Will Physics Class Be Curved Down?

[Garrant3]

Hi! I wasn't really sure where to put this thread, but my grade right now in my first undergraduate physics course is around a 93%, and apparently the average in the class is an 87.6%. I feel like that's an unusually high average. How do you think the professors will handle this? Do you think they will curve down so that if you're getting an 87.6% you're actually getting a C?

Thanks!

 

[fss]

Why don't you ask those in charge of the grading?

 

[General_Sax]

They'll probably curve the class so that average is about a B-

A C average is too harsh imo. Keep in mind that my opinion/advice is basically worthless, but I'm being honest.

 

[G01]

I'm not grading your class, so I can't say for sure, but:

The chances are that with a 93% average you are not getting a bad grade.

I can't imagine a 93% being anything less than A-. My bet is that you'll end up on the borderline between A- and A, but of course, that is based off of how most of my professors curved.

They'll probably curve the class so that average is about a B-

A C average is too harsh imo. Keep in mind that my opinion/advice is basically worthless, but I'm being honest.

A grade of B- for knowing 87% of the class material is ridiculous as well. That's a B+ IMO

 

[Choppy]

With an 87.6% average at the end of term... beware of the final!

 

[snipez90]

I agree with G01. Sure various departments adhere to a top n% rule (those top students get A's) or curve the average to a B or B-, but if you have an actual percentage that typically translates to A or A-, it's highly unlikely you will do worse. Having said that, heed Choppy's warning.

 

[Phyisab****]

With an 87.6% average at the end of term... beware of the final!

I agree with this. I feel like most professors probably don't want to curve down, it doesn't seem nice and will probably cause mass outrage. I think it's more likely the final will be extra difficult.

 

[flyingpig]

I am expecting the average in my class to be 70%, the other class has an average of 56%...pretty much everyone bombed their midterm while my section is rocking lol

 

[bcrowell]

Grading criteria should be stated in the class's syllabus.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Yea in my experience that professors will give a syllabus with the general grading scale printed on it. Such as 90-100 = A, then they might later curve it where say 85-100 = A. But if you have a 90 you are guaranteed an A by their own rules.

Never saw a prof actually curve down. I agree that if the professor wants the average to drop then he'll just make the course harder (i.e. final exams)


My worry would be on the quality of education. I personally thought my class didnt give me hard questions like the other class (although the other class went much slower and did not go through all 20 chapters like mine did). However the test avg in my class was usually around the 50-60 range. Course was set up where if you did average on the homework and got 60s on every test (including the final), you'd pass with a C.

 

[DrummingAtom]

Hi! I wasn't really sure where to put this thread, but my grade right now in my first undergraduate physics course is around a 93%, and apparently the average in the class is an 87.6%. I feel like that's an unusually high average. How do you think the professors will handle this? Do you think they will curve down so that if you're getting an 87.6% you're actually getting a C?

Thanks!

I'm prepared to get bashed for this question, but are professors required to pass a certain % of students?

The reason I ask is one of my friends had a PChem class that had consistent exams of ~30% averages. At the end of the semester, the curve was so much that he and many others ended up with a C. The professor, late in the course, admitted that the only reason he wasn't curving the tests for the whole semester was because one kid in the class was getting 80%'s on the tests.

Could the professor pass just that one kid and fail everyone else?

I understand there are hard classes but that class sounded ridiculous. I'm sure there's worse stories too.

 

[jtbell]

Since when is a C a "fail"?

 

[Garrant3]

Thanks for the responses everyone!
My final is next Wednesday, so I kind of agree with everyone here that my professor is going to make it really difficult to try to lower the average. I think the reason the average is this high is because it's an honors physics course, so everyone in it is really intelligent.

 

[DrummingAtom]

Since when is a C a "fail"?

Hi jtbell, I'm guessing that's directed to me?

My question is regarding %'s. The class average was ~40% in my friend's PChem class. *If* there wasn't a curve there would be one passing grade in that whole class. That's why I'm asking if professors are required to pass a certain % of students no matter how bad they do.

 

[G01]

Hi jtbell, I'm guessing that's directed to me?

My question is regarding %'s. The class average was ~40% in my friend's PChem class. *If* there wasn't a curve there would be one passing grade in that whole class. That's why I'm asking if professors are required to pass a certain % of students no matter how bad they do.

If a professor routinely failed 80-90% of their students, I'd bet the administration would give them a stern talking to, but I doubt there is a hard number set by the university saying how many students must pass a given course.

That said, if only one person passes the class on the standard curve, then the professor probably did not get something across in lecture, realized this, and curved to compensate.

 

[Theorem.]

lots of instructors don't follow an absolute curve in those cases, they usually assign a certain percentage of students A's, B's, and C's and so forth, the percentages varying depending on a few factors. They look for natural breaks in the marks. For first year you usually would expect around a B- average, but that doesn't mean the average can't be higher than a B-.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I'm prepared to get bashed for this question, but are professors required to pass a certain % of students?

One of my previous employers, when I taught as an adjunct, had a department guideline to give 10-15% of the class an 'A', 20-30% of the class a 'B', 20-30% of the class a 'C', etc. This is what it means to 'grade on a curve', and it means some students *must* fail.

Here, I do not have to fail anyone (or pass anyone). That is, there are no explicit department/school/institution requirements as to the grades I assign. I am loath to fail anyone who occasionally comes to class, takes all exams, and turns in some homework. That person may get a 'D', but unless they do not take exams I cannot in good conscience fail them.

What is interesting is that we *do* have an explicit requirement for labs- if a student misses 2 labs (unexcused absences), they fail the lab portion of the course (20% of the final grade).

 

[Theorem.]

One of my previous employers, when I taught as an adjunct, had a department guideline to give 10-15% of the class an 'A', 20-30% of the class a 'B', 20-30% of the class a 'C', etc. This is what it means to 'grade on a curve', and it means some students *must* fail.

Here, I do not have to fail anyone (or pass anyone). That is, there are no explicit department/school/institution requirements as to the grades I assign. I am loath to fail anyone who occasionally comes to class, takes all exams, and turns in some homework. That person may get a 'D', but unless they do not take exams I cannot in good conscience fail them.

What is interesting is that we *do* have an explicit requirement for labs- if a student misses 2 labs (unexcused absences), they fail the lab portion of the course (20% of the final grade).

This sounds much like the program I am in. When I was in general studies most instructors seemed to have guidelines to follow for how many students they had to pass, give A's, B's and so forth. Now i am in a much more specialized program and the grading works much as you have described

 

[flyingpig]

One of my previous employers, when I taught as an adjunct, had a department guideline to give 10-15% of the class an 'A', 20-30% of the class a 'B', 20-30% of the class a 'C', etc. This is what it means to 'grade on a curve', and it means some students *must* fail.

Here, I do not have to fail anyone (or pass anyone). That is, there are no explicit department/school/institution requirements as to the grades I assign. I am loath to fail anyone who occasionally comes to class, takes all exams, and turns in some homework. That person may get a 'D', but unless they do not take exams I cannot in good conscience fail them.

What is interesting is that we *do* have an explicit requirement for labs- if a student misses 2 labs (unexcused absences), they fail the lab portion of the course (20% of the final grade).

What happens if the whole class gets 100% even after final? I know it's unlikely...

 

[General_Sax]

What happens if the whole class gets 100% even after final? I know it's unlikely...

*head explodes*

 

[Theorem.]

*head explodes*

prof fails at writing tests

 

[Andy Resnick]

What happens if the whole class gets 100% even after final? I know it's unlikely...

If everyone in my class got 100%, I would unreservedly give everyone an A. Furthermore, I would make sure there was a record of this and use it as part of my application for tenure as evidence of excellence in teaching.