Grading change at Manoa on way
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
A new University of Hawai'i-Manoa grading system that is opposed by the student government will be implemented in the fall semester on the Manoa campus.
The change will expand on the usual A, B, C, D and F grades with A+, A- and so on, bringing the "plus and minus" system to Manoa for the first time.
While UH administrators feel it offers a more accurate picture of a student's work, and is in place at 80 percent of the nation's top 100 campuses, students worry that the nuances will serve to lower grade-point averages and create unnecessary competition between students.
"Our Senate was initially going to pass a resolution in favor, but we ended up doing a survey on campus, and 71 percent of the 330 surveyed said, 'We don't want this,' " said Michael Dahilig, president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i.
"We're worried about consistency in multiple sections of a class, with some students graded under whole grades and some under plus and minus," said Dahilig. "It's an option for professors to still elect to give whole grades. And is there going to be recourse if you have two sections and one person gets a B and one gets a B+ for the same percentage?"
Those kinds of inconsistencies already exist, said Karl Kim, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs at Manoa, who appeared at the ASUH meeting this week to answer student questions.
With several professors teaching different sections of the same course, there are always discrepancies in the way each may grade, he said. But students may always refer concerns to his office, Kim said.
The move to make the grading change began in the UH Faculty Senate more than a year ago, with that body doing a study and overview and eventually recommending that the Manoa campus adopt the system. Since then, the administration has been consulting with student and faculty groups, deans and directors.
"It's a change, a big change," Kim said, "and we believe it will improve the learning environment. Students will know more precisely where they stand and how they're doing, and that's the spirit of why we've done this."
While the plus-minus system will be new to the Manoa campus, it is already used at UH-Hilo.
Students approached at random for their reaction to the change did not reflect the major opposition found by the ASUH survey.
"It's more accurate, but at the same time it doesn't change (your grade) that much," said Karen Lee, a 22-year-old senior in architecture who won't be affected by the changes. "Over the long range, it will balance out."
"I don't think I'd personally have a problem with it," said Wendy Meguro, a 22-year-old senior in architecture graduating in May. "There are times when you make the grade and sometimes you're happy the minus didn't show. But overall, it should even out."
One concern Meguro has is potential imprecision in grading between sections, where one professor could give a B to a student with 88 percent and another could give a B- to a different student with 88 percent.
"Maybe you should have teachers who are teaching the same class decide on the same grading scale," she suggested.
Kellie Pesola, a 20-year-old sophomore who transferred to UH this semester from Northern Michigan University, said she was surprised UH did not have such a grading system in place already.
"That's what I had at my old school," Pesola said. "But I think it would be an OK idea if they grandfathered the people who started with the whole-grade system. Sometimes a B, if it goes to a B-, looks like you're going down in the subject (though a student may get the same percentage as before)."
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
