More than 100 students who took mathematics courses at Tennessee State University last fall had their marks switched from “incomplete” to letter grades, and university leaders are questioning who authorized the changes and whether or not they were ethical, reports The Tennessean. The two classes were meant to replace remedial courses by requiring students to complete college-level as well as supplemental work. Students who failed to complete the supplemental assignments received incompletes at first, but later had their grades changed.
University and state officials said they had approval to make the changes after clearing up a miscommunication about course requirements, but some professors have accused administrators of making the changes without the instructors’ consent. The university issued a signed statement from three of the 11 professors who taught the courses in question. They acknowledged that they had made the changes after realizing their errors. But the president of the Faculty Senate said the state’s explanation contradicts the university’s policy on such changes, according to the newspaper.
