Different grading options

December 5, 2019

University Relations

I was taken back when I heard a student describe to me that they had an two options in their marketing/business class : they could go the "A Option" or the "B Option"- both of these options denote what the highest grade you can receive in the class. Example: Option A would allow you to earn an A, your course work with be more group projects/papers. If you choose Option B it would consists of more exams then group projects, but no matter how well you did you would only earn a B.

While I appreciate the options students have, I do not understand why you would be punishing someone for knowing their learning style and choosing an option that they know they would do better with. Some students are better at test taking, some are better at group projects, some people are parents and don't have the time to engage in group projects so they choose option B. So even if a student does a great job in option B, they would only be able to earn a B.

I would recommend looking at this learning/teaching pedagogy and re-evaluating it to something that would be more equitable to all learners.