"By not adjusting their grading policies, STEM programs ultimately hurt..the economy"

[sakky]

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Of course I’m not saying that students should be expected to have perfect information when making decisions. Perfect information usually has a finite value, and spending more than that value to get it generally doesn’t make sense. However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t call a mistake a mistake. Deciding to stick it out in class the student fails in is a mistake. People make mistakes. If you take risks, you run the risk of having one backfire. That’s the nature of risk.

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<p>Then let’s not call it ‘risk-taking’, but rather ‘experimentation’. People should be allowed to experiment with different majors without penalty. Why not? I’m allowed to go to the Apple Store and experiment with the Iphone. I can then go to the Verizon Store and experiment with the Nexus Galaxy. Is that wrong? </p>

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Your solution makes risk-taking impossible. There’s no risk where there are no negative consequences

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<p>Actually, there still are risks. You risk losing your time, and hence tuition money. That time could obviously have been better spent pursuing a major in which you would have succeeded. </p>

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Of course I’m not saying that students should be expected to have perfect information when making decisions. Perfect information usually has a finite value, and spending more than that value to get it generally doesn’t make sense. However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t call a mistake a mistake. Deciding to stick it out in class the student fails in is a mistake.

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<p>That’s a mistake that they’ve paid for. They’re already forfeited a bunch of their time. Just like if I try out for the Celtics and fail miserably, I’ve basically lost an entire day, along with perhaps some of my personal pride. </p>

<p>But what you’re asking people to do is to always know where they stand relative to other students in the class, and if they don’t (and fail), then their academic record should be damaged forever. Come on, have a heart. Even personal bankruptcies - a far more egregious outcome than merely failing a class - are expunged from your credit record after 7 years as a matter of law. But a failed course stays on your academic record for life. </p>

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Of course that doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t mean that we should hope other schools follow suit, much less argue that they should.

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<p>Then I’ll go on the record and say that indeed, I think that every engineering school should follow suit.</p>