4B
Friday, October 25.1974
University Daily Kansan
Rise in grade averages linked to lower standards
By STEVEN LEWIS Contributing Writer
Grade point averages at the University of
artists has skyrocketed in recent years at
the University of North Carolina.
And it appears that a relaxation of academic standards and not the smartest generation ever conceived is responsible for the high grade point average.
The grade point average (gpa) for undergraduates at KU for the spring 1960 semester was 3.75, and in the summer, KU's kpa had climbed to 2.95. The increase of .51 compared with a 40 increase in grade point averages during the same 14-year period at 197 American colleges and universities.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT increase in ggs at KU has occurred during the past five months.
A survey of KU professors and ad-
than I was five or 10 years ago," Goodman said.
Among the institutional changes at the University in recent years that could account for the change in enrollment,
—The credit-no credit option. This program started in the fall 1968 semester. During the first few weeks of a semester, a student may elect to take a course credit-no credit, which means that an A, B or C will be recorded as credit and income. A student's letter grade, therefore, is not figured into the University's grn.
There were 2,321 students who each took one course credit-no credit in the fall of 1968. That figure had declined to 1,003 by the spring of 1974. Nevertheless, despite fewer courses taught, the overall gpa last semester was 45 more than it was in the first semester of the credit-no
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES DEPARTMENTAL GRADE POINT AVERAGES FALL SEMESTER 1971
BASED ON UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT HOURS ENROLLED
GPA 2,000 PLUS 200-2,000 FEWER THAN 200
EAST ASIAN STUDIES
RAD, BIOPHYSICS
SYSTEMATICS & ECOLOGY
ORIENTAL LANG. & LIT.
KOREAN
SERVICIOANTIAN
SCANDINAVIAN
POLISH
SLAVIC AREA STUDIES
GREEK
PORTLU GUESE
RUSSIAN
AMERICAN STUDIES
JAPANESE
BOTANY & P. & CELL BIO.
LINGISTUS
PHILOSOPHY
PSCHOLOGY
SPEECH
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ANTHROPOLOGY
BIOCHEMISTRY
ENTOMOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
MICROBIOLOGY
AFRICAN STUDIES
METEOROLOGY
RELIGION
PHYSICAL THERAPY
EASTERN CIV.
CHINESE
POLL SCL. & SOCIOLOGY
ENGLISH
HISTORY
LATIN
HUMANITIES
GERMAN
WESTERN CIV.
FRENCH
ART HISTORY
CHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY
GEOG. & GEOL.
PHYSICS
ASTRONOMY
ITALIAN
HISTORY & PHIL. OF SCIENCY
MATH & SPANISH
ECONOMIES
ministrators, as well as a study of changes at KU during the past six years, indicates it would be naive to assume that increased recruitment would necessarily responsible for KU's grade inflation.
For example, Leland Pritchard, who that indicate the students in his "Money and Banking" class the past five years are much inferior to his student throughout the
PRITCHARD HAS recorded similar
classes in two other economics
classes be taught
Pritchard has used the same textbook and has given basically the same multiple choice tests during the past eight years. During the first four years, Pritchard's 62 gpa. his class the past four years has awarded him cording to Pritchard, his standards were neither raised nor lowered during the entire eight years.
"A larger proportion of students today aren't doing university callwork," Pritchard recently said. "I think they aren't working hard enough."
Grant Goodman, chairman of the department of East Asian studies, is another professor who thinks the overall quality of students at KU has decreased.
"I don't believe students today are any better," Goodman said. "The preparation for college is, if anything, worse. I think the writing of English and the speaking of English is poorer today and I think general knowledge is less than it was."
GOODMAN THINKS many students came to KUeking a "panorama of entertainment." He said that those students expected their professors to entertain them and that when time came for serious study, those students were "turned off." Goodman and his students didn't believe in the number of students with whom he couldn't find any common grounds for discussion.
"They really don't know much of anything." Goodman said.
If students, then aren't largely response or the galloping global inflation, University.
Charles Sidman, chairman of the department of history, thinks grade inflation indicates a trend toward the education of the undergardate university.
"Over the years there has been a gradual relaxation of the rigor standards," Sidman said. "We're putting off the decision of where we evaluate competence to graduate school.
GOODMAN SAID students today were conscious more of grades than of education. They complain more about grades, and professors today are more apt to give in.
"I know I myself am less rigorous today
credit option. It seems apparent that factors
have an credit-non credit worked to boost
the grade.
A liberalized drop policy. Until the fall 1973 semester, a student could drop a course and receive a W for withdraw until the 12th week. Beginning in the fall of 1973, a more liberal policy permitted a student to drop a course and receive a W until final exams, providing he received his instructor's grade. In this case, however, does not help explain the 2.93 gpa of the spring 1973 semester or the 2.93 gpa of the spring 1972 semester.
— A lessening of academic standards in departments and schools across the country. Students are faculty members. What few statistics are available tend to show that there indeed has been a trend toward less rigorous standards, especially among new programs at
Trace Laird, professor of political science, traces the trend toward less rigorous standards back to the days of campus life. The university became a haven for draft avoiders.
1973. Laird thinks Feedback has had an effect on academic standards.
During this time, in the fall of 1970, the Curriculum and Instruction Survey found that a recent feedback has never been mandatory, 1,588 students were evaluated by students in the fall of
"Instructors are human," Laired said.
"They like to be like. We play tricks with ourselves all the time. Instructors feel all sorts of pressures from Feedback."
LAIRD SAID he thought a more significant cause of grade inflation was "mickey mouse courses," such as the LA&S courses.
The LA&S program began in the fall of 1969. Most LA&S courses are taught by students who have the backing of a faculty sponsor. In the fall of 1972, 30 LA&S courses had an enrollment equal to 1,800 credit hours.
"With some notable exceptions," Laird said, "I think that the bulk of the LAES course should be taught at a University. I think no credit should be allowed for them. My impression is that merely signing up and attending assures a student of A B or C."
STATISTICS COMPILED by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences show that during the fall 1971 coursest, grades received in LA&S courses averaged 3.34, which was far above the overall University gpa of 2.83.
"In general, there is no doubt in my mind that at this time of concern over enrollment to which funding is attached, there is unquestionable interest for the program that will boost enrollment." Laird said.
Laird said he saw a trend toward easy courses throughout the University because departments were competing with one another for students.
"I'm human enough that if I thought my job was threatened because of falling enrolments, I can see myself doing the sex work. I have I have bread on my table," Laird said.
GRANT GOODMAN, chairman of the department of East Asian studies, agreed that there was a tendency toward "swinging the boat" in his he thinks such courses should be provided.
"We should do everything we can to make
SP 1963 SP 1964 SP 1965 SP 1966 SP 1967 SP 1968 SP 1969 SP 1970 SP 1971 SP 1972 SP 1973 SP 1974
The social work department was expanded into the School of Social Welfare in 1969. According to David Hardcastle, dean of the school, social welfare enrollment has increased from 24 percent in 1969 to 50 percent Hardcastle couldn't provide an overall gpa for social welfare majors, he did say the school required a 2.75 gpa for graduation. This relatively high requirement indicates that the school's overall gpa is much above the grade range set by some of the grade inflation in recent
Statistics (see chart) also indicate that the human development and family life department has pushed up the University's gpa. In 1971, the department's gpa was 3.03. The department's effect on boosting KU's overall gpa is compounded by the fact that from 1968 to 1973, the department's enrolment increased 466 per cent.
DURING THIS SAME five-year period, the French and Italian departments, both of
"I don't believe students today are any better. Their preparation for college is worse. I think the writing . . . and the speaking of English is poorer today . . ."
a traditional liberal arts curriculum attractive, "Goodman said." *Punding is part of the reason, but also students are less interested in learning today. Students are leaning toward swinging courses. The Pearson program (Pearson Integrated Humanities Program) learns toward rigorous discipline, and the focus is on learning. You have to have swinging courses too.
Howard Baumgartel, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said enrollment was only one of many things that the College considered when he asked. He said the budgetary process usually lagged behind changes in enrolments.
"By policy, we maintain very expensive programs," Baumgartel said. "These are academic decisions. The College might want to rethink the department with the same resources."
“Of course, there is a basic core of hard knowledge that can't be made entertaining. Goodman said, ‘like courses and handouts. How are they made to the French language swing?”
SIDMAN SAID he saw "swinging courses" partly as a play of departments that are concerned with declining enrollments. But Sidman said courses with new titles and specializations, such as Baseball and "Hollywood on Asia," were "merely putting old wine into new skin."
--so
Sidman said he thought a major force behind grade inflation was changing enrollment patterns toward areas where grading was less strict and more subjective. He listed the School of Social Welfare, the LA&S program and the department of Mathematics at the university components of the University where grading was less strict and more subjective.
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The statistics appear to indicate that students are vacating many low gpa areas for the higher ones. That could account for the significant shift upward of the overall gpa.
It is impossible to measure the exact effects that each of the many recent innovations and trends have had on the overall grade point average. There are too few statistics and too many variables. But the evidence seems overwhelming that the dramatic rise in KU's gpa is almost wholly artificial.
which have relatively low GPAs, declined in enrollment by 52 per cent. The math department, which lost 49 of 171 had a number, lost 58 per cent of its enrollment from 1968 to 1973.
The economics department, which had the lowest GPA, 2.17, of all departments for the fall of 1971, lost 30 per cent of its enrollment during that five year period.
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