The mean GPA for our psychology majors at Emory is around a 3.4. No wonder so many of them become incensed at me when I give them Bs or even B pluses in their classes; I'm lowering most of their grade point averages. ...Scott
Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D. Professor Editor, Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice Department of Psychology, Room 473 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences (PAIS) Emory University 36 Eagle Row Atlanta, Georgia 30322 slil...@emory.edu (404) 727-1125 Psychology Today Blog: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-skeptical-psychologist 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-140513111X.html Scientific American Mind: Facts and Fictions in Mental Health Column: http://www.scientificamerican.com/sciammind/ The Master in the Art of Living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his intellectual passions. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him - he is always doing both. - Zen Buddhist text (slightly modified) From: Wuensch, Karl L. [mailto:wuens...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, December 21, 2009 5:19 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Lazy American Students and Their Grades At my university, the undergraduate catalog defines grades this way: A -- excellent B -- good C -- average D -- barely passed F -- failed I -- incomplete So, "C" is "average," eh? To check this definition I downloaded all grades for undergraduate courses for the just completed semester. Here is the distribution of final grades: A -- 38% B -- 30% C -- 18% D -- 7% F -- 7% I-- 1% Mode = A, Mean = B, Median = B. I have proposed that the catalog be updated to read this way: A - Average B - Barely average C - Could have been average if the student had attended class, read the book, completed the assignments, etc. D - did worse than Dubya F - Failed, but if the student begs enough for post hoc extra credit, this can be changed. I - I am still trying to decide whether to give the student an A after e put so much effort into persuading me it is not e's that e did not get an A and that I would be responsible for ruining e's life if I gave any grade other than an A. ________________________________ From: Christopher D. Green [mailto:chri...@yorku.ca] Sent: Monday, December 21, 2009 12:16 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] lazy American students Nicely stated, Chris. [file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\Vati\Application%20Data\Microsoft\Signatures\Cent_logo.jpg]<http://www.ecu.edu/> --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) ________________________________ This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the original message (including attachments). --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
