What Causes Most Grade Disputes?

A rather amusing piece that first appeared in New York Times last month about the frustrations of college professors has not only quickly made the "Best of the Web" list on Wall Street Journal, but also caused many academics, journalists, and other concerned citizens to marvel upon the source of the students' sense of entitlement to a good grade.

At issue here is the fact that many college students these days feel that if they put in effort, they deserve a grade of "A" or "B" even when the coursework they complete is just average.

In our dept., another similar issue also exists. That is, some students are not happy when they fail to pass a course. Besides the all-too-familiar sob stories of having to juggle work, school, and family obligations, invariably, we hear the same plea that if they work hard, they deserve a passing grade. But in my opinion, if students have actually worked hard but their performance continues to not measure up, then something is wrong. It could be the lack of effective study skills and strategies on the part of the student. It could be a case of student misplacement in the class level in the first place. It could be their inadequate time management skills. It could the lack of a support system and/or necessary learning resources. It could be that they are really biting off more than they can chew. It could even be some sort of learning disability that is blocking real learning from taking place for the student.

On college campuses, the disconnect between claimed efforts and demonstrated results is quite widespread. Who hasn't met a student who came in to complain about getting a bad grade while insisting that he or she had tried so hard?

In terms of where this entitlement mindset comes from, some have rightly pointed to the past practice where the administrators, counselors, and student advisers would automatically fault the faculty in grade disputes, often in the name of advocating for the students. What happened at Palomar in the summer of 2006 is a good example of this kind of misplaced zeal.

Others see parents play a role in fostering the entitlement mentality in today's young college students. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Writer Ruben Navarrette has an ed-op piece out today, blaming the child-rearing practices of many parents who overemphasize the importance of self-esteem and de-emphasize the values of hard work AND accountability.

Navarrette and others even see this growing sense of entitlement as something that ails our society. Shall we not be alarmed? As teachers, what can we do to help? I think we should continue to assess our students according to our high standards and expectations, demand that our students take responsibility for their own learning, and refuse to engage in any social promotion.

I am happy to see Palomar as an institution that upholds rigorous academic standards in many of its study programs. The Basic Skills Initiative and the Hispanic Serving Institute funds are being used to implement needed supports for our students. When all the resources are in place and aggressively utilized throughout the semester, hopefully, our students will have a chance to really work hard and have something to show for it.