Michael Sylvester wrote:
> What is your take on Incompletes and their eventual conversion to letter
> grades?
I give incompletes ONLY if the student is passing the course prior to
his/her request for the incomplete AND if the reason is sound. I've given
"I" grades to students who, for example, had their marriages end
unexpectedly during the term, who were hospitalized for major injuries or
illnesses, and who delivered a baby during the term. In all cases, the
reason was sound (in one case, I gave an incomplete to a woman who, during
the term, left her abusive husband and moved into a battered woman's
shelter where I do counseling), the student was passing my course, and the
student simply needed the additional time to get his/her life back in
order and complete my class (I have _very_ heavy written requirements that
make it more difficult than most courses). In the last ten years, I've had
exactly ONE student who didn't end up fulfilling the requirements
remaining and receive a good grade--and that student dropped out of
college completely.
Incompletes offer a reasonable response to an immediate and unexpected
life crises, but they need to be handled intelligently by the faculty
member involved.
Rick
--
Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds will be the love
you leave behind when you're gone. --Fred Small, Everything Possible "
