Grades vs Teaching?

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Has anyone noticed that school is all about all the students receiving an A rather than teaching? An abnormal amount of kids in my CC have received an A in A and P 1. Why? because the tests were super easy and we had a ton of extra credit. We got out of A and P without knowing one muscle or bone!! I feel like these kids are going to have a rude awakening in nursing school. My micro class tests are challenging but he also gives a ton of extra credit. Same went for my human bio class. I just don't remember getting any extra credit my first time through school. The grade you earned was the grade you got.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

I guess it depends on what you mean by extra credit or tests being easy. I've had two separate science professors who provided extra credit questions on a test. Generally it was no more than two questions. Point value was the same for any question, including extra credit. If you didn't know the material, the extra credit didn't help as the extra credit questions were no easier or harder than the non extra credit questions. To me, if you study and know the material well, unless they are asking trick questions, one should do well on a test.

Also, since nursing is quite competitive, I'm typically surrounded by other competitive people, all of us trying to earn good grades. Should a teacher treat the class in a socialistic manner handing how only x A's, y B's, etc. rather than letting the student earn the grade for which they are capable of earning?

Thank you.

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Specializes in ICU.

I am in advanced physiology right now and we are for the first time getting extra credit. None was give in A&P I or II. We had extra credit bonus questions that are short answer on our tests and we get a critical thinking assignment every other week and can earn 3 points. If you don't understand the material then you won't get the extra credit. So if you're not studying in the first place you will never get the extra credit. And if you don't understand how to apply what you learned, you won't get the critical thinking exercises. So far I have earned all three and am proud of myself for it because I am the only one in my class who has. It tells me I can apply the physiology to real life situations and figure it out, which is what nursing is about anyway.

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Our community college is SUPER HARD when it comes to A&P. We started with 80 or so and ended with less than 20. I did receive a "B" but I WORKED for that B. We had no extra credit, and now in A&P 2 we have no extra credit. Both classes at our school are supposed to be weeding out classes because if they weren't, everyone and their mama would be applying to nursing school.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Grade inflation is a fact of life - widely recognized by colleges & universities worldwide in the last few years. There are a lot of theories Some schools are taking measures to correct it. Here's a recent article on the subject Why College Grade Inflation is a Real Problem and How to Fix It - US News

However, I have yet to come across reports of this phenomena in nursing programs - or any other educational program that is associated with a "measured outcome" such as NCLEX. In fact, what we hear most are nursing students whinging on about how they have "always made A's" until they began nursing classes.

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Specializes in ICU.

I believe that grade inflation is a real problem, but I also don't believe classes should be unnecessarily hard. My nursing school had a ton of students make mostly As, and it had a fantastic reputation at the hospitals in the area and a 98% first time NCLEX pass rate. I think at the schools where everyone is failing all the time, there is a real problem with the teaching methods. If you are really being taught the material, you are fairly evaluated on the material, and you study hard, why should you make anything less than an A?

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To me, that means they weren't prepared when they started the class....

Our community college is SUPER HARD when it comes to A&P. We started with 80 or so and ended with less than 20. I did receive a "B" but I WORKED for that B. We had no extra credit, and now in A&P 2 we have no extra credit. Both classes at our school are supposed to be weeding out classes because if they weren't, everyone and their mama would be applying to nursing school.
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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

This seems to vary by school and professor. Our professor from A&P had very difficult exams, but there was nothing she hadn't covered in class. If you paid attention, you likely earned an A. No extra credit was offered (maybe one or two points here and there, but nothing that would impact your grade greatly). I agree with you, OP, that these instructors who hand out grades are generally doing their students a disservice. I know my chemistry teacher handed me my grade (I didn't do well, as I was at a point where I was taking on WAY too much at one time), however, I am still doing well, thankfully. Part of it is also learning how YOU need to learn.

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To me, that means they weren't prepared when they started the class....

True... a lot of people weren't prepared for how much they needed to study. But.... my A&P 2 professor did let me know that they actually do make it harder on the students there to "weed out" a lot of potential nursing applicants.

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You must be exaggerating. :) How on earth can a student make it out of anatomy without knowing a single muscle or bone? While I agree the phenomena of handing out A's is real, it does not go on in my anatomy class. My teacher make us work our butt's off!

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nope swear to god not exaggerating!! I talked to people I know who didn't get a single A on a test and still got an A. Meanwhile I worked my tush off and got technically over an A. Oh well they will be in for a rude awakening in nursing school. I studied my bones and muscles because I figured there would be a practicum or at least be on the test. I thought it was just my class getting off easy until I talked to others. I just don't get it this is hard material we NEED to know. They should not just let students skate by. Meanwhile at a different cc 15 years ago I dissected my own rabbit in animal a & p and had several practicums in front of the teacher. I earned that A!

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I took A&P a few years ago and was one of the only ones with an A, there was no extra credit offered (which is the way that I think it should be). It would really bother me if students came out of the class not even knowing A&P, yet ended up with an A! My class was VERY intense, and that is the way it should be. I don't care if 80 students started and only 20 finished, it does not say anything about the professor to me it tells me that 60 students didn't take the amount of time needed to study seriously. College level classes are mainly self taught- there is too much information to expect a professor to teach it to you.

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