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Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:37 pm
by scifiguy
I'm SUPERRRRR upset with a particular prof. I've got this term.

I'm not the only one. It's a huge lecture hall and about 10-12 students complain to him every single day after class. We have massive amts of homework and weekly quizzes and on almost every single assignment there have been 3 or more very poorly writtten questions. Note: These assignmetns aren't that long, so if you miss like 2 questions you may not be abel to get an A anymore.

Anyhow, the professor is ridiculous (this may sound subjective, of course, since you ugys aren't in my class, but I know that it's not just me. ...LOTS of students moan and complain and are sick of the class....there are even in-class "fights" witht he prof. with some studetns arguing over how he worded questions and what he was wanting).

Anyhow, I may not get an A or even an A- in this class given the current grading. I genueinly feel I've been robbed out of a few A/A- grades due to questions he worded ambiguously.

He's been unresponsive to many students thus far, so no big grade changes and many feel we're being unfairly graded and should have higher grades.

Can anything e done?

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:42 pm
by Rahviveh
No.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:43 pm
by cahwc12
scifiguy wrote:I'm SUPERRRRR upset with a particular prof. I've got this term.

I'm not the only one. It's a huge lecture hall and about 10-12 students complain to him every single day after class. We have massive amts of homework and weekly quizzes and on almost every single assignment there have been 3 or more very poorly writtten questions. Note: These assignmetns aren't that long, so if you miss like 2 questions you may not be abel to get an A anymore.

Anyhow, the professor is ridiculous (this may sound subjective, of course, since you ugys aren't in my class, but I know that it's not just me. ...LOTS of students moan and complain and are sick of the class....there are even in-class "fights" witht he prof. with some studetns arguing over how he worded questions and what he was wanting).

Anyhow, I may not get an A or even an A- in this class given the current grading. I genueinly feel I've been robbed out of a few A/A- grades due to questions he worded ambiguously.

He's been unresponsive to many students thus far, so no big grade changes and many feel we're being unfairly graded and should have higher grades.

Can anything e done?
If you do it, you may as well also include a self-addressed envelope for the rejection letter.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:52 pm
by A. Nony Mouse
Yes, if you mean you'd write an addendum to law schools about how you got less than an A/A- in one class because the prof was unfair and no one understood his questions, do not. It's not a good look. Everyone suffers through classes like that in college.

If you want to try to do something now, while the class is going on, talk to prof's department chair. Chances are good you won't get anywhere, but that would be the first step. (Well, the first step would be to talk to the prof - not to yell at him in class/after class, but go to his office hours or make an appointment to meet in his office and ask for clarification about specific questions you find unclear/what he wants people to get out of the tests, that kind of thing. Don't ask for your grade to be changed - at least not right off - explain that you're having trouble understanding the relationship between the material and the tests and ask if he could explain what was wrong with your answers and what you can do to improve. If that doesn't work, then go talk to the chair.)

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:57 pm
by cahwc12
A. Nony Mouse wrote:Yes, if you mean you'd write an addendum to law schools about how you got less than an A/A- in one class because the prof was unfair and no one understood his questions, do not. It's not a good look. Everyone suffers through classes like that in college.

If you want to try to do something now, while the class is going on, talk to prof's department chair. Chances are good you won't get anywhere, but that would be the first step. (Well, the first step would be to talk to the prof - not to yell at him in class/after class, but go to his office hours or make an appointment to meet in his office and ask for clarification about specific questions you find unclear/what he wants people to get out of the tests, that kind of thing. Don't ask for your grade to be changed - at least not right off - explain that you're having trouble understanding the relationship between the material and the tests and ask if he could explain what was wrong with your answers and what you can do to improve. If that doesn't work, then go talk to the chair.)
This is excellent advice by the way. I did this for a class once and it turned into a semi-prestigious summer internship offer through the department chair's friend-and-politician. Nothing came of the complaints re: the class/professor/grade though. Still, if you can articulate the problems and not come off as a whiner, you have a chance at befriending someone with controlling interest in the department and that can lead to change on behalf of others in the future, as well as potentially opportunities for you.

Plus, with plenty of time left in the semester, you could possibly bring your grade up, too. Your professor must hold office hours and you should also try to meet with him. If he doesn't hold office hours, mention that as well. But be civil about it.. not like in your post.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:20 pm
by M458
What about switching the class to Pass/Fail? That still a possibility?

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:02 pm
by CyanIdes Of March
No, I wish, but no. I have a teacher/TA combo this year that has consistently taught the wrong thing (typo in his slide, of which there are dozens, that completely changes the dynamic but he doesn't seem to realize until half an hour later), TA taking off full credit for answers that aren't even wrong (this has to be her first time with the material because she has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding), completely losing a quarter of the class's test... it's just a parade of incompetence.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:06 pm
by RSterling
cahwc12 wrote:
scifiguy wrote:I'm SUPERRRRR upset with a particular prof. I've got this term.

I'm not the only one. It's a huge lecture hall and about 10-12 students complain to him every single day after class. We have massive amts of homework and weekly quizzes and on almost every single assignment there have been 3 or more very poorly writtten questions. Note: These assignmetns aren't that long, so if you miss like 2 questions you may not be abel to get an A anymore.

Anyhow, the professor is ridiculous (this may sound subjective, of course, since you ugys aren't in my class, but I know that it's not just me. ...LOTS of students moan and complain and are sick of the class....there are even in-class "fights" witht he prof. with some studetns arguing over how he worded questions and what he was wanting).

Anyhow, I may not get an A or even an A- in this class given the current grading. I genueinly feel I've been robbed out of a few A/A- grades due to questions he worded ambiguously.

He's been unresponsive to many students thus far, so no big grade changes and many feel we're being unfairly graded and should have higher grades.

Can anything e done?
If you do it, you may as well also include a self-addressed envelope for the rejection letter.
Seriously though. You'll just come off as whiny. Talk to the dept. chair if you wish, and then just deal with it. Every college grad can tell you stories about having an awful professor.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:42 pm
by jas1503
Write the addendum, but just make sure you drag that #@#$er over the coals in every paragraph.

Give faculty a little taste of what's to come in Torts.

Re: Anyone Ever Addendum for Crappy Class/Prof + Bad Grade???

Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:55 pm
by LRGhost
No, and try not to sound so entitled.