Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Last day of regular classes today. Gave the pre-final grades to all three astronomy classes. After computing their class standing so far with 70% of requirements completed, I told them those who got 60% (the passing grade) had the option of not taking the finals. Nowhere was the word exemption mentioned.

Those who do not take the finals have their grades computed over 70% instead of 100%.

First frequently asked question: why aren’t their bonuses (articles, attendance, early submissions) included?

Bonuses, obviously, are not part of the basic requirements. I did not want them to rely on that for their fundamental grade. This meant that after getting their pre-final grade, their bonuses could only pull that grade up.

Second frequently asked question: if one already has a higher than 60% standing and takes the finals, their grade can only go up, right?

Wrong. Giving them the option of not taking the finals means I believe that their performance will be consistently high. If their pre-final grade is 95% before the finals, this means I assume they’ll get the same percentage in the finals. If they take the finals and do not maintain that average, of course their grade will be pulled down. The only way their grade will go up if they take the finals is in the event that they exceed that expectation.

Third frequently asked question: I got 59%. Can I not take the finals?

No. I’ve had the experience that being lenient with those who got 59% makes those who got 58% complain, and so on. That’s why I have to be strict with that boundary.

What makes this term different from the others when I did this is that because of some other subject that had them reading papers until the last day of the term, a lot of them were absent during class time and are now going to the department to have their pre-final grades computed separately.