Grade Inflation and the Commoditization of Education

[blackheart]

I realize Zuckerman is only talking about Harvard but does anyone else believe that other universities are in the same position?

Seems like that's the trend, until all schools start becoming diploma mills.

"Since worship of research was key, Summers asked individual departments to justify the time and money invested in them and their facilities. The faculty rejected the request. As one professor said, "Once someone is a tenured professor, they answer to God."

This is the funniest sentence in the entire article.

 

[amadeus]

Reason number #3462 I don't believe in formal education today.

 

[ummmm........]

Grade inflation actually started in the sixties during the Vietnam War, when professors were reluctant to fail students knowing it would deny them their education exemption from the draft. I don't really see it as a problem so long as everyone (including employers) knows what's going on . . .

 

[The Yankee]

But if "everyone" knows it goes on, then how would a student from, say, BC be able to compete if that 2.5 GPA is seen as "inflated" instead of on some kind of standard or even deflated? Besides, I would think that different colleges that do inflate wouldn't have some kind of uniform policy on such an inflation.

 

[ummmm........]

Because that kid with the 2.5 isn't the only resume from a BC grad that that employer has ever received. This isn't something new . . .

 

[The Yankee]

It could be!

But there is the point that a slogan is not plastered on the transcripts "Grade may be at least one full grade lower than similar students attending Harvard." There will probably be nowhere near a uniform standard throughout; there's just too many colleges and too many kinds of courses to put everything on a playing field. However, there is still the reaction that a 2.5 is not a standard of excellence. Does one attribute that to BC policy, the type of classes, or the student him/herself?

 

[Archbob]

"As one professor said, "Once someone is a tenured professor, they answer to God."

Looks like God is about to do some smiting soon.