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Many years ago, when I started answering reader questions, I hoped that it would help shed some light on how certain questions look from an administrative angle. Last week I received a question very much in that vein.
A new correspondent writes,
I received an Inc for a course last semester. I made up the work. The professor put my grade in as an F.
I know that she curved the grade for my class last semester. Is she required to curve my grade as well, since she curved the grade for all of the other students in the class?
That’s an interesting question. There’s ordinarily no entitlement to a curve. And being offered the option of an incomplete (as opposed to an F) is usually at the discretion of the professor. She might take the position that offering you the option to finish later was your version of the benefit of the doubt, and the curve was the version that went to students who completed the work on time. I don’t know that, but it’s possible.
You should probably also reread the syllabus closely; it’s possible that the answer to the question is there. If this scenario was addressed in the syllabus, and the professor did what the syllabus said she would do, then that’s that.
That said, in my experience, most colleges that have grade appeal processes usually include some version of "disparate treatment" as one criterion for a grade change. In other words, if some students in the class were given an option to earn extra credit and others were not, then those who were not might have grounds to complain. The language of disparate treatment is usually used in the context of claims of discrimination against members of protected classes, but it isn’t restricted to that. The important point is the ability to show that one student or set of students was held to a different standard than everyone else.
"Disparate" is a relative term; it only makes sense when compared to something else. So in this case, I would think the key question would be the reference group. Should you be compared to every other student in the class, or only to other students who also got incompletes? If it’s the former, then you might have an argument. If it’s the latter, then probably not.
As a practical matter, in any grade dispute, I’d advise speaking directly with the professor first. She might have some additional context that would shed some light on the decision. Alternately, she may simply not have connected the dots; a polite inquiry might offer a low-cost way to fix an oversight. Or she may get offended and stand her ground; if that happens, then the formal grade appeal process (assuming your college has one) would be an option. But I wouldn’t start with the formal process. If the issue can be resolved informally, that’s the place to start. You always have the formal option in your back pocket if you need it.
Good luck!
Wise and worldly readers, what would you suggest? Does the student appear to have an argument, or does the incomplete render it moot? Is there a better way? I’d love to hear from you either on Twitter (@deandad) or via email at deandad (at) gmail (dot) com.
