The new grading policy implemented in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management puts too much emphasis on earning a specific grade rather than learning course content.

Whitman’s new grading policy, modeled after a system used by Princeton University’s business school essentially grades students on a curve. The grading system allows for only 33 percent of students in a particular class to earn a final grade of an A. Class averages are expected to hover in the B to B-plus range. Amanda Nicholson, the associate dean for undergraduate programs at Whitman, said the policy will help to level the difficulty among different sections of the same class.

The grading system might over-emphasize the value of grades rather than the content of the course. Whitman students may focus on competing with their fellow students to ensure they fall within the 33 percent of students that will receive an A. Without this type of grading policy, students do not have to worry about how they compare to others and instead can focus on what is most important: learning the content.

Whitman can still motivate its students and ensure a quality education without this type of grading system.

Rather than continuing with the new grading policy, the college should review the strength of its curriculum and implement more rigorous grading standards. Doing so will require that students to work harder to earn high grades and prevent certain sections from being identified as easier than others. To monitor the standard’s improvements, Whitman could also conduct more stringent professor evaluations based on how students are scoring in these classes.

These changes would reflect a more proactive approach toward making classes more challenging without compromising the emphasis on class content.

It is important that Whitman curriculum continues to emphasize collaborative projects as students who hope to work in the business world will have to work in this type of environment in the future. The competitive environment that this new grading policy might instill could make students put more value on their individual grades rather than group work.

The new grading policy is an insufficient method for Whitman to better challenge its students. College business schools prepare students to become competent, collaborative professionals. This is not accomplished by emphasizing grades over course content and the real world lessons that come with it.

Published on February 5, 2014 at 2:40 am

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