I handed back the exams in my Survey of Law course. I told two students who failed the exam that if they made corrections, they would receive half a point per correct answer.
Student: Here are my exam corrections. I copied them from Student B. But you gave him credit for his answer and marked mine wrong.
Me: Are you admitting to me that you copied another student's work or are you blowing in your classmate for a mistake I made.
Student: I am not changing my answer because I think I am right.
Me: Well, your answer is still incorrect. There is a better choice that the one you chose.
Student: Well I am not changing it because I know I am right.
Me: But you are not correct. Why don't you tell me your reasoning behind your answer choice?
Student: No, I don't have to explain it because I know I am right.
Me: Well, yes you do because maybe your reasoning will be enough to change my mind. Maybe your argument is reasonable.
Student: I am not going to argue with you. Besides, my notes say I am right.
Me: Well show me your notes and let's see if that is the case.
She shows me her notes. She points to the definition of duty in a negligence claim.
Student: See, this definition says I am right.
Me: No, this does not apply to the problem because there was no indication that the person in the hypothetical was acting in an unreasonable way.
Student: But I'm saying that I see it as that way.
Me: But the law says otherwise.
Student: Well, I am not changing my answer
Me: Do you realize you are missing out on points? Do you want to be right or receive credit?
Student: I really don't care. I would rather be right.
WTF .is wrong with this girl? She would rather be right, although technically wrong, than to get credit for the right answer?
I walked away mumbling "God grant me the serenity..."
So, should I change the grade on the other student's exam???
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
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9 comments:
This is an exam for a law class right? Am I correct to assume many of these students maybe want to be lawyers?
Don't lawyers argue their points? And she didn't want to argue her point?
I think, assuming I am even close to right about any of this, that she has a poor attitude especially in reference to the assumed (by me) subject matter at hand. I would not give her the credit.
But I could be totally wrong about everything, it wouldn't be the first time.
No, you can't mark down someone's grade after already giving them back their test. Let them know they got away with one this time, maybe.
I can see getting an obstinate bee in one's bonnet about something and refusing to bend (especially if it's just a few points). However, the total "I don't have to explain, because I know I'm right" attitude is utterly baffling. Sheesh.
I was going to say what Sheepish said (about not marking down the grade) but, well, he already said it.
In terms of her attitude...I see this sometimes and it never ceases to surprise me. When I think about myself at their age - well, I would have died before I acted like that. I feel the same way when students email me and ask how hard they should study for the test.
Agree with sheepish -- too late to change the grade. However, the "argumentative" student's behavior was totally inappropriate.
I've had profs who would realize that they grading something wrong, and then correct their mistake, even if it meant taking points away after the test is passed back. After all, you'd do that if you realized that you had missed marking it wrong before you passed it back, right? I don't generally do that, though. I'll let them know, though, that they got away with one.
If the student is such an expert at the law, why is she taking the class anyway?
As for your student, the attitude of "I am right, and I know that I am right, and no amount of evidence to the contrary will change my opinion, and you should just agree with me because I know that I am right, and I don't need to explain it, because it is obvious that I am right" is all too pervasive in our society.
Thank you for doing what you can to thwart any possibility that this woman will ever be my lawyer...
And I don't think you should mark down the other student if only to sympathize with the fact that s/he has such an insufferable classmate!
I loved the 'she'd rather be right, though technically wrong' line!
Personally, since she admitted to CHEATING, I'd take away all of the argumentative one's points personally. I'd even consider taking them away from the other one too because they allowed the cheating.
If instead the wording was, "I checked my corrections against the other student's..." I'd be a little more cool with it. The point of redoing the test was as an excerise of learning which the arguer clearly didn't catch.
Students baffle me sometimes.
Don't change the one you missed points for.
If your course size allows for it, why not have an essay exam? The "I know I'm right" student will have to explain her reasoning.
I've had stubbourn student in the past, and one I finally decided was simply too stupid to be taught. Hang in there, the nice thing about teaching college is that they go away.
Twenty bucks says she's a Republican.
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