Grading systems at the University of Wyoming are far from uniform — the University has one policy, individual colleges often have another and individual professors have their own grading discretion.
There are as many opinions on grading as their are different grading systems. Some feel it should be standardized across the University, others feel colleges and professors should have the leeway to implement their own policies. One system that consistently riles up debate is the plus/minus grading system.
UW implemented the plus/minus grading system, where standard letter grades are further separated and weighted by plus or minus, as a general guideline for grading throughout all colleges and departments. Colleges, departments and professors can usually choose their own policies for grading. The College of Arts and Sciences, for example, suggests not using the plus/minus system.
“If you allow an A+ and give more points for an A+, what you’re basically doing is starting students off at a disadvantage,” said Narina Nunez, chair and professor for the Department of Psychology, since the finish line for 4 points toward a student’s GPA moves up from 90 percent to 97 percent.
Nunez said that the system does more to hurt students when it comes to a student’s GPA. For example, if a student wanted to transfer departments and needed a cumulative 3.0 GPA, something a B- will pull their GPA down while a regular B would not.
“It just opens up a whole can of worms,” said Nunez.
Faculty Senate voted last year to end the plus/minus grading system, and the Board of Trustees will discuss a potential administration-level change to grading at its May meeting. ASUW’s stance on grading systems is to advocate for consistency, affirmed in a resolution passed two years ago.
“Consistent grading systems will reduce confusion about grades and provide greater equality to students between classes,” current ASUW President Alex Mulhall said.
Not all professors oppose plus/minus grading. Computer science professor Ruben Gamboa said that the plus/minus system benefits students since it better differentiates student work.
“It does kinda help to be able to say this may not be A work, but it’s better than B work, or as otherwise, you can’t say that,” said Gamboa.
The Department of Computer Science allows their professors to choose their own grading policy, much like the College of Arts and Sciences. Gamboa said that professors should be able to choose their own policies.
Nunez disagrees, and said professors choosing their own grading policies is “a little bit crazy because then the students have different criteria in different classes.”
The college allowing professors to make their own policies, said said, was probably a compromise because many of the professors did not want to follow the plus/minus grading system.
Students also have opinions about this grading system. Sophomore Michael Stolte said the plus/minus system helps students because it sets different goals for them. For example, if a student is going to get a D, they can improve their GPA by trying for a D+.
Having multiple grading systems between professors is a lot to take on, Stolte acknowledged, especially if every teacher has a different one.
“It’s kind of annoying,” said Stolte. “Every single teacher has a different cutoff point and it’s hard to keep track of.”
Stolte concluded that the grading system that worked best for him was when professors use the plus/minus but set the percentage cutoff point lower so that it gave students better opportunities to have a higher grade to reflect positively on their GPA.
Plus/minus grading is not the only system the University has had. Some classes are graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. The College of Arts and Sciences used to have a system called the Grading Differential, Nunez said, that allowed professors to view how their grading on students was compared to other professors. That way they could alter their grading policies to best benefit the students.
Whether students are for or against the plus/minus system, students may review the policies for the University at Uwyo.edu/registrar/university_catalog/grade.html as well as staying updated on their professor’s grading policies.
