1) As a student at the University of Florida, I have witnessed many students trying to endure the stress of their difficult courses. Now that UF is a top 10 university, professors have made their courses a lot more difficult to raise the standard of the university. Therefore, an opportunity I proposed was that the university make amendments to the grading scale. Besides giving out A and A-'s, it should just be A,B,C, etc. This would help increase the pass rates of the course, and allow fewer stress for students.
2) a."Who" UF students
b. "What" changing the grading scale
c. "Why" to prevent students from getting completely stressed out, allowing them to have a higher GPA, and increasing the pass rates in the classes
3) a. The first person I interviewed was a UF engineering student. He expressed how beneficial a policy like this would be for himself and the rest of the students in his major. Engineering is one of the hardest majors at UF and many students are constantly studying but still struggling to maintain that 4.0 and end up dropping the course.
b. The second person I interviewed was a TA. She also expressed how a grading system like this would be amazing because if more students pass a class with her, she will be able to continue being a TA, which she gets paid for.
c. The third person I interviewed was a UF pre-med chemistry professor. He actually disagreed with the system because he said that in the future when these students don't endure the stress and effort of these rigorous courses they will not be able to be successful in their careers. He thinks only those who can succeed in this course with or without the new grading scale should be able to pursue these intense, hard working professional careers.
d. The fourth person I interviewed was a psychology major at UF. She stated that this new grading policy wouldn't really make a difference for her because she is already getting straight A's at UF anyways. She believes if someone is really dedicated to their schoolwork, they will do whatever it takes to be successful.
e. The last person I interviewed was UF parent. He said that witnessing all the stress his son goes through he believes changes should be made to the grading system.
After interviewing everyone, it really helped me understand all the different perspectives on this topic. Personally, I believe this will benefit a lot of students and a little bit of a weight will be lifted off their shoulders.
Sara,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting approach to identifying an unmet customer need. I like that this idea improves student wellness- a very crucial and desperate problem. I see many students who are stressed out and turn to less healthy coping mechanisms to improve their mental wellbeing. I also liked how your interviews seemed very effective in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the issue.
Hey Sara,
ReplyDeleteYour proposal is interesting and a simpler grading scale seems beneficial to students. I liked how you chose to interview those that would benefit differently from this change; a UF student, a TA, a professor, and a parent. I know personally, I would benefit from this change haha. But, once again I really enjoyed the variety and relevance in your interviews. Do you think this is something that could actually be implemented?
Sara,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! As someone who is on the Pre-Medical track, this grading system will not only benefit the students but the professors as well since the pre-requisites are the most rigorous courses at UF. Revising the current grading system will prevent students from having to retake a course (for individuals who earn anything below a C-). and the professors will not have to constantly curve the exams to improve the overall class average.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your writings. I do feel somewhat relatable to the issue you presented. Some of the courses I'm taking such as foreign language course with 4 credits seems to have way too much workload compared to 3 credit language course. I'm interested in how you will turn this opportunity into a profitable solution. Keep up the good work!