ok so here is my dilemma - After reviewing the grading policy (below) states that any core classes that are rewarded a "D" is considered as failing and require retake:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59% or below
I took Reproductive Health with EC online and received a 69.28%!! I called the school and was advised that I have to re-take the entire course because i am .72% short from a "C" which is passing. I think its ridiculous, I can't afford to pay another $1500.00 (approx.) for the course, the instructor is not responding to any of my emails (i guess because class is over) and I don't want to cause problems for myself if I appeal (retaliation) - anyone have any advise?
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Ouch! Thanks for being kind with your words. Glad I wasn't the OP having to read this.
Sometimes, honesty is the best policy. This is one of those times. Yes, it's not what the OP is going to want to hear. Yes, it's blunt. But it needs to be said.
OP, you did not meet the requirements of passing the class. You aren't the first person to do so, and you won't be the last. You don't really seem to have grounds to appeal, unless there are extenuating circumstances you didn't mention. Figure out why you didn't pass, and rectify that situation so that when you do retake the class, you pass it. If it's study habits, look at how you can improve them. If it's not speaking up and asking for an explanation for something you just didn't understand, take advantage of office hours.
My words were accurate. OP failed. This much she told us. The advice I'm offering is that she learn from it, improve her study habits, suck it up and quit looking for an easy way out by appealing to the instructor and get the class retaken.
The special snowflake treatment is rarely applicable in an instance that someone brought about by their own doing that resulted in a negative outcome....[
QUOTE=O9eleven;8661631]Ouch! Thanks for being kind with your words. Glad I wasn't the OP having to read this.
Wow, at nursing schools around here you don't pass nursing classes unless the grade is 78% Doesn't matter how much you miss it by, you have to retake the class. I had to retake a class and I tell you, the second time around, it is easier as you learn from your mistakes and do better. While I know it is hard and expensive thing to go through, it WILL make you a better nurse in the long run. Also, I don't know of any nursing school that overturns a failing grade.
That's a really generous grade scale for passing. A lot of nursing programs require a minimum of 78% to pass the nursing courses. Even a 77.9% won't work. I don't see that you have a lot of recourse here except to retake the class and consider this a lesson learned. Granted it is an expensive lesson, but unless you have a very good reason to appeal you just won't win.
Not to mention a grade that low indicates that you really don't know the material well enough. Any subsequent classes will assume you have this knowledge to build on and if it's just not there the more advanced classes will be that much harder for you.
I'm not going to get into all the judgement about your grade etc.
To address your issue - have you spoken to the instructor? Have grades already come out? At the university I attended some instructors would bump up your grade if you were close to the next one and you went and talked to them. You sometimes had to bring in some old exams and argue about questions that could have had more than one correct answer. But once grades had been officially posted it was much harder to get it changed.
I'm not going to get into all the judgement about your grade etc.
To address your issue - have you spoken to the instructor? Have grades already come out? At the university I attended some instructors would bump up your grade if you were close to the next one and you went and talked to them. You sometimes had to bring in some old exams and argue about questions that could have had more than one correct answer. But once grades had been officially posted it was much harder to get it changed.
I get fighting to maybe go from a B to an A with a tiny deficiency percentage-wise but certainly not to go from failing to barely passing. If a student does not grasp 30% of the content they will not be successful in future classes as everything builds on what's come before. And this wasn't bedmaking. This was a core course. I just do NOT understand the increasing numbers of students who are coming here to complain about how unfair it is that they fail a class/clinical/exam they won't be allowed to progress even going so far as to consider contacting an attorney. It boggles my mind.
When I was in nursing school I had classmates who failed classes and failed out of nursing school due to percentages such as yours. Anything below a 78%, even by less than 1 point was considered a "F". I think it is the norm in nursing school and there isn't anything that can be done to change that.
At my school a 78% or above is passing. We were given A,B,C or F. There was no D. You just need to retake it, the school would probably just toss your request for an appeal aside unless you have a good reason for failing. I was to graduate in March of this year with my ADN and failed my preceptorship. So I had to retake the class as there were three parts. The lecture, lab, and preceptor or clinical. I was devastated at first and then realized taking it over was better. It was a Role Transition to ADN class and it was hard. It had a lot of med surg. I only passed one quiz (there were 3) and failed the final miserably (69/100) But upon retaking the class, I passed every quiz and got a C on my final. I finished the class with an 86.5%. That was 10 points better than my previous time. I approached it from a different angle and mindset. That's my advice to you. I graduated in June and I take boards in September. I wish you luck!
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Since this is Excelsior with self directed learning even in the online classes perhaps reconsider attending a brick & mortar option with face to face interaction with the instructor and classmates. Maybe distance learning isn't for you. It's not for everyone
I agree. My school was 80% for nursing classes, 78% for gen eds. NO rounding up. Really, what a ridiculous notion, I don't get it. You do the work of a 77.6, you EARN a 77.6, plain and simple
That's a really generous grade scale for passing. A lot of nursing programs require a minimum of 78% to pass the nursing courses. Even a 77.9% won't work. I don't see that you have a lot of recourse here except to retake the class and consider this a lesson learned. Granted it is an expensive lesson, but unless you have a very good reason to appeal you just won't win.
Not to mention a grade that low indicates that you really don't know the material well enough. Any subsequent classes will assume you have this knowledge to build on and if it's just not there the more advanced classes will be that much harder for you.
Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN
6 Articles; 12,030 Posts
Sometimes, honesty is the best policy. This is one of those times. Yes, it's not what the OP is going to want to hear. Yes, it's blunt. But it needs to be said.
OP, you did not meet the requirements of passing the class. You aren't the first person to do so, and you won't be the last. You don't really seem to have grounds to appeal, unless there are extenuating circumstances you didn't mention. Figure out why you didn't pass, and rectify that situation so that when you do retake the class, you pass it. If it's study habits, look at how you can improve them. If it's not speaking up and asking for an explanation for something you just didn't understand, take advantage of office hours.