Should students be penalized due to Instructors Mistake ?

Music in My Heart · May 20, 2009

If they got the wrong answer, they got the wrong answer, even if it was mis-keyed. Of course that point should be taken away.

If someone is on the borderline such that 1 point really makes the difference between passing the class and failing the class then I'd just as soon see them lose the unearned point and fail.

llg, PhD, RN · May 20, 2009

I doubt that anyone's future depends on that 1 point. Sometimes it is technically difficult to "re-do"something or change things in a computer ... so schools will "watch out for" those who are effected and make sure that an error doesn't result in the wrong final course grade. If they were to actually fail students based on errors, they would be inviting law suits -- and the schools are not that stupid. So, they will keep an eye on the scores and protect themselves by making sure that only the students who deserve the fail actually fail the course. Nobody wants to be sued.

Students often don't realize that. They get focused on that 1 point as the "only reason" they failed a course, when in fact, they missed a lot of questions over the entire course and failed to meet the standards on several ocassions. They don't see the forest because they focus too much on the individual trees or as in this case, 1 individual tree.

It's reasonable for the students to be a little concerned and to keep an eye on their grades for the course ... but to be "outraged" and making a big deal about it is a bit of an over-reaction. It's very unlikely that anyone will be hurt by it. They should save their energy for things that will actually have an impact on them.

Acosmo27 · May 20, 2009

Being a student OF COURSE I dont think this is fair. At all. However, Ive also learned that nursing school could be described many ways.. and fair is not a word that comes to mind right away.

goodstudentnowRN · May 20, 2009

I do not think it is fair and those students do not deserve to fail if they had passed the exam by one point. This is ridiculous! It is not the students' fault, the instructor needs to take responsibility. I do not care how well the students were doing before, I would look at the problem at hand. These students study their butts off to pass. It does not matter how many questions they missed over the weeks, they deserve to pass by that one point! I would sue the hell out of that school for that blunder...Student loans are no easy debts and these instructors need to be aware of what is going on in this economy.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 20, 2009

Sue???? Really???? Seriously???? The Instructor marked a questions answer wrong. Although I do feel bad for one to think they passed and they get told they didn't and my instructors would have just thrown the question out, I don't think this is sue worthy whatsoever. That is what is wrong with this country. The answer to everything is SUE I don't get my way so I am suing. You looked at me wrong I am suing.

It takes away from the legitimate lawsuits. The bottom line was those students who now lost a point, got the question wrong PERIOD. Could it have been handled different, sure. They don't DESERVE to pass because they got a question wrong. The students that originally got it right but it was marked wrong, DO DESERVE the point.

If they study their butts off to pass they obviously didn't study enough because they didn't EARN that one point. They missed the question. Period end of story!!

2BSure · May 20, 2009

Frankly, the cut off has to be somewhere. There is no way that anyone goes into an exam without knowing they are near the border academically. Those people need to pull their finger out and work harder.

If you ask ANY patient they will tell you that if they had the choice between and A student and a C student nurse...they want the better nurse academically. So would I.

It really rubs my rhubarb when people barely making it academically start whining about the odd point.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · May 20, 2009

Thanks for the input. I have another question. Do you think its right for it to take 6 weeks for them to make this correction ?

Our final is tonight and they are just now telling us about this.

Music in My Heart · May 20, 2009

Thanks for the input. I have another question. Do you think its right for it to take 6 weeks for them to make this correction ?
Our final is tonight and they are just now telling us about this.

Well, it's not right in the sense that it's lousy customer service and, as students, WE ARE THE CUSTOMERS.

That said, I fail to see how it makes any difference.

And to all the "unfair" commenters: The word "fair" simply means to be applied equitably, evenly, and without bias. It is irritating but I don't see how it's unfair...

llg, PhD, RN · May 20, 2009

I read the original post wrong. Now I see that the grades HAVE been corrected and all students now have the grade they actually scored. No one has been shafted and no one has a right to complain. They all ended up with the grade they deserve. To complain about it is ludicrous.

Yes, in an ideal world, the error would have been picked up and corrected earlier. But we don't live in a fantasy world. We live in the real world. It's not as if that 1 point would cause those students to study any more or less. They should be trying to do their best on the remaining coursework regardless of what they scored on that one test.

If the students can't tolerate that little wrinkle, they are doomed to fail in the real world of health care practice.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 20, 2009

Frankly, the cut off has to be somewhere. There is no way that anyone goes into an exam without knowing they are near the border academically. Those people need to pull their finger out and work harder.
If you ask ANY patient they will tell you that if they had the choice between and A student and a C student nurse...they want the better nurse academically. So would I.
It really rubs my rhubarb when people barely making it academically start whining about the odd point.

I was with you up until the bolded part. There is more to being a nurse than strictly grades. A person can be a "c" nurse for various reasons.

First of all, at my school the grade system changes for nursing students, so C students in nursing school at my school are really B students in any other class. What used to be a C is now a D and what used to be a B is now a C and the area for an A in narrowed as well. Second of all, a lot of the grades for nursing classes are tests, some people get bad anxiety during tests but no where else. I have been one of these people. I have gotten A's on everything BUT the exam. I even got A's on all the quizzes but for some reason DURING the exam I froze and right AFTER the exam I immediately knew what I got wrong and why it was wrong because I knew the right answer. I have been put in extreme pressure situations without any problems but give me a test and I don't know what happens.

I have been a Patient many times.

I want the Competent, caring, intuned nurse, regardless if she got A's. B's or C's in nursing school.

Your Pt. and most likely even your boss, is not going to even know if you were an A or B or C student.

Music in My Heart · May 20, 2009

Please, for the love of Pete, let's exercise the discipline NOT to turn this into another "A's-nurse vs C's-nurse" debate. There are threads aplenty that address that issue :deadhorse

Interestingly enough, I've yet to notice even one person express their changed mind through those debates (including me).