A recent study conducted at UC Irvine showed that one-third of undergraduate students surveyed thought that they should receive Bs for attending classes, and 40 percent of students surveyed thought that they deserved Bs for completing all of the assigned reading for their classes.
These students deserve every bit of criticism that has been published about them since this news broke, and the world needs to understand that the views of these unfortunate few should not be a reflection on the rest of us.
There is merit to the claim that students who work hard should do well. But if students go to every class, do all of the reading and still can’t pull together a B, they are clearly not comprehending the material. They don’t deserve to be rewarded with high marks for not really understanding the course.
Students who attend classes and read books are fulfilling only the most fundamental of their responsibilities as students.
The only way of gauging whether students have paid attention in class or engaged with the assigned reading is through the systems of examination established.
Most importantly, the quality of learning indicates the quality of students’ education. Any student who cannot receive a passing grade when they have done all the assigned reading and attended every class does not deserve to pass.
It’s not complicated.