Has grade inflation hit Luther?

Many professors are examining their grading methods as Luther undergoes discussion about grade inflation, following a nationwide trend in addressing this concern. Dean Craft created a grade inflation study group in January to collect data and examine grading.

Since 1985, the average GPA at Luther has risen from 3.1 to 3.3, and Luther isn’t the only school that has seen a rise in high grades over recent years. Nationwide, the average GPA at public and private universities has risen as well.

Professor of political science John Moeller noted how his grading has changed over the past few decades.

“In the 1980’s, there were so many more Cs in my grade book than there are now,” Moeller said.

While some may not see the harm in distributing more As, many professors and administrators feel that rigorous studying is an important part of the academic environment and is being lost through easily-earned As. Visiting Instructor in political science Jason Stonerook says professors should be more stringent with high grades.

“In a perfect world, students would have the intrinsic motivation, but often the mindset is that you study enough to get the best grade possible,” Stonerook said. “If As and Bs are easier to get, students don’t graduate with as quality of a learning experience.”

Moeller agrees.

“Too many of our students don’t excel because they get good grades too easily,” he said. “The only way people get really good is if they practice and they’re pushed hard.”

Stonerook thinks that perhaps inflated grades aren’t the real problem.

“Maybe it’s not a problem that grades are inflated, but that there are different expectations all over campus,” Stonerook said. “There should be a consistency in the approach.”

Chuck Christianson, professor of accounting and management, pointed out that it’s hard to create a uniform plan to increase rigor across the disciplines.

“Any discipline is unique,” Christianson said. “Work that goes on in one area is different from another.”

Christiansen believes departments must work amongst themselves to discuss what is happening within their discipline and how they are assessing work.

“It’s difficult to determine what the next step in the conversation will be,” Moeller said.

The committee will make a presentation at an upcoming Regents meeting.

“Different colleges have dealt with this in different ways, such as putting a ceiling on grades,” Moeller said.

However, Moeller also pointed out that it’s difficult to stop inflation.

“People are applying to graduate schools, and our students would look like they weren’t very strong if our grading suddenly changed,” Moeller said.

Christianson doesn’t believe the conversation will necessarily lead to instant change.

“I think it’s a healthy discussion to have,” Christianson said. “Just because we have these conversations doesn’t mean grades are going to change overnight.”

According to Moeller, inflation is not a new problem.

“This is not the first time we’ve talked about inflation at Luther,” Moeller said. “It’s been on the table off and on.”

Stonerook agrees.

“It’s something that’s been happening for the past 20-30 years,” Stonerook said.

While the recent conversations have only just begun, professors see the discussions as a good way to evaluate their teaching.

“In my estimation, if we think excellence is important, students will be able to excel and produce really great work if we have higher standards,” Moeller said.

Whether these conversations will lead to changes in grading has yet to be seen, but with the increased attention to inflation across the nation, it is an issue that will likely spark continued debate.