Monday, June 6, 2011

Who can I complain to about my college professor's grading system?

I would like to write a letter to somebody (besides the professor) about this guy's ';grading'; system, but I don't know who to complain to.



This professor never graded any assignment. I've asked around, and it wasn't just me - no one in any of his classes ever received any grades. He just grades everything at the end of the semester and does not hand out grade sheets or post grades online. There is absolutely no communication from him about how a student is doing. Even when asked directly by a student, he does not tell them their grade (he says he ';doesn't know';).



I think this ';grading system'; is incredibly unfair. Who can I write a letter about it letter to? (BTW I am not trying to have my grade changed; I just want somebody to realize what this professor is doing.)Who can I complain to about my college professor's grading system?
That's bizarre.



I would actually talk to the professor first. Ask him why he does this and explain that you think it's unfair because not getting graded assignments back makes it difficult for students to track their own progress in the class. Make sure he knows you're not complaining about your course grade specifically. See if you can find a neutral third party to come with you to the meeting, like a friend who wasn't in the class, a professor your trust, a tutor, etc. Basically just someone who can be there as a witness to how the conversation goes and can back you up if you need to escalate, but at the same time someone who will be fair to both you and the professor and not make one of you out to be a screaming bad guy.



If talking to the professor doesn't seem to produce any results (e.g. if he won't listen to your arguments or if he says something like ';I see your point but I'm going to do it like this because it's always worked before and nobody has complained';), your next step is probably to go to the chair of his department. Obviously, if this professor is also the chair, you should skip this step. Again, your third-party witness should go with you. Explain your points to the department chair. If that doesn't produce results, you would probably then go to the dean of students. You could also ask your adviser for advice.



I do suggest that you try to talk to people in person. It makes more of an impression when you carve some time out of your schedule to meet someone in person and discuss an issue, plus you can have a witness with you. If you do write a letter, see if you can get your classmates to sign it and hand it in during your in-person meeting. That way the professor/department chair/etc. know this isn't just a concern you had, but one that was widespread in your class.



Since you did wait so long to complain about this, you might not ever know if it's resolved. In the future, make sure you complain about unfair grading practices the moment you see there's a problem, so the chance of a resolution useful to you would be much higher.Who can I complain to about my college professor's grading system?
It is probably too late now, you should have complained after the first graded assignment.
Complain to the head of the department. They're in the best position to get him to change his grading style.

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