Student leaders attempt to derail new grade index
Expect faculty to decide Friday
By: Elisabeth Gilbert, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: University
The debate on the proposed Achievement Index continued to rage Tuesday night at a question-and-answer session hosted by the co-chairmen of the AI task force.
More than 20 students came to have their questions answered about the system, which is being touted by proponents as the solution to grade inflation.
Attendees also were encouraged to sign a petition to the Faculty Council opposing AI. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, 39 students had signed the petition, which is located online at www.petitiononline.com/uncai.
AI detractors, including Student Body President Eve Carson and task force co-chairmen Mike Radionchenko and Danny Randolph, say the costs of the proposed system would outweigh the benefits.
"I sincerely believe that if you understand it, you cannot be for the AI," Carson said at the session.
They argue that because AI, unlike grade point average, is relative, it will discourage cooperation among students and lead to unnecessary competition.
"If your AI goes up, someone else's AI goes down," Randolph said. "It certainly puts a disincentive for you to help anyone else at UNC out."
The Faculty Council is set to vote on whether to implement the system at 3:45 p.m. Friday in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center. While this is not the final vote, Randolph said he expects the administration to follow the council's recommendation.
Speakers on both sides of the fence said AI would make grading more fair for students, but Carson said she'd rather see the University tackle the problem of grade inflation with peer institutions instead of trying a new measure alone.
UNC would be the first school in the country to implement AI.
"If UNC is going to be a trendsetter or a leader, we have to have the best system possible," she said.
"There's got to be something better than AI out there."
AI takes into account not just a student's performance in a given class - as a GPA does - but also other students' grades in that class and in their other classes.
More than 20 students came to have their questions answered about the system, which is being touted by proponents as the solution to grade inflation.
Attendees also were encouraged to sign a petition to the Faculty Council opposing AI. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, 39 students had signed the petition, which is located online at www.petitiononline.com/uncai.
AI detractors, including Student Body President Eve Carson and task force co-chairmen Mike Radionchenko and Danny Randolph, say the costs of the proposed system would outweigh the benefits.
"I sincerely believe that if you understand it, you cannot be for the AI," Carson said at the session.
They argue that because AI, unlike grade point average, is relative, it will discourage cooperation among students and lead to unnecessary competition.
"If your AI goes up, someone else's AI goes down," Randolph said. "It certainly puts a disincentive for you to help anyone else at UNC out."
The Faculty Council is set to vote on whether to implement the system at 3:45 p.m. Friday in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center. While this is not the final vote, Randolph said he expects the administration to follow the council's recommendation.
Speakers on both sides of the fence said AI would make grading more fair for students, but Carson said she'd rather see the University tackle the problem of grade inflation with peer institutions instead of trying a new measure alone.
UNC would be the first school in the country to implement AI.
"If UNC is going to be a trendsetter or a leader, we have to have the best system possible," she said.
"There's got to be something better than AI out there."
AI takes into account not just a student's performance in a given class - as a GPA does - but also other students' grades in that class and in their other classes.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Petitioner
posted 4/25/07 @ 8:17 AM EST
The link for the petition does not work. Please find the right one!
Any Student
posted 4/25/07 @ 10:28 AM EST
SG should be facilitating debate, not spreading fear and lies. AI will not make people stop cooperating. There are 15000 undergrads here--the effect on one's own AI of another person's gain is negligible. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 4/25/07 @ 11:55 AM EST
Here's the link. Hope it works:
www.petitiononline.com/uncai
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