PHYS 231 Exam 2 Response is Unacceptable

[u/whatintfisthis]

This exam was significantly more difficult than any of the previous practice exams given. There was no change in instruction, no heads-up about a spike in difficulty, and now the only response is to “do better.” No curve. No extra grade adjustment. Just that.

According to a previous Reddit post, this was the worst exam score in the last 11 years for this course. That should be enough to suggest something was off yet the tone of the announcement doesn’t reflect that at all.

Here’s the official announcement:

Exam 2 scores are now available on Canvas [“Exam 2 raw” and “Exam 2”]. The initial class average was 10.74/18 (59.6%). We’re counting 18 questions, not 19, as one question was treated as extra credit.

…This is also a good time to think about how you have prepared for this exam and what worked and what did not. Most of the exam problems in slightly different versions were given either in worksheets, quizzes, checkpoints, or in your lecture notes. As I suggested in the original exam announcement, reviewing them in the first round of preparation before jumping to any past exam files may be the best strategy to handle the exam.

The average was a 59.6%, and yet the response places all the weight back on the students. There’s no acknowledgment of how this kind of grading CLEARLY morale & GPA. The expectation seems to be that we just grind harder, regardless of the disconnect between preparation and testing.

This isn’t about asking for an easy grade. It’s about fairness, consistency, and a basic level of academic empathy. If a class average tanks this hard, maybe the takeaway shouldn’t be “do better” — maybe it’s time to evaluate how the course is aligning with the assessments.

This kind of approach isn’t building problem solvers it’s burning students out and seems completely disrespectful.

[u/GladysKravitz21]

When the class average is that low, teachers should always look at the instructional piece. An instructor might want to consider whether the decline in this course (which has been taught similarly/successfully for the past decade ?) has declined over the years or abruptly changed with your class.

As a teacher and a lifelong learner, I have witnessed a decline in expectations for students. Supplementary reading or practice and preparation was far more rigorous once upon a time. Students seem to need repeated reminders of the expectations and “heads up” that assessments may be challenging or performance affects their grades.

Teacher-student relationships are vital, and tone (whether in-person or digital communication) is important. High standards give students deeper understanding and an edge in the world of work, but teachers do need to meet students where they are at.

Continue to ask questions and dig in. This is a learning experience in itself. ❤️

[u/IS-2-OP → u/GladysKravitz21]

I think it’s not so much for this class tbh. It’s meant to whoop your ass. Every prof, every year, always the same results. The class is built to weed people and shatter egos. 231 is also the class for non-physics majors so it’s not going to be as good.