Yale science faculty seeks to bring up course grades
Science professors at Yale University are considering awarding higher grades to students, especially those in courses for non-science majors."The primary issue was one of fairness to the students ? we don't want students to be penalized for taking any particular course, or courses in any particular division," said Yale astrophysics professor Charles Bailyn, emphasizing that it "is a special concern in terms of science."Yale's Science Council, a group of concerned science faculty members headed by Bailyn, proposed grading reforms entirely independent from the university's administration.Bailyn said the councilors convened informally to share grade distributions, talk about grading approaches and discuss possible reforms.Unlike Princeton's new policy, which would limit A's to 35 percent of undergraduate grades and 55 percent of independent work grades, Yale's proposed science grading reforms depend entirely upon professor discretion."Grading is the prerogative of the faculty," Yale College Dean Peter Salovey said.Bailyn said he senses little interest from students, faculty and administration "in moving toward the kind of global solution that is being attempted at Princeton."Princeton chemistry professor Michael Hecht said the University has aimed for the same grading outcome ? grading equality across disciplines ? as Yale with an entirely different approach."By leveling the playing field between other departments and the sciences," Hecht said."People won't be afraid to take science classes because now courses from the humanities departments are graded in the same way."Yale geology professor Mark Brandon, who teaches a course taken predominately by non-science majors, was concerned about the lack of information about the actual distribution of grades that Yale professors assign in their courses."Princeton made a brave move to publish detailed information about its typical grade distribution," he said.Yale's new guidelines are not official.