With all the talk about plus/minus grading, many students may be asking themselves what grade modifiers are and how they will be affected by them.
The answer to the first part of this question is clear cut. Grade modifiers are essentially pluses and minuses that would be added to grades, in the future, if approved by a general faculty vote. Under such a system, there would be the following grades: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F. A grade of an A+ would result in a certificate of distinction being awarded and a note on the student’s transcript.
The answer to the second part of this question is very much up to what we, as students, do in the next few weeks. Grade modifiers have been proposed to the Faculty Senate by their Curriculum Committee. All faculty members, including your professors, will be asked to vote on the grade modifiers proposal during the last week of April. Students have two opportunities to directly provide their opinions of this proposal and the decision-making process.
The first opportunity is to speak to your professors, who all have the opportunity to vote on the grade modifier proposal. They have been asked to speak to their students during GM Week, before making their decisions. However, in the case that they do not, students should take the initiative to do so. The “Take Your Students to Lunch” program can also be used to instead take your professors to lunch, and students can use this time to discuss grade modifiers with their professors. All senators will be doing so. From my experience, the Faculty Senate and the faculty-at-large are very willing to both talk and listen to students about grade modifiers.
The second opportunity is to come up with suggestions stemming from the premise of “If grade modifiers are going to be approved, we feel that it is more favorable to students and the academic environment to...” The Student Senate will continuously be making suggested amendments and resolutions to the Faculty Senate on how to make grade modifiers more favorable to students and the academic environment. The Senate will hold a forum on grade modifiers on Tuesday, March 23 at 4 pm in the McNeil Room. The purpose of the forum is to gather feedback from students. What we hear at this forum will directly influence the amendments and resolutions that the Student Senate makes to the Faculty Senate. I can assure you that this will be a very worthwhile use of your time.
Additionally, feel free to learn more about grade modifiers by visiting the Faculty Senate website at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/facsen/2003-2004/issues/grading.htm. Please note that you can publicly post your comments about grade modifiers on the website.
