Lowering the bar

Most of my students do sports, so I use a lot of sports analogies. I have pointed out that no one ever gets better at their game when less is expected of them.

Having said that, their exam is more than 10% of their final grade, meaning they need about a 78 in the class going into the final in order to pass. Most of mine don't have that.

In order to ensure that they pass (after all, that's my goal if not theirs), I am trying to figure out how to make the final easy enough and yet thorough. I think I have a strategy I can live with.

I will hand out a study guide 2 days before the final and then go over it for 2 days. They need to write the answers down on the guide. They must turn the guide in that 2nd day.

Then I will give them back the study guide with their final.

It galls me to do this, but I can't see how else to give a reasonable final AND meet the administration's passing goal.

Check out

http://dcon2012.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/bailout-nation-a-rise-in-points-lifts-all-students/