Effective idea needed on convincing people

[Fakesmile]

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We had a p-chem midterm last week and got it back today. I got a 50% and the class average was 60%. The prof said he doesn't scale or curve but rather use a rigid scheme for assigning grades (85% or above being an A). Concerned and desperate, I asked him for any alternative, and he said that if there is a general consensus on Friday, then he will offer us a makeup midterm next Monday.

I'm currently trying to come up with ways I can get the general consensus. So far, I thought about making and printing little slips of paper saying about this option and then going to lecture 10 minutes early to put the papers on each desk in lecture before everyone comes in. Then if a few people are for the makeup midterm, then once the prof announces about the option at the beginning, there will be a general consesus.

The problem is that I don't know anyone in class and many people skip lectures (the class has like 60 people and only 20 or below attend lectures). Those few who come to lectures will likely be good students, and so they are likely to have done well on the midterm. So they would object to or be neutral to a makeup midterm. So in this regard, my paper slip method isn't likely to be effective. (But what if I emphasize on the paper slide the fact that grading isn't scaled/curved so people who did well on the midterm wouldn't need to worry about the average going up due to makeup midterm and thus raising the curve)
I'd appreciate any great ideas.

 

[jm192]

We had a p-chem midterm last week and got it back today. I got a 50% and the class average was 60%. The prof said he doesn't scale or curve but rather use a rigid scheme for assigning grades (85% or above being an A). Concerned and desperate, I asked him for any alternative, and he said that if there is a general consensus on Friday, then he will offer us a makeup midterm next Monday.

I'm currently trying to come up with ways I can get the general consensus. So far, I thought about making and printing little slips of paper saying about this option and then going to lecture 10 minutes early to put the papers on each desk in lecture before everyone comes in. Then if a few people are for the makeup midterm, then once the prof announces about the option at the beginning, there will be a general consesus.

The problem is that I don't know anyone in class and many people skip lectures (the class has like 60 people and only 20 or below attend lectures). Those few who come to lectures will likely be good students, and so they are likely to have done well on the midterm. So they would object to or be neutral to a makeup midterm. So in this regard, my paper slip method isn't likely to be effective. (But what if I emphasize on the paper slide the fact that grading isn't scaled/curved so people who did well on the midterm wouldn't need to worry about the average going up due to makeup midterm and thus raising the curve)
I'd appreciate any great ideas.

This will be hard pressed to work with any idea. If I have an A on a P-chem test, and someone did poorly and wants me to sit through ANOTHER test to help their grade, I'd politely decline.

If the professor made it to where you got to keep your highest of the 2 grades, you might be able to convince the class just by asking.

Stand up in front of the class and just say hey, help a guy out, can't hurt your grade.

 

[Fakesmile]

This will be hard pressed to work with any idea. If I have an A on a P-chem test, and someone did poorly and wants me to sit through ANOTHER test to help their grade, I'd politely decline.

I should've mentioned, but the prof said that the makeup midterm will be optional. So those satisfied with their first mark can skip the lecture on the day of the makeup midterm, so they won't need to worry about sitting through another test.

If the professor made it to where you got to keep your highest of the 2 grades, you might be able to convince the class just by asking.

That's what the prof said, he will let us choose the higher of the two midterm marks.

Stand up in front of the class and just say hey, help a guy out, can't hurt your grade.

I'm too nervous to do that. Why not paper slip method?

 

[cfx]

I should've mentioned, but the prof said that the makeup midterm will be optional. So those satisfied with their first mark can skip the lecture on the day of the makeup midterm, so they won't need to worry about sitting through another test.

That's what the prof said, he will let us choose the higher of the two midterm marks.

I'm too nervous to do that. Why not paper slip method?

In this case, I'm not sure that much convincing will be necessary. People who did poorly get the opportunity to do better, and those who did will get a day off from class.

 

[dingyibvs]

Use a petition form, approach each person one by one, and get them to sign it saying they support an optional midterm. Stress to them that it can not possibly hurt their grade in the class.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

doesn't your class have a mailing list so you can email everyone?

also, an uncurved p-chem class? harsh.

 

[jm192]

I should've mentioned, but the prof said that the makeup midterm will be optional. So those satisfied with their first mark can skip the lecture on the day of the makeup midterm, so they won't need to worry about sitting through another test.

That's what the prof said, he will let us choose the higher of the two midterm marks.

I'm too nervous to do that. Why not paper slip method?

Get un-nervous. People can, and will ignore paper. If YOU ask them directly, there becomes a humanistic side to the request.

The petition would also work. Don't rely on paper slips. Those can be tossed and ignored. You verbalizing the issue as a person can't be.

 

[Fakesmile]

doesn't your class have a mailing list so you can email everyone?

also, an uncurved p-chem class? harsh.

There is a mailing list but it's for the use of prof or TA.

Use a petition form, approach each person one by one, and get them to sign it saying they support an optional midterm. Stress to them that it can not possibly hurt their grade in the class.

Nice idea, I might want to try that. But I only have until Friday to do that and I can't look out for my classmates outside lecture because I don't know anyone in class, as I previously said. So what to do? Then I can probably pass around the petition in class during lecture, and then recover it and show it to the prof at the end of the Friday lecture?

In this case, I'm not sure that much convincing will be necessary. People who did poorly get the opportunity to do better, and those who did will get a day off from class.

But as I previously said,
"...many people skip lectures (the class has like 60 people and only 20 or below attend lectures). Those few who come to lectures will likely be good students, and so they are likely to have done well on the midterm. So they would object to or be neutral to a makeup midterm. So in this regard, my paper slip method isn't likely to be effective. (But what if I emphasize on the paper slide the fact that grading isn't scaled/curved so people who did well on the midterm wouldn't need to worry about the average going up due to makeup midterm and thus raising the curve)."

 

[dingyibvs]

Just get to the lecture early, stand by the door and ask ppl to sign it. You can go around the classroom before class starts to ask as well.

 

[Fakesmile]

Just get to the lecture early, stand by the door and ask ppl to sign it. You can go around the classroom before class starts to ask as well.

The lecture hall has more than one door. I'll just have it passed around from desk to desk during lecture.

 

[cfx]

The lecture hall has more than one door. I'll just have it passed around from desk to desk during lecture.

But this isn't going to convince anyone. It's the same as the professor asking for a show-of-hands.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

ask the TA to send out an email on your behalf.

 

[dingyibvs]

The lecture hall has more than one door. I'll just have it passed around from desk to desk during lecture.

You need to request it personally for it to be effective, it's harder to turn somebody down in person. Otherwise nobody will give a ****.

 

[sonia1177]

You need to request it personally for it to be effective, it's harder to turn somebody down in person. Otherwise nobody will give a ****.

Agreed. It's very hard to turn someone around if they come to you in person. Try to ask your TA if you can get a list of emails. Explain your cause Doesn't your schools have a directory or website where all the class's emails are listed? And bring it to your Professor's attention that since most of the people don't come to class, how can he take a full accurate vote from the people in class and expect to get fair results?

 

[bigbad]

You said the class average was a 60%. That's not exactly great. I'm sure there will be people in the class that want to retake. And even those with 80's or so might want to retake, especially if it can't hurt them. I know I would just for the heck of it.

 

[Fakesmile]

I actually emailed to the class mailing list. The email I sent to the class was sent to me as well, which means students, not just the prof or TA, are allowed to send emails to the class mailing list! I hope a general consensus will be reached tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice!

 

[Fakesmile]

I want to cry... The prof changed his mind not to give us a makeup midterm despite a general consensus among the students in lecture today.. It's really unfair of him to not keep his word.
Now the best grade I can get is a B+. This is really sad..
My last hope is to score at least 152 out of 160 on the final, since the prof said he will give us an A+ if we do so. But it's highly unlikely to score that high on the final because the marking is very strict. I want to cry......

 

[Trexate]

I want to cry... The prof changed his mind not to give us a makeup midterm despite a general consensus among the students in lecture today.. It's really unfair of him to not keep his word.
Now the best grade I can get is a B+. This is really sad..
My last hope is to score at least 152 out of 160 on the final, since the prof said he will give us an A+ if we do so. But it's highly unlikely to score that high on the final because the marking is very strict. I want to cry......

Not the end of the world. So go ahead and cry, then man-up and do the best you can. It happens to the best of us. The worst thing you can do now is to start feeling sorry for yourself and have the whole thing snowball into something worse. Yeah it sucks that he didn't keep his word, but I doubt this is the first time someone's broken their word to you. Nor will it be the last. Head down, power through. B+ is better than F.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

nobody is going to fault you for a B+ in pchem

 

[Trexate]

nobody is going to fault you for a B+ in pchem *

*except for everyone on SDN