October 23rd: 0 for Effort?

I started a new class this morning, a two and a half hour odyssey twice a week. Sociology 100 will not be too much of a challenge, but it’s a class where I hope to gain some pretty interesting insights into the world around me.

The first day of class did not disappoint. My teacher reviewed the syllabus and we had the chance to see exactly how the class was structured. At the end of the conversation about the grade breakdown, though, the professor had one trick up his sleeve. He offered the class the opportunity to take the course without grades. He said that for a few students, if they chose, they could take the class for the feedback, in hopes of improving academically and learning more intensely. The university requires him to submit a grade at the end of the semester, but that grade wouldn’t be discussed throughout the course. It would allow a student to take the course not for the grade but for the resulting knowledge.

I really liked the idea. The concept of learning for the sake of learning, rather than for a letter grade was intriguing to me. I appreciate those who can see past their GPA in favor of acknowledging how much they have learned.

There is the small problem that, when all is said and done, a grade will still be given. In that case, it isn’t worldly or bold to ignore the grades. It’s just negligent. It actually contradicts the point of education, which is to reflect on what has already been done in the hopes of improving and growing for next time. That being said, a class about sociology isn’t necessarily always about the end result but, often, the intention to get there.

The most undervalued part of college is learning, I think. If you were to ask college students why they go to class, very few would say that it is to actually learn. Answers may be to get good grades or because it is what is expected of them. Rarely, though, are classes viewed for the raw learning that comes from them. It was a big step for the professor to see this failure and try to fix it. To not receive a grade and instead be promised the opportunity for an in-depth analysis of the product that you, as a student, are producing could be a huge opportunity for academic growth.

The real basis for this is helping to find what motivates a student. In the grand scheme of things, nobody will care about your GPA. Nobody will care whether or not you even went to class. What will really cause an impact, though, is the extent to which you are able to use the education you have received in the context of the rest of the world. When grades are taken out of the picture, that can be done more honestly and more fluidly.

This isn’t to say that grades should be done away with. In fact, I think grades are a very good evaluator of the way that an individual can demonstrate learning and growth over time. It is, however, the chance to put those grades into some kind of context that will more thoroughly and thoughtfully help college students as they use their knowledge later on down the road.