Spring 2009 grade distribution reports are still online after several Central Michigan University department chairs voiced concern over their posting.
A group of department chairs plan to meet Nov. 18 to discuss taking down the grade distribution information available on the Central Michigan University Portal.
“I simply need to talk to other chairs about how they feel and how they think we can push forward our goals,” said Psychology Chairman Hajime Otani. “I’m not looking for a concrete outcome yet. I just want to feel the pulse of the other chairs and see how they feel.”
Students can click “Academics” on Portal, then “Grade Distribution Reports for Spring 2009” to find grades distributed by class and instructor.
Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said he supports the student desire to have the grades online. Grade distributions were previously available via hard copy in the Charles V. Park Library.
“Students are making the case that they’re accustomed to gathering info electronically rather than by hard copy,” Roscoe said. “I support students having access to the information. It makes sense to have it available.”
The Council of Chairs voted Oct. 21 to pass a resolution to remove the information from the CMU Portal. As a result, a memo was sent to Roscoe on the matter.
“My understanding is that the provost will wait (to make a decision) until after further discussion by the (Student Government Association) and the Council of Chairs,” Roscoe said.
A ‘reasonable request’
SGA President Jason Nichol is hopeful the grade distribution remains available.
“I think it’s a reasonable request,” the Mount Pleasant senior said. “The potential benefit to students greatly outweighs any possible harms.”
Nichol said he believes the chairs need more support internally.
Approximately 15 chairs voted on the memo out of 37 total departments on campus.
“I’d like to see them take a more widespread stance,” Nichol said. “Not even a majority of the chairs voted. However, we are trying to remain sensitive to the opinion of all parties affected.”
Roscoe thinks more support within the Council of Chairs would give the SGA more to think about — it would make a stronger argument for students to listen to.
However, Otani feels the non-voting chairs support taking the grades down.
“I can only wish for more participation, but I never got the sense after sending the memo that (non-voting members) weren’t supportive,” he said.
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Griffin Fraley
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Can anyone explain to me the department chairs’ arguement for having the grade distributions removed? What harm is it doing? I’m just having a hard time understanding how having this information available to students is negative.
cmu junior, the students might choose a different instructor based on how many A’s they give, hoping to get a better grade in the course.
Also, faculty members were not consulted about this at all; the information was just posted.
To which I say “SO WHAT”? Faculty in general act as if they are immune to all judgement and evaluation and that ANYTHING that brings transparency to the system and would reveal how they really conduct themselves is wrong. Well, grow up, all of us are judged on our performance every day. There are myriad reasons why a student selects a class. Grading is just one characteristic. Even if the chicken turds demand that the grade information be pulled off line, it is still available and everyone will still be using RateMyProfessor to make these decisions…as they certainly do now.
“Chicken turds”–that’s mature.
Anyway, the profs aren’t asking to keep the info secret, just to not post it on the portal. The info has always been available at the library. If students are too lazy to go there and get it, that’s their problem. If SGA wants to make it easy to get it, then why don’t they put it on their own web site? The profs aren’t saying that the information should be hidden or burried, but just that putting it on the portal right on the same page that students use to look for classes sends the message that it’s OK to shop for courses based on who the easy graders are. The profs don’t think that’s a good message for CMU to send. They realize that students can get this info in other ways–they just don’t want it on the portal since that makes it look like CMU is encouraging people to shop for courses by who’s the easiest grader.