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Show One down, two to go ... or . . quarter countdown clogged by class assignments Editor's note: The writer is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics and a teaching assistant currently teaching Econ. 302-1 . The editorial in the Chronicle Nov. 11, 1970, on the subject of the distribution of lime spent by students and material coveredassigned by instructors was in my opinion a very good one. There are many reasons no doubt why most of the effect on the part of students comes late in the quarter, and procrastination, as suggested by the editorial writer, must be one of them. I would like to look at another possible influence and that is the distribution of possible points in classes through the quarter. In other words, what percentage of one's grade in a course can be determined deter-mined by Oct. 23, Nov. 6, Nov. 25, etc. The percentage is 0 till the first quiz or lest, and if a final exam counts 50 percent then the percentage on the day before the final would be 50. I have no surveys although one would be fairly easy to take. However, I am willing to venture the thought that if for all undergraduate University classes a cumulative distribution were plotted showing on the vertical axis the percentage of total points for a course attainable by certain dates (dates on the horizontal axis) that (a) the curve would have a mighty steep slope in December; and (b) the distribution would correspond quite closely to a distribution of time spent by students on studies through the quarter. In our social system we are trained to exert ourselves in relation to the payoff. We are also taught to be efficient-that is to get the maximum gain for the particular effort or, flipping it over, to make the minimum effort for the particular gain. Granting that and memories being what they are, it is quickly understood by the student that if the points come late in the quarter the effort should be there as well. Thus, it appears reasonable to argue that the student study time distribution would follow from the distribution of attainable points through time. Having speculated I will proceed to moralize. The students are getting a bad deal. Frankly, I question whether it is reasonable that in the four and one-half hour period between 7:45 and 12:15 on December 14 that one taking Biology 101 and one of a number of 8:50 classes will have half of her or his grade determined for the quarter would be determined in that short span. My example is not applicable to all students of course, but there is a rule of thumb that grades tend to fall during finals, and the intensity of the week's activities is, I think, a real factor. In addition, during a week's span approximately approxi-mately 25 percent .of the female students ' will be thrust into the harsher phases of their menstrua cycle. Is it fair for possibly half one's grade to be a function of nature? Guess which sex seems to run the University.... At about this point the reader (especially an instructor who weights his final heavily) might be exclaiming, mumbling, mumbl-ing, or thinking that my argument is based on the implicit assumption that grades rather than knowledge are the students' quest. My friends, it is true. I will not attempt to place the blame, but someone has trained students to consider the grade as the object and knowledge as the occasional byproduct. It is the job of the instructors to "convert" students into pursuing trie knowledge. Once the student is converted it turns out that good grades come almost as a matter of course. This crafty work of changing student goals is implemented by the choice of texts, the giving of well prepared and well presented lectures, the focusing of the course on relevant issues, and by the use of the exam (if there must be one) as an educational and motivational device. A midterm in early November worth 25 percent of the grade, a paper due in early December worth 25 percent of the grade, and a final worth 50 percent can undo much of the good in the other areas. The force of my argument depends of course on the empirical question of the true distribution of possible points through the quarter. I am not able to pursue the matter of what the distribution really is, but perhaps someone in the School of Education or the Department of Institutional Studies would be interested ' in doing so. If someone should do such a . study it would be interesting to have separate distributions for courses taught by men, women and T.A.'s-take that as you wish! 1 |