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[anthroid]

I would like your thoughts on some of my students' responses on a test I gave Monday.   A week before every exam, I always give out a study guide, with terms to be defined and a number of essay questions; I did that this time.  I was available for consultation up until 6 p.m. the night before the test (via email anyway).  I had ten students out of about 40 answer one particular essay question completely incorrectly.  It wasn't even part-way incorrectly.  It was flat out wrong.  Had they been answering the question they clearly were writing to, their answers would have been fine.  But they were wrong, wrong, wrong. Clearly they had studied together.  That doesn't bother me. 

My issue is this.  I just didn't feel as though I could award any points, or just minimal points and I am a bit conflicted about this, since the essay is potentially worth more than half of the points on the test.  I hated giving them big fat goose eggs; they did provide correct information, but they didn't answer this question correctly.  As a result, they failed the test pretty catastrophically.  What would you do?

[acrimone]

Re-read the question, make sure it is clear, and if it is, give out some F's.

[comp_queen]

What would I do?  I'm an ever-jobhunting adjunct; I would give half credit and explain why.

What would I do in a perfect world?  The big fat goose eggs you described.  Part of the test is FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS.  They did not, and it's just too bad.

[anthroid]

Oh, it's clear all right, since the rest of the class responded with correct answers.

I did give teensy amounts of credit to a couple of folks who were tiptoeing toward the edge of the question.  They still failed the test.

[professor_pat]

This is a tough one, Anthroid. After having had to deal with such a situation a few times, I recast my tests so that completely blowing one answer doesn't have a determinative effect (P/F) on the test outcome.

But that doesn't help you at the moment. Given that a significant proportion of your class seemed to misunderstand the question, I guess I might try to figure out what they thought it meant. I might show the question to another faculty member in my discipline; perhaps something the students learned in another class might have influenced their reading of the question?

Another significant observation would be whether they all answered it in the same wrong way. Assuming for the moment that plagiarism wasn't occurring, if it turned out that the students' misreading of the question was uniform and had any reasonable basis, I might consider reconfiguring the proportion of credit given for that answer to somewhat lessen its impact on their test grade. Or even, depending on your capacity for hyper-humility, giving them credit and chalking it up as a learning experience for you (frustrating, I know, and my own such capacity is increasingly limited).

[anthroid]

These are interesting responses.  I actually have been giving this question to the same kinds of students for the last 15 years (in different institutions and of course I reword the question a bit, but I have used this same exact question before at a different college a number of times).  So I don't think it's the question.  I just feel bad for the students who tried so hard but either haven't been coming to class or didn't read the question.  They certainly didn't ask me any questions before the test (and they had this question a week before the test). 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I was motivated to ask the question here because I was wondering if it's just too weeny to let the students know they comprehended something, just not the answer to this question.  I believe I'm about to conclude that it is too weeny.  Thanks, everyone, for chiming in!

[slac_vap]

I just feel bad for the students who tried so hard but either haven't been coming to class...

Huh?  You feel bad for the poor students who don't bother to come to class?  Really?  Were they all hospitalized with serious illnesses?  Otherwise, I wouldn't feel bad for any student who committed to taking a class then flaked out on attendance.

My guess is that they all studied together, and probably even practiced preparing answers to questions they thought you'd ask.  They didn't quite anticipate the one that you did ask, but they did do one that was similar, so they just gave you that answer.  Or that when the studied, they did anticipate this question, and just prepared a wrong answer.  I doubt it's a problem with academic honesty; more likely it's a problem with groupthink.

[j_source]

"The information in your answer to question #6  accurately describes QLZ.  It is not the correct answer to the question since I asked you to describe XXX. I cannot award any points.  Random information, no matter how accurate, is not acceptable if it does address the question asked.

[voxprincipalis]

I wonder if it would help to think of the anecdote of Edison when working to invent* the light bulb. The anecdote is that it took him 1,000 tries to invent it. When he was asked whether he felt like a failure for the first 999 unsuccessful tries, he replied, "No, I just learned it was a 1,000 step process."

The light bulb filaments did not go on out of niceness just because Edison was close to being right. And, because of that -- because he was continually met with something that would not yield until he had mastered it -- he learned he had to change what he was doing if he wanted to get an answer that worked.

I think these students need the same experience. It might help, though, if you think of it as part of their learning curve (step #453) rather than the end of their academic careers (I exaggerate, but you know what I mean). They need to see that they have to do something different in their approach -- read the directions and answer the question that is asked -- if they want their answer to succeed.

So, I would be polite and kind, but firm. You might even say, "I can see that you've done a lot of work here, and I wish I could give you credit for it. Unfortunately, it doesn't address the issue you were asked to discuss. I appreciate the info you gave me, but it doesn't tell me anything about your level of understanding of XXX. I can't take it on faith that because you understand YYY, you also understand XXX, unless I see that understanding on paper."

VP

*Yes. I know he did not technically invent it. And, how likely is it that it took him exactly 1,000 attempts? Just go with me here, people.

[minor_t]

It's about learning.  The students did not learn enough about that topic to give the correct answer.  Give them what they earned, which was 0.

To make sure they learn it, though, here's a suggestion:  Tell the class that the same question will be on the final because you're concerned that the class didn't learn the first time through and you want to make sure that they get it right.  You don't have to assign many points on the final for that question, but you will probably get brilliant answers.

mt 

[slac_vap]

VP,

If you don't mind, I think I will borrow much of this approach the next time I work with my student from the "student craves praise" thread.  I wonder if it might help her to approach the process of education with a healthier perspective.

(Sorry for the hijack!)

slac vap

I wonder if it would help to think of the anecdote of Edison when working to invent* the light bulb. The anecdote is that it took him 1,000 tries to invent it. When he was asked whether he felt like a failure for the first 999 unsuccessful tries, he replied, "No, I just learned it was a 1,000 step process."

The light bulb filaments did not go on out of niceness just because Edison was close to being right. And, because of that -- because he was continually met with something that would not yield until he had mastered it -- he learned he had to change what he was doing if he wanted to get an answer that worked.

I think these students need the same experience. It might help, though, if you think of it as part of their learning curve (step #453) rather than the end of their academic careers (I exaggerate, but you know what I mean). They need to see that they have to do something different in their approach -- read the directions and answer the question that is asked -- if they want their answer to succeed.

So, I would be polite and kind, but firm. You might even say, "I can see that you've done a lot of work here, and I wish I could give you credit for it. Unfortunately, it doesn't address the issue you were asked to discuss. I appreciate the info you gave me, but it doesn't tell me anything about your level of understanding of XXX. I can't take it on faith that because you understand YYY, you also understand XXX, unless I see that understanding on paper."

VP

*Yes. I know he did not technically invent it. And, how likely is it that it took him exactly 1,000 attempts? Just go with me here, people.

[anthroid]

VP, j_source, and minor_t--yes, I like it all!  I will use the question again; I used sort of the language provided by j_source; and vp, as always, you provide sensible ways to think about things.  Yes, slap_vac, it's idiotic of me to feel bad for them and I rarely if ever do.  But this was just so pathetic.  They had the right answer but to the wrong question. 

I feel the spine stiffening as I type.  And we all know how painful that can be. 

[voxprincipalis]

Yes, slap_vac, it's idiotic of me to feel bad for them and I rarely if ever do.  But this was just so pathetic. 

Anthroid, I love you. This is too funny.

:-)

VP

[prytania3]

I'm too soft, I know, but here's my 2 cents:

If what they wrote showed mastery of essential information in your course, I would give them partial credit. To me, it appears that they wanted to show you they did know something.

[anthroid]

I'm too soft, I know, but here's my 2 cents:

If what they wrote showed mastery of essential information in your course, I would give them partial credit. To me, it appears that they wanted to show you they did know something.

Yeah, pry, that's my issue.  And that's why they are, and probably I am, pathetic.  The problem is they didn't demonstrate knowledge about the subject required.  Sigh.  Thanks for articulating it better than I did, Pry3!