1. Making the Grade Professor Peih-ying Lu December 17, 2009

2. What is the meaning of “grade” to you?

3. 1. (a). Fully explain what Wiesenfeld means by a “disgruntled-consumer approach” (par. 3).  What does he think has caused some students to develop this attitude? (b). What does Wiesenfeld mean when he says grades are “intrinsically worthless” (par. 6)?  In what way(s) are grades valuable? Explain.

4. (c). In paragraph 8, Wiesenfeld asserts that “their attitude is not only self-destructive, but socially destructive.”  Whose attitude is he referring to?  In what way(s) is it self-destructive? Socially destructive? Explain.

5. (d). How is giving appropriate grades a form of “quality control” (par. 8)? (e). What is a degree supposed to indicate?

6. 2. (a). Do you think that a professor is responsible for a student’s “loosing scholarship, flunking out or deciding whether life has meaning” (par. 6)? Explain. (b). Wiesenfeld provides some examples of “real-world consequences of errors and lack of expertise.”  What are some other examples?

7. (c). Is it fair for teachers to judge students “according to their performance, not their desires or ‘potential’”? Explain. (d). Do you agree that accurate grades are “necessary to help preserve a minimum standard of quality that our society needs to maintain safety and integrity” (par. 11)? Explain.

8. 3. (a). Up until this semester, you have made an A in every class in your major. This term’s class, you made A’s on all the tests and quizzes, but you blanked on the final exam and got a C for the semester.  What do you do?

9. (b). You made a D on every chemistry test you took throughout the term. You know you made a D on the final exam because you went to your professor’s office and reviewed the test. When you got your end of term grade report, you are surprise to see that you received an A for the class.  What do you do?

10. (c). You struggled all term in your math class. You never missed a class, attended all of the supplemental instruction sessions, went to the math lab almost every day, and studied math at least two hours every night. Your final average is 6/10’s of a point from a C.  What do you do?

11. (d). You are a straight A psychology student with a love of drawing. You went to take a drawing class, but you are concerned that you might earn a low grade and pull down your GPA.  Do you take the drawing class? Explain.

12. What is the value of learning?