A student at Lehigh University sued the school for $1.3 million because she received a C+ in a class instead of the B she needed to stay in the program. Judges on the Superior Court upheld a lower court ruling denying the student any damages.
The opinion stated: “Courts lack the expertise to micromanage the complex and highly subjective endeavor of academic grading. Attempting to do so would invite an increase in difficult and time-consuming lawsuits by students who are disgruntled over grades, courses, teachers or other academic requirements.” (Morning Call, Nov. 6. 2014, p. 6)
While I agree with the court’s decision, I do have sympathy for the student. I never gave any points whatsoever for participation in my classes. What happens if your student is a female Vietnamese who has been taught to respect elders and remain quiet, or a Latino student who is ashamed or his accent, or a blowhard who thinks he can get points by “participating” a great deal, although his contributions are nonsense?
My grades were based on quizzes, finals, and papers. I am aware that some subjectivity is involved in those grades as well, but it is minimal compared to “participation.” I had very few students question their course grades; they understood why they received the grade they did. Grading on participation is simply not fair. Had I been on the court, I would have added a long footnote chastising the professor.
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