Student Challenges Unfair Mark, Results In Investigation Of Teacher Conduct

The most frustrating thing about taking an online course is having a professor who disregards your questions and concerns. When Jake enrolled in an economics online course, he expected it to be breezy. However, he became ill for a few weeks and missed some of his assignments. No problem. He accepted it as his fault and was thus hoping to pass with at least a C grade. However, not only did professor Y. miscalculate Jake's final grade, but also overlooked his questions and concerns regarding the confusing syllabus. This is how Jake decided to go about getting the grade he knew he deserved:

The Beginning Of A Disastrous Online Course

Last semester, Jake took an online-only ECON-101 class to fulfill one of the requirements of his associate’s degree. He chose the economics course because he thought it sounded interesting until he met Professor Y. This teacher no interest in teaching, took forever to answer students’ questions and didn’t really seem to actually CARE about helping students. The course had a website called MyEconLab to submit homework, quizzes, and tests, and there was a weekly discussion board to engage with their peers.

In the middle of the semester, Jake became very ill. He missed some assignments and didn’t do well on others. It wasn’t his fault, really, and he thought that at best he deserved a C grade. Upon looking at his marks and calculating his grade before the finals, he noticed that he was in danger of getting a D. He looked at the syllabus and found a passage that said that the final was worth 100 points, and at this point in the class they only had 255 total. It seemed to be worth a big chunk of points. There was also a term paper assigned, which was also worth 100 points.

Jake then decided to focus more on the final than on the term paper, because he’s much better at multiple choice than at writing papers. He received an 83% on the final and was satisfied that he would scrape by with a C.

The First Email Sent Set Things To Motion …

The class ended on December 15th, and the final was not added to his grade book. He thought it was a little weird, but seeing as how the professor had been taking a long time all semester to grade assignments, Jake thought nothing of it. He checked every couple of days to see what his final grade was, and on January 10th, he saw a D! Jake immediately checked his grade book and saw that he got a 67% on the term paper, which is around what he had expected. However, his final was nowhere to be found. In addition, the only assignment that referenced the MyEconLab website had not been updated since November 6th. Basically, there was almost a month of assignments that weren’t counting towards his grade.

Thinking that there must have been some mistake, Jake sent his professor an email:

Hello Professor,

I checked my grade on webadvisor and it says that I have a D. I logged into blackboard and it says I have a 67%, but that doesn’t appear to be taking into account the grade I received for my final exam, as well as some of the other MyEconLab assignments.

In addition, I’m having a hard time understanding your grading rubric, so any clarifications you can offer there would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Jake

He did not hear back from Professor Y for 48 hours. At this point, he called the Dean that oversaw Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences. He explained his situation to her, and she said that she would call his professor and that there was a chance that it was just a mistake. The next day Jake received an email back from his professor:

HELLO STUDENT, HERE IS A SUMMARY OF YOUR GRADE TO DATE. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MISSED (2) CRITICAL DISCUSSION BOARDS WHICH AFFECTED YOUR GRADE SIGNIFICANTLY. PLEASE REVIEW THE COMMENTS I MADE IN BLACKBOARD REGARDING YOUR TERM PROJECT. IF NEEDED WE CAN MEET TO DISCUSS YOUR GRADE FURTHER.

The entire email was really all in caps! Below that, the professor had included Jake’s grade book, which he had already seen. That was the whole reason he was getting in touch with the professor! Yet, Professor Y didn’t actually answer any of Jake’s questions. So Jake decided to email him back:

No Worries, The Dean Is On Top Of The Situation

Hello Professor, I appreciate your reply, however this doesn’t answer my questions. Where is my final? What about my MyEconLab assignments from the last couple weeks of class?

Jake

He replied with:

Jake, please watch your tone. Your final is located in myeconlab, as mentioned in the syllabus if you reviewed it here is a breakdown of how the grades are calculated. Course Assignments and point distribution approximations:

(3) Chapter Mid-Term Exams (MyEcon lab) = 45 %

(1) Final Exam (MyEcon lab) = 25%

(16) Chapter Quizzes (MyEcon lab = 15%

(1) Term Project (Written) = 100 (points)

(10) Chapter H/W/Video Assn. MyEcon lab = + 15%

(6) Chapter Discussion Forums = 120 (points)

Total Points 100% weighted (plus 220 points)

Underneath that, he included the grade book from MyEconLab, which Jake already had. The grade breakdown that professor Y included in this email was already located in the syllabus. Once again, the professor failed to answer Jake’s questions. Not only that, he also asked him to ‘watch his tone’? Jake had been nothing but respectful. So he decided to reply back with this:

Professor,

I apologize if I come off as rude, it’s not my intention. I’m just very confused. The only assignment on blackboard that is labeled as MyEconLab says that it is for weeks 1 through 11, and was last updated on November 6th. How does that include my final exam grade, which was taken on December 15th? Additionally, how can something that was updated on November 6th include all of my assignments for November 7th through the end of the semester?

Also, I did read the syllabus, and I spent quite a while trying to work out how the point distribution is calculated. I wasn’t able to figure it out, which is why I asked for some clarification. I’m sorry if asking for clarification came off as being disrespectful.

Jake then waited four days without a reply, and then called the Dean again. He told her that he didn’t feel like this was a mistake and that he didn’t think this was going to be resolved between them. She told Jake she would look into it further, and that she had been following their email conversation.

Shortly after his phone call with the Dean, professor Y emailed him back:

“Your Syllabus Seems To Contradict Itself”

Ok, 1st the points in MyEcon Lab are calculated within the My econ lab system based on the weighted point allotment for the particular assignment. This is why I sent you a copy of the syllabus which expresses all assignments in Myecon lab as a weighted %. Hence, the 92% for example on the final, is weighted with all other exam grades, which represented 70% of the Myecon grade.

Secondly, the big reason, respectfully, your grade was lower than anticipated was based on the (2) discussion boards you missed in my opinion, with those 2 scores you would have been above a 70%.

All I can say is, we can sit down in Spring 2018, during office hours, and I can explain the grading criteria, as I have designed it based on student work within Myecon lab and Blackboard.

You did miss (2) discussion boards, Correct? I just ask this to make sure this point clarification is correct.

Again, email me after February 12th, 2018 when I return from Winter Break and we can over your grade scores again.

Thanks Sincerely;

Professor Y.

So now finally Jake had received an answer on one of his questions. The professor mentioned that he is calculating Jake’s grade by reducing all of the assignments that were done on MyEconLab down to a 100 point assignment based on the weighted percentages in the syllabus. Come to think of it, this is actually kind of ridiculous since there are 355 points in total for the class, so reducing all that work down to 100 points means it’s all worth very little. The final ended up being only worth 7% of Jake’s grade. Again, Jake replied back to him:

Professor Y.,

I appreciate your efforts to clarify your grading policy, however I am even more confused than before. If I’m understanding you correctly, it sounds like you’re saying that every single assignment for MyEconLab is weighted according to the percentages on page three of your syllabus. Then those points are counted as part of the “MyEconLab (Weeks 1-11)” assignment, which is worth one hundred points.

This contradicts what your syllabus says on page five:

“Exams: there will be 4 exams over the course of the semester, (3) Midterm and (1) Final. These exams are a combination of multiple choice, matching, ordering, and essays. Each Exam is worth 100 points, and the exams are each worth 45% of your overall grade.

Research Paper: you will submit an 8-10 page research paper on a topic approved by the instructor. A separate handout will be distributed to students with details on formatting this assignment. The research paper is worth 20% of your overall grade and is 100 points. Document Requirements Page Located in Blackboard (Term Project Requirements).” (Emphasis mine)

This seems to contradict what you’ve stated about the final and midterm exams only being included in the MyEconLab assignment on blackboard. Towards the end of the semester, after I missed the two discussion boards, I realized that I might end up with a D in your class. I consulted your syllabus to see what points were remaining, and found the passages from page five that I quoted above. It seemed to me that the final exam was worth quite a big chunk of points, and I was relying on that to bolster my grade. At the end of last semester I was incredibly busy with other classes, performances, work, and illnesses. I believe you are aware of my illnesses, because you denied my request for an extension on the term paper. For these reasons, I had a limited amount of time to devote to studying. If I had known that in reality, the final was only worth 7% of my overall grade, I would have budgeted my time differently. Instead of studying so much for the final, I would have put more time into my term paper, which seemed to be worth less points.

You keep asking me to reference your syllabus, and in a previous email, you stated that if I had read your syllabus, I would not have questions about my grade. However, your syllabus seems to contradict itself in several places. I saw the quoted passage on page five, and assumed that it was correct. Was I incorrect to rely on your syllabus to guide me in how to approach your class?

Dodging His Questions Not So Ungracefully

Furthermore, I have asked a direct question in three separate emails, and I have not received a direct answer:

There are several assignments which were turned in after November 6th at 2:34 PM, this includes three chapter quizzes as well as my final exam. How are these assignments included in my overall grade, if the MyEconLab assignment was last updated on November 6th at 2:34 PM?

I would appreciate an answer, because it doesn’t feel fair to me to receive a grade without all of my work being included in my grade. MyEconLab says that I spent over 4 hours working on assignments that were turned in after November 6th at 2:34 PM. Was that all for nothing?

I am sorry to keep bothering you during the winter break, however this is a time sensitive matter for me, as I receive a hefty discount on my car insurance for maintaining a 3.0 GPA. For that reason, I would like to resolve this as soon as possible.

Please be aware that I have CC’d the dean to this conversation.

Thank you very much, Ceryliae

The professor emailed Jake back the next day:

Well, I will address these issues within the next 4 weeks with you when we meet. Again, did you miss (2) discussion Boards?

I am aware you have spoken with my Dean, and Chairman, however, this does not change my position or your grade until further review.

I will be back in the office starting February 13th, 2018 and we can revisit these issues 1 by 1.

Please just reply back for my records if you missed (2) Discussion boards or you can defer until we meet and I will use what I have in blackboard as my answer.

Please, no more emails until we meet, to keep perceptions and frustrations to a minimum.

Thanks.

So not only did professor Y. refuse to answer Jake’s questions, he also asked him a question about the discussion boards he missed, which he did in fact answer in the previous email. That means professor Y didn’t really read Jake’s assignment. Additionally, Jake couldn’t really afford to wait 4 weeks to resolve this situation. So, he emailed back with this:

Professor Y.,

I am disappointed that you are unwilling to answer my simple questions about my grade at this time, because this situation is very time sensitive for me.

As I stated in my previous email, yes, I did miss those two discussion boards.

I appreciate your offer to meet with me once the spring semester begins, however I don’t think it is in my best interest to meet with you alone. I am uncomfortable meeting with you without the dean in attendance.

Thank you, Jake

The next day Jake heard back from the professor with this short email:

Grade was changed to a C.

Best Success.

And The Investigation Begins

So now Jake had received what he was trying to get a week earlier. However, he was not satisfied. So he called the Dean and told her that since he had been given the C, he is dropping the matter. However, Professor Y. should still be investigated for how he grades assignments, as well as the confusing nature of his syllabus. The Dean told him that she is already investigating and then asked him to put all this in an email to her so that she has a written account. She also said that she was calculating his grade and she thought he did, in fact, earned a C.

Here is that email:

Hello Dr. E.,

Professor Y. informed me that he was changing my grade to a C. For this reason, I would like to put this matter to rest. However, there are still some lingering concerns that I feel should be addressed going forward.

It still appears to me that not all of my assignments were calculated into my grade, due to the MyEconLab assignment on blackboard last being updated on November 6th, and the class ending on December 15th.

The syllabus has many inconsistencies as well as flat out missing quite a bit of information. Page three has the grading breakdown and mixes points and percentages, which makes it very confusing. Furthermore, the grading breakdown is contrary to what it stated on page 5:

“Exams: there will be 4 exams over the course of the semester, (3) Midterm and (1) Final. These exams are a combination of multiple choice, matching, ordering, and essays. Each Exam is worth 100 points, and the exams are each worth 45% of your overall grade.

Research Paper: you will submit an 8-10 page research paper on a topic approved by the instructor. A separate handout will be distributed to students with details on formatting this assignment. The research paper is worth 20% of your overall grade and is 100 points. Document Requirements Page Located in Blackboard (Term Project Requirements).”

Along the same lines, there are typos littered throughout the syllabus, including stating that the four exams are each worth 45% of your overall grade, which adds up to 180%. If the Syllabus for Econ-101 is confusing, there is a good chance that his other classes are equally confusing. How many students have not had the confidence to come forward after they were misled or confused by Professor Y’s syllabus? I have attached all three revisions of Professor Y’s syllabus to this email.

You have been exceedingly helpful with this matter, and I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.

Thank you,

Jake

So now the professor is under investigation for how he grades assignments as well as his syllabuses. None of this would have happened if he had assigned Jake the grade he earned.