It has been over 2 months since the first exam and over a month since the second we have still not gotten grades back for these and only know what our homework and quiz grades are which are only worth 20% combined while each exam is worth 20% of the overall grade. We have tried to ask the professor and they say they will grade them but they still have not. We have just taken our third exam and the final is next week. Is there anything that can be done if we do not do well on our grades at the end since we did not know where we stood the entire semester is there something I can do.
Ugh, that’s tough. I had a professor like that. He was an excellent teacher, but for some reason he just couldn’t get tests graded. We joked that he probably threw the tests down a flight of stairs and graded them based on where they landed! I ended up with an A in the course, but I never did find out any of my individual grades!
How do the other students in the class feel about this? Last April of posted about complaining to the dean regarding another professor. It may be best to have another student make the complaint.
Those that i have talked to are very upset but the problem is the dean of the department is helping the professor catch up on the grading so that means they already know about it. Which makes us wonder if they will be helpful and if not who do we got to next.
If the Dean is involved already, then there is probably a personal issue with the professor, and it is probably being addressed. I would send an email to the Dean just to let them know that you do care about your grades, but escalating it at this point is probably not in your best interest. Deans don’t generally help faculty with grades unless there is something unusual going on.
Write a bad evaluation, that’s about all you can do.
It’s an unfortunate fact of life. One of the professors who was supposed to write D a recommendation for an REU never wrote it. His wife was seriously ill and he was really checked out. The following year he said hello to her and asked what she did last summer. It was clear that he totally forgot and she didn’t think it would be kind to bring it up. She got the REU with 1 rec anyway, but it’s important to remember that professors have real lives and a sick child or a sick spouse or a death in the family, or whatever the many things that happen to folks to take their mind away from their work happens.
What do people think about asking the Dean if there was something personal going on with the professor and if he would appreciate an appropriate get_well or sympathy card from the class? This may at least give you some information (along with maybe some kindness from the Dean who is after all helping with the grading).
I would thank the Dean for helping to resolve the situation, without saying anything mean, and would not ask anything personal about the professor. If enjoyed the lecture discussions I would tell the Dean that. Say something good or nothing at this point. It is apparently ongoing and serious.
^^^We usually agree but I don’t think I’d say anything to the dean if the OP did not speak to him/her about the problem personally. Put it all in the end of year evaluation – that way it is confidential.
^^ @happy1 — We do agree. I missed the point that the OP didn’t speak to the dean about the problem personally. Say nothing and put it in the evaluation. But I would just state facts even in the evaluation, since you never know what people are going through.
The fact that the dean involved with grading papers means that there’s something going on with the prof. This is completely out of the norm.
Put it in eval. Study for the final like you’ve bombed the first exams and need this one to salvage your grade.
The right thing after talking to the professor would be to talk to Dept Head or Dean. You don’t know if they are having a personal problem or not, but still you need stuff graded in a timely manner. Glad Dean is helping out.