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Hello,
We just completed a block. I will not reveal the school or any specific details.
To pass this block, we had to pass three exams. Per the syllabus, each exam had to be passed individually. In order to pass each exam, we had to obtain the following minimum scores on each exam to guarantee a passing grade, which makes each exam equal weight in determining the passing grade. However, the professor reserved the right to lower each pass line "depending on faculty review of the exam difficulty and/or class performance."
Exam 1: 85/100 (identification of structures on dissected cadavers).
Exam 2: 85/100 (MC exam. Identification of structures with function. For example, if the optic nerve were tagged, and the exam asked what would a lesion of this nerve cause, the correct answer of blindness would be listed).
Exam 3: 75/100 (written final exam).
At the end of the block, we got the following results.
Exam 1: Class average 96. SD 6 (professor lowered the pass line to 75 based on "review of the questions prior to reviewing student exam performance"). No students failed after adjustment (if pass line were not adjusted, two students would have failed).
Exam 2: Class average 96. SD 5 (professor lowered the pass line to 75 review of the questions prior to reviewing student exam performance"). Two students failed after adjustment (if pass line were not adjusted, nine students would have failed)
Exam 3: Class average 80. SD 10 (professor refused to lower pass line). Approximately 20% of the class falls below 75% and fails.
Grading policy seems really pretty random. Essentially, students who scored below a pass line on two of the exams were treated differently than the students who scored below preset passing line. Thoughts?
We just completed a block. I will not reveal the school or any specific details.
To pass this block, we had to pass three exams. Per the syllabus, each exam had to be passed individually. In order to pass each exam, we had to obtain the following minimum scores on each exam to guarantee a passing grade, which makes each exam equal weight in determining the passing grade. However, the professor reserved the right to lower each pass line "depending on faculty review of the exam difficulty and/or class performance."
Exam 1: 85/100 (identification of structures on dissected cadavers).
Exam 2: 85/100 (MC exam. Identification of structures with function. For example, if the optic nerve were tagged, and the exam asked what would a lesion of this nerve cause, the correct answer of blindness would be listed).
Exam 3: 75/100 (written final exam).
At the end of the block, we got the following results.
Exam 1: Class average 96. SD 6 (professor lowered the pass line to 75 based on "review of the questions prior to reviewing student exam performance"). No students failed after adjustment (if pass line were not adjusted, two students would have failed).
Exam 2: Class average 96. SD 5 (professor lowered the pass line to 75 review of the questions prior to reviewing student exam performance"). Two students failed after adjustment (if pass line were not adjusted, nine students would have failed)
Exam 3: Class average 80. SD 10 (professor refused to lower pass line). Approximately 20% of the class falls below 75% and fails.
Grading policy seems really pretty random. Essentially, students who scored below a pass line on two of the exams were treated differently than the students who scored below preset passing line. Thoughts?
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