January 31, 2014
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| Students taking Final Exams |
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| "No Excuses" sign |
Unlike American universities
which get most of their operating expenses from outside sources, like
legislatures, endowments, and private donations, eighty-five percent of
Cuttington University’s revenue is from student tuition. Much of student
tuition is paid through various student scholarships provided by private
donors and organizations. These scholarships usually require a student to
maintain a 3.5 GPA. Thus in order for the university to survive as an
institution it has to maintain its student population and their GPAs.
The problems arise from the very beginning. The first is for
the university's attempt to keep its past reputation and the
second is the very deficient educational backgrounds of its applicants.
Students are admitted who in no way can meet the educational standards the university
professes. There is a total disconnection between course descriptions and syllabus
with what most students can possibly grasp. This creates the bending of
university written standards and rules to continually mollify the necessity of keeping students.
As an instructor I am faced with the decision to either provide a curriculum which meets the course
description, resulting in the failure of almost all students and their loss of
subsequent scholarships, or do I dummy down the course in hope of providing
some knowledge and grade according to lower standards. I who am teaching upper level classes has
chosen to grade at the lower standards. I have students receiving A’s who cannot
do simple math, have no idea of basic Biological principles, come with
prerequisite courses from which they remember nothing, and are unable to
comprehend analogies. So, what can I accomplish other than minimal levels of
academic education?
One thing I hope my students learn from me is that I mean
what I say and I take no excuses. This is very hard for them. They have been
living in a world where rules are continually bent, bribes given, sexual favors
granted, and lame excuses readily accepted. Now as final grades are posted the
ghosts come out of the closet.
The university’s written rule is. “Students caught cheating fail the course”. The university’s ethics board has devised a new
plan to stop cheating and instructors prompting students on answers. It is a
massive testing program. Instructor’s final exam questions are submitted to and
printed by the ethics board. The exams are supervised by proctors then returned
to instructors for grading and submission of grades.
During my proctoring assignment of other courses, I witness massive cheating by
students. For the most obvious violations
a student is moved to another seat. An
administrator of the exams says that two students have been cited for cheating,
results pending decision by the student’s instructor. He qualifies his
statement by saying that he has administered only half of the thousands of final
exams.
My classroom rules mirror the university’s, cheating is not
tolerated, zero for those caught. Before
my mid-term exam, I tell my classes anyone caught cheating is given a zero for
the exam. I catch about 30% of my students cheating.” How stupid can they be?”
I ask myself, totally clueless of their past experiences. They are in shock
that I not only read the exams in detail comparing answers, but would actually
give them a zero! Several weeks later, I
somewhat relent by saying I would double their highest score between mid-term and final exam. Anyone caught cheating on the final exam would get a zero for the course.
Students take my word seriously and during the final exam they spread their desks to
avoid any suspicion of cheating.. Yet, I find four students where
cheating happens.
After scores are posted on my office door, the first student comes to my house in shock and in tears
pleading he is not involved in cheating. He is a top student who was caught previously
sharing his answers during the mid-term. I notice he places himself away from
the others for the final and moves once because his chair was in the sun. He
states he did not share his answers with anyone, crying, kneeling, and
pleading, but did leave his exam on his desktop when moving his chair. I ask
how he can get such a ridiculous answer. He shows me his calculation which
demonstrates does not know how to do long division. The other equally good student sits close to
him and has the same improbably wrong answers to two questions. The second student
appears at my house. He cannot explain how he got his answer. I tell him that
if he copied his answer without the first person’s knowledge, he still gets a zero;
otherwise both students get zeros for their final grades. I challenge his
manhood and character. He admits to copying without the other's knowledge. He gets a zero; the other gets an “A”.
Another case involves a good student who places his desk in
the front of the room facing the blackboard and a second poorer student who
arrives late for the exam, missing the first three questions, and who takes a
desk slightly behind and to the side of the first student. I tell him he is not
to get credit for the first three answers. He immediately looks directly at the
first student’s papers to copy the answers. I reprimand him for that. I can see
throughout the exam the exchange of answers. Their papers reflect the
exchanging of answers. I post zeros for both their grades.
A repeat performance by the good student at my house saying
there is no cheating. He is in tears, begging, laying on the floor in grief. He is a graduating senior already accepted in graduate
school. He loses it all with an “F”. It is the other student’s fault. The glare from his stare is frightening. I want to talk to the poorer student. They both arrive later with a friend to help
calm the situation. They both admit to the cheating. The second student also asking
forgiveness, saying his mother living in the bush with little money works so
hard to pay for his tuition. They cannot afford to repeat classes. How do they
ever learn about rules, even at this late stage in their education? They both
get “F”.
Administrative excuses are readily given by the Dean of
Student Services for illness and bereavement.
To receive this excuse a student needs to “show proof” of the occurrence
for which an officially stamped letter is given which reads “…he missed some of
your course requirements. Kindly allow him to return to your class and do a
makeup exam with you. Thanks for your usual cooperation and indulgence”. Paradoxically a sign posted at final exams reads
“Exam Ethics. No Makeups. No Excuses. Sorry for your illness or bereavement”. None of the students are ill or bereaved for finals and simply do not
show. Their excused times in question do not cover when papers are due. They
get scores for the work they complete, an “F” or incomplete.
Will these grades holdup after I submit them? I hope so, but
there are no guarantees or real rules here. The university needs the students, mercy
is easily granted. Students rule...their education and the future of Liberia suffers.
Yet when faced by an object like me, the students do have the courage and
conviction to admit wrong doing, but feel that forgiveness is always
attainable. In fact, I have high regards for some of them who accept the consequences
and are prepared to move on. There is hope and they may not be swallowed
by the big dragon which is Liberia.
What does all this mean? Is the university to be blamed for
trying to survive as an institution? Are students to be blamed for their
deficient backgrounds and lax university rules? Are scholarship donors to be blamed for
insisting on 3.5 GPAs? Are fourteen years of two civil wars to be the excuse
for a dysfunctional society? Are rebels to be blamed for wanting a piece of the
pie? Am I to be blamed for imposing my moral standards in such a place? Is there
no blame, maybe it’ God’s Will, or shit just happens? Take your pick there is enough blame, enough
excuses, enough moralizing to justify anything.
As for me, I shall continue to
be me, undaunted and unashamed of my principles. I assume all the other parties
in this dance shall be steadfast in their viewpoints. I do feel that for those
students who have Dr. Nick as an instructor, their view of the world out there
may be slightly altered. If that happens, my stay is a success.
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