Issue with a college Class's grading scale: Who to contact?

[Mystic Muse]

After an issue with my final exam in this class, I'm just now noticing the very wonky way the grades in it work.

Every other class I'm taking quantifies your grade based on the amount of points you have in it. So, if you get 820 points in the class with 885 maximum points you get an A, if you get 2,000 in the one with 2,200 you get an A, and if you get 930 in the one with 1,030 you get an A.

However, in this one, with 2,477, because of the wonky way grades are calculated, you can get 2,277, which would get you an A in every other mentioned class, but get as low as a C in this one.

I don't think this makes any logical sense. If your grade isn't based off the points, there's no point in using point instead of just the percentage the assignment is actually worth. If the grade IS In some way based off points, the point amount should reflect what the assignment is actually worth. The Final Exam shouldn't be worth 100 points when it dropped the 'weighted total' grade by at least 10% (May have been 12-12.5%, I don't quite remember).

And on the final, don't worry, it did a dumb error thing where it submitted itself without me being able to put in any answers, there shouldn't be any issue in re-taking it. I'm just wondering what my points of contact are in case the point scale tells me I got one thing, and the percentage scale tells me I got another. And this is a really screwed up scale and needs fixed REGARDLESS so I want to know who to bring this up to.

[SowZ]

Are the points weighted? It is common to have points from one source count as worth more than the same number of points from another. While needlessly confusing, this is standard enough that contacting the administration about it will accomplish nothing except maybe pissing off the proff if it gets back around to him.

[Mystic Muse]

Are the points weighted? It is common to have points from one source count as worth more than the same number of points from another. While needlessly confusing, this is standard enough that contacting the administration about it will accomplish nothing except maybe pissing off the proff if it gets back around to him.

Yeah, they are.

And damn. Sorry to hear that, because it's dumb as hell. :smallsigh:

[Chen]

As long as the point value of assignments is known and the total point values required for each grade is known, this seems like just a nuisance more than anything else. I mean you could use your course evaluation/feedback to mention that it may be needlessly convoluted, but other than that as long as you have all the information needed to determine your grade, there's no issue that would need to be brought up to the administration level.

[Jay R]

To answer the question: speak to the professor first. She can tell you anything you currently misunderstand, and clear up any ambiguity. She's also the person most likely to be able to change the grade quickly and efficiently.

But before you do, ask yourself this question: does your current grade actually represent your level of mastery of the material? If it does, nothing will change. If it doesn't, then the professor will very likely be on your side.

[Mystic Muse]

Well, I think, unless my instructor tells me I did something to make myself incapable of getting an A in his response email, I'm close enough to manage it.

In terms of weighted grade, I'm at 88.49, and got an 89 on the final (And get two more attempts). In terms of points, I'm 9 away from having an A, which I think looks good, even though the point total doesn't matter as much.

It also helps that I've only gotten less than a B on two assignments in the course, one of which I'm still capable of doing until Friday at Midnight, and the other was 79%, so only barely a C.

So, I think everything will be okay.:smallsmile: