Most faculty hate the end of the semester, when students start asking them if they could come in and “discuss” their grades. We all know this usually means “Can you give me a better grade?” Many faculty will flat out say that they “Don't negotiate”. Others add bolded, underlined, red statements in their syllabi in order to set expectations about grade changes. With that said, we know that students today are being brought up in a world where everything is negotiable, some cultures encourage it, and it doesn't hurt to ask. I’ve found that using some best practices from the business industry, help me get through these difficult situations. In its most simple form, a negotiation is a bargain, where both parties take a side, sometimes meet in the middle, and usually leave the table frustrated. Bargaining in a class means that a student does C level work, but asks for an A. You get frustrated, and to agree to give them a B just to get them out of your office. But it doesn...
The Teaching and Learning Center empowers and engages the instructional community in the School of Life Sciences. We work hand in hand with faculty to design outstanding student-centered learning through inclusive pedagogy, evidence-based practices, data-driven decisions and digital innovation.