Discussion circulates at Norwich about possibility of plus/minus grading system

By Scott Craven
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The faculty and staff at Norwich University are discussing whether there are benefits to students and the institution to switch from the current grading system to one that uses pluses and minuses.

Studio art Professor Earl Fechter, who is heading the proposal for a plus/minus grading system, said the issue is one of fairness.

"In the current system, the student who gets a plus and the student who gets a minus end up with the same quality points," Fechter said.

"For example, if you have a student getting a C, they get two quality points. However, if the student is in the upper range, they should be getting 2.4 quality points, and the student in the C minus range should be getting 1.7 quality points," he explained.

"This ends up rewarding the student at the bottom and penalizing the student that gets the plus," Fechter said. "What's the justification for that?"

Vice president for student affairs, Col. Michael McKean, also said the new system could show positive results.

"I think there's a benefit to it, because it truly allows the students to know where they sit academically," McKean said. "If it's a motivation to the student, then it's healthy.

"The world is academically competitive, and if we can do anything to get our students that advantage, we should do it," McKean said. "If I'm looking at resumes, and one student has a 3.4 GPA and one has a straight 3.0, I'm going to talk to the student with the 3.4 first."

Other faculty members have concerns about the proposal.

Paula Gills, director of the learning support center, said she is "on the fence" about the issue. While her personal experience supports the plus/minus system, her professional opinion cautions the effects that it will have on students.

"I personally enjoyed that type of grading system where I went to college, but I can't say what kind of an impact it's going to have on Norwich," Gills said. "I haven't seen any studies done on this that say whether it will be helpful or hurtful to the students. So before we make a large scale change in the way we grade our students, I believe that we should know how it's going to affect them."

"We should look at this thing with some kind of professional data before it is implemented," Gills said. "If it affects the students unfavorably, then it might not be a good idea."

According to Gills, if the new system causes fewer students to be on probation, and more students to be on the dean's list, as well as to help more students to feel good about themselves, then maybe the new system should be given a chance.

"I think the current system is not fair, because some students work hard to get As and other students that don't work as hard get the same grade," said Miguel Lee, 23, a senior business major from Panama.

Aida Martinez, a 21-year-old political science major from Ocala, Calif., is one of the few females in her senior class to carry a 4.0 GPA.

"The new system wouldn't benefit me," she said. "It's a lot more accurate, though, and if you're looking to benefit the majority of the students, then I think the plus/minus system is the way to go."

Members of the NU faculty have been examining this proposal for a number of years, according to Fechter, who has been teaching at Norwich for 26 years.

"The issue was first raised in 1973 and was brought to vote three more times since then by three different committees," Fechter said. "The university curriculum committee, the committee on academic standing and degrees, the faculty senate, and the general faculty assembly, who all voted in favor of the new grading system each time it was proposed."

Fechter, a member of the academic standing and degrees committee, said that the administration just lets the issue "drift off."

"Just last year, the administration asked for the proposal to be reconsidered, after it was ruled in favor of all three times it was voted on by each of the committees," according to Fechter.

Fechter said the vote came back 8-2 in favor of the proposal, but a response has yet to come from the administration, which has the ultimate decision on the matter.

"If we have a policy that's not fair, then it's a policy that's not honest, and if it's not honest, then it's not earned," he said.

"If were talking about honor, we should be giving appropriate rewards to the students according to what they earn," Fechter said. "If we're talking about faculty governance, and it's already been considered by all these committees and the general faculty, then what's the problem?"

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