoming I have met has been wholly my own. That said, I'd be damned if I let myself be complacent with a grade objectively unrepresentative of my performance. I'd say that's a greater offense to personal responsibility than raising legitimate concerns.

1) bit of a personal attack, no?

2 + 3) you kind of contradict yourself

Good luck to everyone

 

[whatbout2morrow]

OP, in my opinion, you (and preferably atleast a few others in your class) should have approached the head of the department after the first incident of receiving a nonsense quiz and the teacher flipping out when questioned about it.

If you are to e-mail the dean directly, it is likely that you will be told to set up a meeting with the instructor, and if there is no resolution, speak to the head of department, still no resolution - the dean, formal hearing, so on, so forth. However, if the rules of your university are in any way similar to mine, there probably will be a university rule somewhere saying that after the semester is over and final grades have been posted, you cannot dispute the methods the professor used in teaching the class or deciding the grade, rather, you can only dispute how the final grade was calculated. Good luck.

 

[angemon89]

Sounds like my last quarter of general bio (in which I received my first C). At the end of the quarter, everyone in my class was complaining about how the class was structured. Mostly because a lot of people were doing bad (the class grade was determined by our 3 professors, 1 TA and a lab practical created by another guy).

So when the class was nearing the end, everyone started messaging the professors and coming up to the them with complaints. They pretty much told us that our complaints would've been valid should we have brought them up sooner. I agreed with them... You can't really expect the professors to do something once all your grades were in and final grades were about to go out.

Every time I look at my transcript I see that C and it bothers me so much. But there's nothing I can do except move on, work harder, and oh yeah: try to pick the best professors.

 

[SnowyRox]

I would not take "No" for an answer when requesting to see my quizzes. You need to show up to the office and ask in person when an appropriate time would be to view these quizzes. That is your right as a student.

I would also take the quizzes and show them to the head of the department. The issues that you describe need to be addressed before another class of students has to suffer through a poor professor. It may not help your situation, but it's necessary.