Monday, April 26, 2010

LSU = Lots of Slacker Undergraduates

The sad story, from Inside Higher Ed, of a professor pulled from an introductory biology class at LSU in mid-semester due to student complaints about tough grading.

Perhaps even more astounding than the decision itself is the fact that the administration did not cover its a** by going through a legalistic process. It seems that they never talked to the professor before pulling her from the class, nor did they ever attend the class or provide some sort of written critique for her to respond to or even hold a hearing. That is lawsuit-baiting level incompetence on the part of LSU's administration.

The sad fact of the matter is that students who work really hard get more out of their expensive university experience than those who do not. Part of the job of the faculty, and of the university more broadly, is to provide an institutional structure replete with incentives for that sort of hard work.

Hat tip: Jessica Goldberg

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