Mike Scoles wrote: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>My syllabus always states that the lowest exam will be dropped (at least
>in undergraduate classes). A missed exam counts as a zero. This allows
>everyone to have a free "bad day", whether it is a death in the family,
>the end of a romance, or the common anxiety-related "stomach virus." It
>also gives a break to those students who will drag themselves in for an
>exam regardless of how lousy they feel.
>My syllabus always states that the lowest exam will be dropped (at least
>in undergraduate classes). A missed exam counts as a zero. This allows
>everyone to have a free "bad day", whether it is a death in the family,
>the end of a romance, or the common anxiety-related "stomach virus." It
>also gives a break to those students who will drag themselves in for an
>exam regardless of how lousy they feel.
I believe that everyone has the right to develop their own philosophy on this. Personally, I am in the "drop nothing" group for the reasons that others have stated. If a student came to me with any of the problems that Mike mentioned above, I would let them take the exam at a later time. In my world, grades represent 15 weeks of effort, or lack thereof, not 80%.
Rip Pisacreta, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology,
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI 49307
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