College too easy for it's own good?

WildOne · Jul 6, 2012

Have you ever heard of this rule in china I believe that mandates that each student must pass the course and that usually it is the teachers fudging the numbers so they do so?

I was watching an interesting tv episode about it. Students in china would be failing but somehow end up with a 80% and become engineers and such

Colleges are getting sloppy everything is about making money money money it's quite disgusting

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 6, 2012

No I haven't heard that but it doesn't surprise me. There is too much emphasis put on grades particular A's. It is unreasonable to expect every child to get an A. Maybe in grading systems that have separate grades for effort and achievement since it's entirely possible to be making the best effort but not receiving the best results.

To me there is nothing wrong with a hard fought for C. That is the passing standard. Also failing courses in the past taught me a lot about myself. It taught me the things I wasn't good at and didn't have a talent for before it was too late. The hardest class I ever took was one where the teacher reserved A's for only the most exceptional efforts. It was a philosophy class that everyone including me thought would be a cupcake walk.

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

Ever heard the term, "Grade Inflation"? This has been a problem for many, many years.

Stephalump · Jul 7, 2012

I spent the majority of my first trip through college studying psychology and philosophy. You'd think I would've written so many papers my hands were falling off, but I think I wrote maybe...2.

I remember creating lots of PowerPoint presentations, though. Here's to the digital age!

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

Also...

Some sources I've read point out that high school students aren't being adequately prepared for college (grade inflation is happening big time at the high school level) - so colleges feel they have to adjust their expectations for students or risk looking bad in college rankings.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 7, 2012

Oh I've definitely heard of grade inflation. I notice it more acutely because I moved here from New Zealand where it was such a big of a problem partially because all of the high schools and university have to to some extend use the qualifications framework so grades were tougher and more comparable.

OKNurse2be · Jul 7, 2012

Since I am currently in college, I will weigh in on this. I am attending a community college in OK, and although I will say that college is challenging, much of the challenge is not with the curriculum as much as dealing with the fact that I have children as well. I am currently finishing pre reqs and will enter the nursing program in the Fall. I currently hold a 3.9 GPA and my only B came in the Govt class. Mostly because I would fall asleep reading the textbook. It just did not interest me enough to keep me motivated. I did not attend High School here in the States and was in fact somewhat of a high school drop out back in the country I come from. My biggest motivation is that I want to become a nurse; I've dreamed about it for as long as I can remember and I am working hard to make that dream a reality.

I think that the longer the professor has been teaching, the higher their standards are. At least that is the trend I am seeing in my own academic career. The younger professors that I have personally encountered seemed more willing to grant favors, give extra credit, so on and so forth whereas the "older" ones require that deadlines be met come "hell or high water" and less willing to give extra credit. To be perfectly honest, I feel I am learning more from the "tougher" professors than the ones that just let things slide. From everything I am hearing from nursing students that are currently in the program, the nursing curriculum will be a culture shock in terms of the difference between general ed/science classes and nursing classes when it comes to how it's structured. I am looking forward to meeting that challenge head on.

tamale29, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 7, 2012

I would certainly not say it is easy, I usually have at least two tests a week, mulitiple choice so grades cannot be inflated. I don't write too many papers, depending on the class between 2-6 per class (average 4-5 classes a smester) and those papers are usually around 5 pages each. I study alone about 5 hours a day though! I have always struggled with school though, so maybe this is just me.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 7, 2012

As stated above the article does point out that the sciences and math and traditional art programs do still have higher standards.

However and I know LVN school is different to RN but it did not feel difficult compared to coursework I had taken at a New Zealand university. I still studied hard but I wasn't at any point worrying or sweating about the idea that I wasn't going to make it.

I recently took a history course where I had to do next to nothing to get an A and I don't have a huge background in history due to being a foreigner. I like working hard for my grades. Makes me feel like I'm getting something out of it.

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

I would certainly not say it is easy, I usually have at least two tests a week, mulitiple choice so grades cannot be inflated.

Grade inflation means that what a student was expected to master in order to receive an A, say 30 years ago, has become increasing less and and less. It means that the overall standard of excellence has declined over many many years.

elkpark · Jul 7, 2012

I first went to college (an "ordinary" private liberal arts school, no big deal) in the '70s, and returned to college (BSN completion following a hospital-based diploma school in the '80s) in the '90s and have taught in community college and state uni settings since then. My own observation is that the general academic expectations are a lot lower now (in my personal experience, that is -- I certainly can't speak for all schools) than they were at my college (and the colleges my friends were attending) in the '70s.