Grade inflation : a crisis in college education /

Grade Inflation: A Crisis in College Education is the result of research the author conducted when he was at Duke University. The data were collected from a Web survey on grades and student evaluations of instruction. The conclusions reached were that higher grades do not reflect higher levels of student leaning; student evaluations of instruction are affected by the faculty's grading practices; grading practices affect enrollment patterns, i.e., higher in humanities and lower in sciences. The effects of those results have negative consequences not only for colleges but for society. The research findings indicate for Johnson that "[a] crisis exists," and to "right the boat" two things must happen: "More principled student grading practices must be adopted, and faculty assessment must be more closely linked to student achievement." To realize those goals, the author makes several innovative and provocative suggestions: the use of adjusted GPAs for student transcripts and honors, as well as excluding student evaluations of their instructors. This research should be the focus for faculty, students, and others to begin public discourse on the unintended consequences of grading. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers and upper-division undergraduates and above. J. F. Biter formerly, St. Bonaventure University