Grade Inflation Mentality

Controversy is raging here at my state's leading public University, LSU. It seems that a biology professor of introductory courses is in trouble for doing what she is supposed to do- teaching the class and holding the students responsible for studying the material given. Dominique G. Homberger, the teacher in question, says she won't apologize for setting high expectations for her students and grading them according to what is produced. She is not an advocate of the crazy grade inflation in so many schools today.

As a result, professor Homberger has been removed her from teaching post at mid-semester, and the grades of the students in the class have been boosted to the politically correct level. In so doing, the university's administration has set off a debate about the grade inflation mentality, about the right of a teacher in a university to have due process before being demoted and about the traditional right of a teacher in a university to set standards in her own course.

Homberger teaches the once common but now long forgotten, traditional way. She gives daily quizzes on reading assignments, gives tests that measure true understanding of the material, and never grades on a curve. It is said that when she uses multiple choice questions there are 10 choices for the answer as opposed to the traditional four. Her method of insisting on personal accountability by the student clashes with the spoiled "me, me, me, do for me" mentality of society at large. Thus, many students quickly withdraw from her class and add an easier biology class instead.

Homberger and her supporters say the university's action has violated principles of academic freedom and weakened the faculty and academic reputation and effectiveness of the university (LSU has always had a good reputation for being a challenging college). They say it sends message to untenured faculty members like Homberger that if they fail too many students they will be yanked from the classroom as "punishment".

Here is the university statement explaining its decision to remove her from her teaching post. "The class in question is an entry-level biology class for non-science majors, and, at mid-term, more than 90% of the students in Dr. Homberger's class were failing or had dropped the class. The extreme nature of the grading raised a concern, and we felt it was important to take some action to ensure that our students receive a rigorous, but fair, education. Professor Homberger is not being penalized in any way; her salary has not been decreased nor has any aspect of her appointment been changed."

Its a sickening statement, in my view. American universities have always been a challenge that required hard work and study. No one has presented any evidence that Homberger was unreasonable in her demands, that her tests were unfair or that she exceeded reasonable course requirements. The students dropped their enrollment in her class because they were too lazy to meet her standards, and the university sided with them in favor of pandering and in opposition to academic integrity.

Further, Homberger said that her tough policy was already having an impact on her students, and that the grades on her second test were much higher (she was removed from teaching right after she gave that exam), and that quiz scores were up sharply. Students got the message from her first test, and were working harder, she said.

This is one example of the new Americans sense of entitlement. "I deserve to have what I want, need not earn it and expect you to give it to me." A small piece of academic integrity died at LSU when Homberger was pushed out. In my view it is sad.