<p>
[quote]
Many students have their last final exam and leave town well before professors have finished grading their exams.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is of course possible, but I note that the original poster indicated that she was meeting with the Dean later this week. It seems more likely to me that she's local. (Yes, I realize it's possible she might be flying in to meet the Dean, etc.)</p>
<p>I'm suspicious, not that OP altered her answers, but if someone else did when the bluebooks were left unsupervised.</p>
<p>Only once did I accuse a student of plagorism. It was a pain, but so obvious that to not do so would jeopardized my position.</p>
<p>Rereading the OP's post, I was struck by the following sentence from the last paragraph:</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm hoping that my professor did not fabricate a false exam (and then make copies of this exam) just so he can cover his tail. I know this seems far-fetched, but I've heard of this being done before.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't know why this remark escaped me earlier, but I find this possibility truly bizarre. </p>
<p>As marite points out, professors are not gods, they are human and do make mistakes in grading, and it is accepted practice to recheck the grading of an exam in response to student request, filing a grade change if necessary with the registrar. I've never heard of a professor getting in trouble for correcting a grading mistake he made--why would he need to "cover his tail" by fabricating a fake altered exam?</p>
<p>I suppose anything is possible (some professors are mentally ill or criminals--a Penn professor was charged with faking a burglary and killing his wife last year), but such instances are truly bizarre and unusual.</p>
<p>Profs do not get in trouble for correcting an occasional clerical error in grading--but they would get in major trouble if they were discovered fabricating evidence against a student. Unless the professor is irrational, such an action makes no sense at all.</p>
<p>Sorry I am interested in taking this student at his word in order to address his problem. I would strongly suggest hiring an attorney fast!
As to why the teacher would do such a thing the answer is simple- some people are crazy. This is a serious charge and no innocent person deserves to be destroyed by someone wearing the robes of authority! I suggest we treat this as authentic instead of attacking this student's credibility further. The issue of being victimized as a student is an excellent point to explore. Does one hide under a rug or fight in the face of serious accusations by power hungry union or tenured PC profs. Look what happened at DUKE! Remember those posters of the lacrosse players? Those profs should be fired one by one!</p>
<p>duke sucks. that scandal was so race driven. back then, white people were always right, and blacks had to submit. nowadays, blacks' protest HAS to be heard, Asian-Americans get ignored, and people are so easily swayed by media and "popular" opinion. Too bad no one has their own. In America, you got the freedom to choose, but there is only one choice sometimes...</p>
<p>To reply to the OP, I feel sorry for you, but I understand why there is hostility against you. I SAW a classmate CHEAT, but I did not expose in class in front of everyone (I should have) I did write the prof a note, but I was the sole eye-witness and nothing was done, I was very frustrated. I think way too many people cheat and get away, but those who get caught, get torched. Very extreme...</p>
<p>The professor had already graded the exams. I recieved my final grade in the course. Because I studied extremely hard for the final, I was shocked that I got a 73, so I asked the professor if he could review the exam, make comments, and then mail it to me. I emailed him in mid-May. </p>
<p>Apparently, when he reviewed the exam, he probably saw that I got a higher grade. And that's why he reported me to the Honor council. I do live near the city of my college. However, I didn't even know where the exams where located because the professor never gave it back to us nor did he ever tell us the location of the exams. I just found out about the location when I emailed my instructor asking for more information about these allegations. </p>
<p>Additionally, since June 2, I have been gone on a summer program in Florida. I just came back from the program last week. I had my whole summer mapped out--I made plans of visiting my sister in Pennsylvania, going to California, and simply chilling out. Now, I have to cancel all my plans and worry about hiring a lawyer.</p>
<p>According to the email I recieved from the Dean, I am accussed of making changes to an exam being submitted for a regrade. What I am wondering is why it would take so long for the professor to make these allegations? I emailed him in May asking for my exam, and I didn't hear back from him until early this week. Why did it take so long?</p>
<p>1coolnerd:
We need some more details. When was the exam held? When did you find out about your grade? Often, graded exams are made available before the grades are entered into students' records by the registrar. For example, a prof may make the exams available on the same day that s/he sends the grade sheet to the registrar, and it will take a couple of days for the grades to be entered.</p>
<p>From your post, it appears that you did not pick up your exam. Is that right? Does it mean that the prof took the exam from the pile in the hallway and had another look? Or did you go and pick up your exam and brought it to the prof? When did that take place? </p>
<p>Knowing more about these questions would enable you to better address the issue of opportunity to alter a graded exam.</p>
<p>As for not hearing until recently, there may be various explanations, including the prof sitting on the decision, the Honors Council meeting infrequently, taking its time to review the materials submitted by the prof, etc....</p>
<p>When you say "when he reviewed the exam, he probably saw that I got a higher grade." I'm assuming that you mean he saw that you deserved a higher grade rather than "he saw" unless the grade had been altered? Did the prof grade all exams or was a TA involved?</p>
<p>For the lawyer, you probably need a consultation that may last an hour or two. It is unlikely that the lawyer would be allowed to be present when you appear before the Honors Council, but it is a good idea to consult someone versed in this type of proceedings.</p>
<p>The exam was held in late April. I didn't get the grade until May 11 or 12. I didn't pick up my exam. I haven't seen my exam until April when I took it. A TA graded the exams.</p>
<p>How did you learn you had received a 73 on the exam?</p>
<p>1coolnerd:
My question had to do with when you picked up your bluebooks after the exam was held--if at all.</p>
<p>If a TA was involved, it complicates matters. It is possible that the prof asked to see the exam; then the TA tried to cover a grading mistake by suggesting that the earlier grade was correct but that you had altered the exam after it was graded so that you could be given a higher grade. Thus, it is not an issue between you and the prof alone, but you, the TA and the prof.
The prof seems to be going by what the TA is telling him (just as we are going by what you are telling us). </p>
<p>It also seems that it was the TA who left the exams in the hallway (i strongly suspected so).
Do you happen to know which TA graded your exam?</p>
<p>I learned that I got a 73 because our exam grades are posted on an online system, similiar to Blackboard. I never picked up my bluebook. I've never seen my exam since I took it in April.</p>
<p>So, you are saying the TA graded the exam, then your prof looked at it as you requested because you thought you did better than a 73 (the grade the TA gave?), and the prof saw you deserved a higher grade because the TA graded some questions wrong (although, the prof suspects, instead, that somehow you altered the exam later, and that (in the prof's opinion) is why you got higher than a 73--not because the TA graded the exam wrong)? When did you leave campus and return home?</p>
<p>The prof and the TA both looked at the exams during the re-grading. The TA orginally graded them. Yes, bluealien01, that's exactly what I'm saying. </p>
<p>I left campus the day I got my grades. But my house is located near my college city, so that argument won't help. I never knew where the exams were located because the TA/the professor never told us.</p>
<p>I just spoke with the Dean. The evidence that the professor and the TA have is extremely weak. They did not even make copies of the exam. I hope that I get acquitted because I'm innocent.</p>
<p>What are they saying you actually did and when are they saying you did it?</p>
<p>Hmm--so the TA read the test and gave it a 73. On the re-grade, the TA AND the prof re-read it and obviously the grade must have been significantly higher. </p>
<p>So, either the TA screwed up on the grading in the first place or you "MUST HAVE" changed the exam between the first read and the second read. Doesn't sound like the TA is willing to admit that he or she could have made a mistake...so you're getting brought up before the honors council. </p>
<p>I agree with an earlier poster (was it Marite?) that profs have to be more security conscious when it comes to their tests and testing procedures--not just to protect the system from cheaters, but to protect honest kids who could be put in the unenviable position of trying to prove that they DIDN'T cheat.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I learned that I got a 73 because our exam grades are posted on an online system, similiar to Blackboard.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The problem is that the first instinct of most students who received an unexpectedly poor mark on an exam would be to review the exam themself. And the vast majority of college students (except possibly for first semester freshman) know that a lot of profs leave the bluebooks outside their door.</p>
<p>So your claim that you never looked at your bluebooks or even knew where they were is inherently suspicious. If the bluebooks appear to have been altered that makes things even more suspicious.</p>
<p>JMHO.</p>
<p>I too believe that professors should monitor graded exams, and I also believe that they should make copies of exams. That is only fair.</p>
<p>Not only do I think that the burden of proof is on the professor, I also believe that you should be assumed to be innocent based upon their disregard of basic security. If they were so worried about safeguarding their exam grades, they shouldn't have left them in the hallway. Maybe the TA is the one who should have his head on the chopping block.</p>
<p>From my experience, TA's make plenty of errors. They are busy, they are rushed and they make mistakes. Grading your exam is the least of his worries. It's water under the bridge now, but you might have had better luck to ask the TA for the re-grade rather than the prof because now the TA is in a defensive position. In the hierarchy of complaint resolution, you probably skipped over the first step.</p>
<p>It's been a while since I was in college...do most professors leave it to their TAs to grade the final exams? Or does it depend on your major?</p>