low points for assignments

[its_meee]

All of my nursing classes give long assignments that are only worth between 2-5 points. The assignments are not usually hard, but they are time consuming. I've put several hours into an assignment to only be given 3 points out of a totol possible 3 points. It's very hard to raise your grade when a small amount of points are being added. Our exams are worth 100 points, so students who do not fair well on an exam have a very hard time getting their grades back up. I've gotten B's on all my exams so far, but several students have complained about this issue. We had a mini quiz a week or so ago that was only worth 2 points; it contained 8 questions- 0.25 points per question! This is my first semester in the nursing program and I'm wondering if this is normal in other nursing programs.

[Ldla1234]

In the last clinal course I took ( I was terminated from my program) we had 4 tests 16% of our grade each. one final exam worth 30% and one paper worth 1%. There were quizzes but they did not count toward our grade and clinical was pass fail and also did not contribute to our grade. All,in all very frustrating.

[FDW630]

We have 5 quizzes worth a single point each. We also have a math exam worth 5 points, and two projects worth 5 points each. One has us spending an entire day volunteering at a health-related community event, and the other is a research project we have to find a place in the community to present to, as well as presenting to the class and writing a summary paper on it. It is frustrating to have to pour so much time into something worth so little. I would rather spend the time studying for exams that are worth most of our grade, or getting my required hours in at the lab for CPEs. I feel like it takes valuable time away from that, for very little pay off. Everyone has to do it though, so nothing to do but suck it up and trudge on. :/ Good luck!

[smatrang001]

We just have 4 exams with 50 ques and a final. So those who fail one exam have a hard time raising their grades too.

[kaydensmom01]

We have had 6 assignments this semester, turn them in, and do not get any points for them. We are told that they are considered part of our studying, they are mandatory. We are told that we do not receive points for them because people used to flunk that tests' and were still able to pass due to the homework. They don't want you to pass based on homework b/c you get to use resources to work with the homework, and with the tests' you have to know what you are learning. Our math quizzes are 20 questions, miss one and fail. Fail 3 tests and you are out of the program. Our math quizzes are not worth any pts either, only a clinical pass or fail.

So yes, very common.