A D- Versus an F

This Q&A was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond –

Question

Dear Jonas,

It’s that time of the semester when I often face my most difficult grading problem: whether to give a student who has performed poorly in my class a D- or an F. If such a student has done all of the coursework and attended class regularly, I feel that he/she should at least be rewarded for making a legitimate effort, even if the performance hasn’t been very good. Perhaps the second-most difficult grading issue is whether to give a student an ‘I’ (incomplete) when he/she stopped doing assignments, stopped coming to class and/or missed one of the exams. Or should that student receive an F?

Signed: Grade Fence Sitter

Answer

Dear Grade Fence Sitter,

Assigning final course grades is a serious matter since they become part of a student’s permanent record, and can result in a student either progressing on through their program or having to repeat courses. It’s a complicated subject and often difficult to decide which course of action is in a student’s best interest.

As far as giving a student a D- versus an F, you are making a decision about whether the student has achieved a marginally passing level of proficiency in the topic versus failing (or lack of proficiency) in the topic. One way to minimize the difficulty of this decision is to clearly lay out your expectations at the beginning of the course. In the case you cited, you may want to state explicitly in the course syllabus that attendance and assignment submission are expected, and that the grade will be based on the level of performance in those assignments and the exams. By doing this, you will avoid misunderstandings by students who may argue that they put in the effort but just didn’t perform well on the exams.

It sounds like you’re already in a bit of a quandary about how to resolve this situation. Perhaps you might think about what message the grade sends about the student’s ability in that topic and what “passport” it provides to other courses. When the course is a prerequisite for others, a D- usually provides the student the green light to move on to those other courses. So a factor in the decision is whether it’s fair to the student and the instructors of those follow-on courses. Is he/she prepared to study at the next level, or would he/she be better served by repeating the class (as an F would require)? Is it fair to the student to move on to the next course if required competencies are not there – not to mention fairness to the instructor and other students in that course? However, I am often a bit more lenient with students if the course is not a prerequisite for others.

In the long term, a student receiving an F often ends up with a higher grade point average. When the student repeats the class, he/she sees the material for a second time, and usually gets a grade much better than D-. The new grade then replaces the F in the grade point calculation. The student also tends to get higher grades in subsequent related courses because of the stronger foundation obtained from repeating the first course.

Another “after effect” consideration: is a minimum degree of competence in this course critical for the student’s acceptable performance in a particular career? Particularly in professional degree programs, one might ask whether it is acceptable to pass a student in a course where his/her performance is below any acceptable standards. To go back to your original question, if a nursing or physical therapy student showed up for class and did the work, but showed little competence in a critical subject area, should that student get a passing grade? Clearly, there are other checks and balances (e.g., licensing exams, and requiring higher minimum passing grades in professional courses) that may identify lack of competency; however, attendance does not equate to competency.
Like all grading decisions, deciding on D- versus F involves your own expectations and judgments as an instructor, and whether the course is critical (or not) to the student’s development, education or future success.

Regarding the issue of giving students an ‘I,’ the solution lies back in the syllabus. In all of my syllabi, I clearly state that grades of ‘incomplete’ are given only by prior arrangement between the student and the instructor. This again avoids any misunderstanding on the student’s part, and avoids the appearance that ‘I’ grades are granted in an arbitrary way. In addition, since ‘I’ grades require work to be completed sometime after the semester is over, having a pre-arranged agreement allows the student and instructor to come up with a plan for how this ‘I’ will be resolved and when. Otherwise, making up work or exams could become a negotiation or based on memory of what the student has done or not done. Our university, in fact, requires that an “Incomplete Grade Contract” be completed by the student and professor before an “I” is assigned. For freshmen, I often take the initiative to talk to them as soon as I notice that they’ve stopped performing and revisit acceptable justification for an “I,” even if it’s in the syllabus. Since they rarely saw anything like that in high school, they may not really understand what an “I” is, or how and why it gets awarded.

Stating clear expectations at the start of the course is the best solution for avoiding misunderstanding by students about how they’ll be evaluated. Hard grading decisions will never go away but they can be minimized with some planning and monitoring. Remember that students “earn” grades; you don’t “give” them.

Good luck,

Jonas

Quick Tip

There really is no “quick tip” on such a complex issue, but check out this article if you’re interested in more information

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This content was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond.

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