ERIC Number: ED187377
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1980
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Fairness: Subjectivity or the Computer, a Faculty Member's Dilemma.
Edwards, Nancy
Trying to be fair to all students is one of the most difficult professional responsibilities of the community college professor. Yet it is especially important as the community college, more than any other segment of public higher education, must adhere to the goals of universal access and equal opportunity. Furthermore, students' conceptions of the community college experience may be their first or only model of American higher education--the significance of their experiences must not be underestimated. However, fairness is a philosophically difficult objective. A professor may, for example, choose a computer-graded examination for a Shakespeare course in order to avoid the subjectivity involved in grading term papers. By doing so, though, the instructor is penalizing students who prefer to write. Also, when making allowances for students' unforeseen personal problems, the professor faces the difficulty of disassociating her/himself from the rigid academia which he/she experienced. The instructor must remember that today's community college student is more likely to have a job, live at home, and have family responsibilities--is therefore more likely to encounter problems that will affect his/her academic performance. Still, the professor must decide if granting special privileges because of personal problems is unfair to students without such problems. (JP)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A