Grade Distribution Transparency: Virtue or Vice ?

Published: Oct. 20, 2009, 11 p.m.

A number of websites (such as myedu.com and koofers.com) are springing up that provide a variety of new services to students such as publicizing a professor’s grade distribution data so as to increase the likelihood of a higher GPA. But both professors and students disagree about whether such sites do more harm than good. In this show, Karen Holst, vice president of marketing and business development of myedu.com (formerly pick-a-prof.com), discusses how such services help students. Also joining Karen will be Jason Nichol, President of the Student Government Association at Central Michigan University (CMU). The SGA at CMU has pushed the university to make such reports available to students. Nick and Mike, students and members of the EthicsTalk crew, discuss the risks versus rewards regarding grade transparency in this show in addition to how technology is changing higher education, for better and for worse.