Of integrity, failure, marking and assessment

Hey folks. Sorry for being quiet for quite sometime. I've been busy marking, preparing and trying to catch up with my lessons both at my permanent and part-time job.

Before proceeding to read further, please broaden your mind and think as you are reading, ya! You may agree or disagree with what i am writing, but in the end, i have to right to say and voice out my opinion.

of late, i have received quite and numerous sarcastic remarks from my colleague who questions me on my integrity when it comes to marking. you see, the thing is, is it fair to expect students to fail when you know too damn well that my classes are lagging 2 weeks behind?

tell me, as a teacher, would you expect to see some students failing in your subject? if the answer is in the affirmative, then may i say that you are a "bad" teacher and might need to consider switching to another job. a teacher SHOULD NEVER ever expect their student to fail. otherwise the teacher falls in the "pessimistic teacher" category. no matter how weak your student are, you should never expect your student to fail. failing in the test of other form of in-class assessment doesn't indicate that the students are stupid. they (the students) may not have enough time to study or are too engaged to other activities which disrupts their studies.

i am an "optimistic" and "energetic" teacher. and i am not a person whom students can play around with, but i would never expect my students to fail, unless i am totally and damn-too-sure that their attitude deserve to be complemented with a failure. otherwise, i would always try my best to pass my students: and i don't give pass easily either: i will give them 1001 work to do and to be submitted to me as a proof that they are seriously thinking of passing my course.

Even if the student fail in their test, other forms of assessments like assignments and spot-quiz should be taken into account. malaysia, as we all, know is famous for for having an exam-oriented education style, beginning from primary and all the way to tertiary levels.


When Do Students Deserve To Be Failed?

Now, let me say a few words on this subject. A students, in my opinion, deserve to fail if and only if:

(a) they have poor attitude - being annoying
(b) they couldn't care less about their studies

That to me, is the only reason for me to fail them. Let's go through a detail:

(a) they have poor attitude

Poor attitude results in poor behaviour, and one (as a lecturer) can observe this through their attendance and they way they behave in class. if they do not complete a minimum of 80% attendance, then they deserve to fail. why? because the university rules and regulations handbook says so. look it up. so, there's no question about it.

(b) they couldn't care less about their studies

the truth is, i hate having this type of students. and it seems that every semester i always encounter this kind of student. what do i mean by couldn't care less? it simple means that they don't care about their studies, their marks and their performance in class. they don't have the guts to voice out their opinion (respectfully of course) and they don't have the gut to ask lotsa questions. you see, if your student fail test 1, it doesn't mean that they will fail the course. it simply states that "they have not perform well for Test 1, thus far resulting in a failure".

next, if the students who fail test 1 is a "could care more person", then they will go and see you (after class etc) and asks on how to pass the course. at this moment, you can see that their face would go dull (and some even cried)... one (the teacher) can only upgrade this "could care more" student a mere pass for test 1. raising their score to be of the same level as an "A" student is unethical, and would be construed as bias and prejudice. so, it seems right to upgrade this "could care more" students' mark to a mere pass only. why? because this student have demosntrated that they really are worrying about their marks.

as for the "couldn't care less" students, then they will make no effort of seeing you, and worst, a day before the test/final exam, there will please to you to pass them. sorry but for this student, the only thing that they deserve is a failure, and no mercy on you. it's as simple as that.


To Whom Then Should We Pass?

As i told you before, we (the teacher) should only pass those who deserve to pass and those who make efforts to get themselves pass.


Why Do Students Fail In A Test?

There are many possible reasons, and this include, inter alia:

1. Did not study prior to the test - this is always the case. i don't want to say anything more about this. they (the students can think on their own). the same argument goes for those who does last minute studies!
   
2. Do not understand the subject but makes no effort to see the teacher for clarifications - there are students who feels shy and embarras for no apparent reason. hello, your teacher is a human too, and there's no need to fear them. you just have to respect them.
3. Feeling unwell during the examination - this might contribute to being one of the factors that makes them fail in their exams. Other factors include: lack of sleep prior to the examination. research shows that those who do not have enough sleep prior to their examination will be most likely to not perform well in their exams.
4. Poor time management - some students are so energetic (possibly like me) that they do not know how to arrange their time.
   
5. Indulge and too-busy with other things (that is SO SO SO SO important than their studies!) - whatever it is, give you study a priority.
   
6. The question was too hard and somewhat length - some lecturer loves to give a too damn hard question and expects their students to answer it correctly. this is absolutely unfair because it will discriminates between the good, not-so-good and poor students. the questions should be carefully graded before being inserted in the examination paper.
   
7. The lecturer gives question which is totally out of syllabus and expects the students to answer them in 2 hours (how pathethic!) - i know of a lecturer who does this. to give one question would seem okay, but to give two or more question of this nature will result in too many failures. therefore, if possible, do avoid writing this sort of question.
   
8. Poor construction of examination questions - some lecturers (i must admit) have a poor command of english language. and in instances where lecturers tried to create their own questions, they'll eventually ended-up writing a question of which no one, not even a native english speakers, could understand. in the end, the students who are sitting the examination paper are at loss and thus fails the examination.
   

So in conclusion, the factors for a student to fail in the examination does not entirely lies on the lecturer or the students themselves. One need to assess the situation before coming out with conclusions as to why the students fail the paper. Erroneous conclusion are totally unacceptable as both sides (the students and the lecturers) have to be duly examined beforehand.


What About "A" Student?

As for the "A" student: good on you. i salute you and do not worry, i would never raise the mark of those who are originally fail to a mark closer or even nearer to you. they (the fail and 'could care more' students) deserve only a pass.


On Assessment and Marking

we teachers, just like judges, must carried out our work with highest form of integrity and being impartial at all time. the test for a teacher's integrity and honesty is during the marking time. of late, i have been bombarded by lots of questions from my colleague: that all of my students pass 100%. Tell me, is it wrong to have all of my students pass? does having 100% pass means that i a low-quality lecturer? answer me.

my reply to this cynics is that no, having 100% passing rate doesn't mean your teaching is of the low quality. it simply indicates that your students are able to do things to a maximum level. in my case, i am teaching "the repeaters" - those who is repeating mathematics 2. of late, i have been questioned on my marking scheme: that all of my students are having a 100% pass. to me, it is OKAY to have a 100% pass. why? here's the reason: my class starts two-weeks late from other classes, hence the insufficient time for discussions and even lectures. thus, you can't expect me to fail my students simply for your own mistakes. i did not starte the class late: but they (my employer) give me insufficient time for my classes. so, heck: it's not my fault. and please don't question my integrity when it comes to marking. i will do whatever is best so that my students can pass and excel in their studies.

you see, some of these students are supposed to graduate but because of some problems and (foreseeable reasons), they are unable to graduate. simple because they did not excel in their maths.

now, the problem doesn't necessarily lies on the students (although the teacher love to use the phrase "oh-they-fail-because-of-their-poor-atttide"). it may be the fault of the syllabus-maker too. let's have a look at the assessment structure:

Test 1 - 15%
Test 2 - 15%
Quiz - 15% (taken from test 1)
Quiz - 15% (taken from test 2)
Final exam - 40%

is this what one would call a high-quality assessment structure? where is the part for assignments and key-qualifications such as attendance? none. doesn't this form of assessment structure conforms to what i said earlier: that malaysia is famous for having an exam-oriented educational style? don't you think that this form of assessment tend to be biased for the "A" students those out-prejudicing the "not-so-good student"?

i would like to propose the following assesment structure, for the sake of fairness:

Test 1 - 15%
Test 2 - 15%
Assignment - 20%
Key qualification (attendance and behaviour) - 10%
Final exam - 40%

take a look at other leading universities in the united states and australia. okey, let's not go too far: let's take a look at local univerisities such as IIUM, UTM, UKM, etc. their assessment structure includes attendance and also assignment. why? just for the sake of helping the students.

Lu pikir la sendiri.

And no hard feelings ya people. If you take offence at my writing, then think again.
Why can't u be professional, and accept my writing? even if you do not agree with my writing, then the wise thing to do is not to be emotional and let's have an "intellectual debate/discussions".

^__^

Peace to All.