Issues of grade discrepancies, teacher expectations, and course load between different sections of same level classes have prompted three statistic majors investigate the possibility of unequal experiences being detrimental to grade point averages. 

The group focused on University data and said they believed all sections of a class at N.C. State should give the same chance at getting the same grades.  After looking at all of the recorded grade distributions for English 101 and other classes, specific sections tended to produce extremely high or low grades.   

According to their report there was evidence something was off in grading equality between class sections.  The group recognized their findings had vast implications on student’s grade point averages and the quality of teaching being administered. 

The research paper said, “Teachers should be assessed on their ‘performance’ in a class as well as the students…  A student’s grades, along with overall GPA, can be compared with other students’ grades to determine how their achievements match up.”

Using statistical analysis including graphs and charts, the group displayed data obtained through the North Carolina State Office of Registration and Records. They focused on classes with a large number of sections due to time constraints. 

According to their report students in these classes recognized the inequality and unjustness in inconsistency, regardless of whether they benefitted from their individual experience or not.  Some enjoyed teachers who were clear on expectations, helpful in preparing for upcoming assignments and critiquing former ones, and reasonable in grading stringency. 

Kimberly Susen, a sophomore in middle grades education, had a very positive experience with her intro to English teacher and believed he helped her immensely, the report said.

“He had very realistic expectation for students, neither too high nor low. He was one of the best writing teachers I’ve ever had, I really felt like I learned how to write with him,” Susen said.  “There are so many classes that you write papers in but you don’t really learn how to write; he really taught you.”

Lauren McGuirk, a freshman in First Year College, said she is enrolled in English 101 and has had a moderate course load so far but has been frustrated with her instructor’s lack of clarity when outlining what she wants from the students.   

“[The instructor] has high expectations; she has the whole ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for until I see it’ mentality,” she said. ”It’s annoying and kind of makes it hard to write the paper.” 

Wil Maney, a junior in history, said he had a smooth experience because he knew what his professor expected. 

“Our teacher was more interested in us getting the format down and learning to write different types of academic papers,” Maney said. “He didn’t help specific problems… [but] he was clear in what he wanted.” 

Part of the statistical quality control investigation included interviewing students in the classes being analyzed.  The results derived from these interviews showed an issue in consistency between sections. 

“From our conversations, those students in [one section] were required to put a significant amount of time into assignments and tests,” the report said. “Other teachers did not require their students to work as long on assignments or exams. This is one type of assignable cause that is important for administration in an academic environment.  Students taking the same classes should not have severely different expectations from one section to another.” 

According to the group, one would think that all sections of a class should have a standard in assignments and grading. This was not so with the students interviewed for the study.

McGuirk said his section of English 101 refines the same paper over the whole semester. 

“The essays surround one point. The first paper was about research for my topic, the next one is about my sources, and the next one’s a rough draft,” McGuirk said. “It’s a semester long paper but other sections write on different things and different topics. 

Maney said his English 101 class was typical of what McGuirk mentioned described about writing papers in a broad spectrum of styles and formats. 

“We had multiple assignments throughout the semester, such as history, scientific and survey papers,” Maney said. 

According to the report, these findings are not completely new in the world of academia and it is known different teachers use different styles and teaching applications. The problem is the variations between sections are so extreme they can have a lasting impact on the individual student. 

There is an extreme lack of communication regarding course goals and grading expectations between the instructors, the report said. If the cause can be narrowed down to just one, changes need to be made so students need not fear for their GPA.