“A professor at the University of Georgia has adopted a policy that puts a premium on stress reduction. Hoping to avoid the ‘profound consequences’ of stressful situations, he has set out a policy that includes all tests being open-book, and designed to be completed in half the time allowed. Those exams will be designed to assess a ‘low level mastery of the course material.’ If students are unduly stressed by a grade, they may contact the instructor and indicated the grade the student considers ‘appropriate, and it will be changed.’
There are more provisions in the policy, to prevent those profound consequences of stress, including only positive comments made in class about presentations. The professor acknowledges that the policy ‘might hinder the development of group skills and mastery of the class material,’ but ‘ultimately these are your responsibility.’
How did Chesterton put it? ‘Standardization by a low standard.’”
(Mark Pilon,
Gilbert Magazine)
