Asking professor to change grade, or official ways?

[maca123]

I got a really bad grade due to a bad final and it's already on my transcript, although the professor agree to review the final, I don't see the possibility to get things better. 

The fact is that I spent extraordinary effort and got 100% on all projects, he's final weights 40% and that destroyed everything. 

Also, it's his first time teaching this class, using a very tough way (A computer science related class but all we do was to memorize every verbal concept.)

I'm a graduate student and his grade ruined everything. I don't know if contacting school will help in this situation. That might make him unhappy but things probably won't get worse.. 

There could be some fact I haven't mention but is useful for helping me. You're welcome to ask. Please help.

[mbfox125]

What exactly did this grade ruin? Is your funding at stake or your ability to complete? 

[maca123]

First-time low gpa will result in a warning and probation, and I'll also have to retake the class and postpone the graduation date. Not the end of the world, but bad enough.

Edited March 26, 2016 by maca123

[TakeruK]

I think the first thing to do is to talk to the professor. You should frame this carefully. You should ask to speak to the professor about your grade and explain that you don't think the final grade reflects your ability and ask if you can meet to discuss this. During this discussion, it would be a good time to ask if there is something you could do to change the grade.

But remember, ultimately, the professor should have the final say in how the course is graded and you have to recognize that your performance on the final exam is your responsibility. In this post, you say a lot of things that place the blame on others. For example, you say that you don't think the professor taught the class in a good way. And you say that this grade ruins everything (I'm not sure what this even means). It also sounds like you don't think the final should have been weighted at 40%. You should make sure you do not say any of these things in the discussion. You should also stop thinking about this grade/outcome in this way. Otherwise, to me, you sound like you are entitled to a good grade because of your project performance and that will not help you. The professor didn't "accidentally" weigh the final at 40%---this was a deliberate choice because the professor wanted students to have to do well in both projects and final. I am glad that you got 100% on all your projects, but you also have to do well on your final to get a good grade and you knew this from the start. 

If you keep these ideas in mind (i.e. take responsibility for your performance), maybe the professor will find a way for you to earn extra credit (e.g. maybe allow for another try at the exam or do an extra project etc.). But I doubt a professor will be willing to give you another chance if you sound like you believe they are wrong and that you are entitled to a good grade!

[maca123]

6 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

I think the first thing to do is to talk to the professor. You should frame this carefully. You should ask to speak to the professor about your grade and explain that you don't think the final grade reflects your ability and ask if you can meet to discuss this. During this discussion, it would be a good time to ask if there is something you could do to change the grade.

Thank you so much for all the caveats. The professor did say that I can meet him and I'll make sure I state things positively.

Is asking extra exam/project the only way to talk with the professor? It's a undergraduate class maybe he will have some understanding for graduate student?

But if he's stubborn, is there just nothing I can do?

[mbfox125]

It doesn't sound like you have any basis for a grievance, yes a 40% final can be harsh but it was pretty normal in my undergraduate classes, and if this was an undergraduate class then they expect some people to do poorly, unlike graduate classes where they expect everyone to do well. You did poorly on the test, there is no way around that so I don't see why  the department/school would get involved. 

 

Also since you really weren't treated unfairly trying to go around him with the school/department will likely make you look bad. 

Edited March 26, 2016 by mbfox125

[fuzzylogician]

You need to understand that you are in the wrong and the professor is in the right. No one is going to intervene on your behalf, and going over the professor's head and complaining to the department or higher ups isn't going to do you any good. You are the one who failed the final. 40% is a decent percentage for a final, not something that he is "at fault" for. In fact, with that weight for the final, it should actually be impossible for you to fail the class if you got perfect scores on the first 60% of your grade. Even to get a total of 80% on your final grade you will have to have gotten 50/100 on your final, which you will agree is not a good score. If failing is below 70%, you will have gotten less than 25% on your final. Again, none of this demonstrates anything but your sole responsibility for this outcome. In any event, you could talk to the professor to ask for some extra credit work to bring up your grade, given that you were doing well prior to the final. The professor might be inclined to agree if you accept responsibility and ask for mercy, but certainly not if you blame him. I don't think that saying that you're a graduate student in an undergrad class should make your case any stronger. If anything, I expect more of graduate students than undergrads, not less. You should also stop saying (and thinking) that he owes you something or that he is "ruining everything" for you. There was a published syllabus with a grade breakdown, and the only one who caused your low score is you. 

[maca123]

3 minutes ago, fuzzylogician said:

You need to understand that you are in the wrong and the professor is in the right. No one is going to intervene on your behalf, and going over the professor's head and complaining to the department or higher ups isn't going to do you any good. You are the one who failed the final. 40% is a decent percentage for a final, not something that he is "at fault" for. In fact, with that weight for the final, it should actually be impossible for you to fail the class if you got perfect scores on the first 60% of your grade. Even to get a total of 80% on your final grade you will have to have gotten 50/100 on your final, which you will agree is not a good score. If failing is below 70%, you will have gotten less than 25% on your final. 

There's a midterm weighted a lot and I didn't do 100%. I'm still above 70% in total but that doesn't matter.

Thank you for the reply, I will have better attitude talking with the professor. 

No complaining, no begging, just asking for extra credit? I'll still have to figure out something about the invisible line here.

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, maca123 said:

Is asking extra exam/project the only way to talk with the professor? It's a undergraduate class maybe he will have some understanding for graduate student?

But if he's stubborn, is there just nothing I can do?

 

44 minutes ago, maca123 said:

No complaining, no begging, just asking for extra credit? I'll still have to figure out something about the invisible line here.

Yes, based on what you say here, the professor didn't do anything wrong here. Unless you have a reason to argue that the professor acted unfairly or against the school's policies (again, based on what you say here, this does not sound like the case), there is nothing else you can do except to hope that the professor is kind enough to give you an extra chance. I would also say that you should't think of the professor being "stubborn" because no professor is obligated to give any student, graduate or not, another chance to raise the grade. 

Your best chance is to take responsibility for what happened (you are the one that did poorly on the exam) and show the professor that you are willing to work extra to demonstrate your knowledge and hope the professor is willing to give you another chance. If they say no, then you should accept it and move on. You are better off spending the energy on doing well in other courses or your research. Also, continuing to complain about this (since it's not a case of unfair grading) could hurt you in other ways---it will make you look unprofessional. Sometimes we screw up things and that's okay. It's important to demonstrate that as a graduate student, we can accept failure and move on and work on other things.

[empress-marmot]

12 hours ago, maca123 said:

There's a midterm weighted a lot and I didn't do 100%. I'm still above 70% in total but that doesn't matter.

Thank you for the reply, I will have better attitude talking with the professor. 

No complaining, no begging, just asking for extra credit? I'll still have to figure out something about the invisible line here.

If you honestly think that something caused you to do poorly on that final (maybe you were sick, or maybe you studied the wrong material), you might mention it respectfully to the professor. But he may not be able to give you extra credit, or another chance to take the exam. 

At the university where I teach, giving one student (above all others) extra credit or an extra chance to complete an assignment could get me fired. I can't change an individual student's grade unless I change all of them. 

Your professor might not be "stubborn," as you write above, but just following the rules of your university.