Grade inflation is an obvious trend, but some grades are more inflated than others.
Though there are no official policies on grade distribution at Dartmouth, an analysis of departmental grading reveals that grade inflation has not risen all boats equally: there are significant differences between departments.
The average median grade in Dartmouth's music department over the last eight terms is a 3.75, whereas that of the biology department is .52 grade points lower -- at 3.23.
Make you think twice about which elective to take next term?
In Dartmouth of old such inter-departmental disparities did not exist. From 1960 to 1970 the department giving out the lowest average GPA varied widely from year to year (see graph "Ancient History"). While biology gave the lowest grades in the 1960-61 year, in 1967-68 it was the music department that took the lead for most difficult grading.
Not so today. Though available data spans only the past eight terms, analysis shows that department ranking by average median grade holds constant over time (see graph "Recent History"). That is, you can bet on high median grades in comparative literature year after year.
Though there are some surprises in the recent data -- the average medians in psychology and sociology are not as high as folklore might suggest -- the actual numbers from the last eight terms fall essentially as students expect.
In general, the hard sciences, engineering, and economics are the most difficult graders. Meanwhile, humanities, social sciences, and language courses grade more leniently.
College officials say there are several factors at work in creating such regular discrepancies between departments. By far the most likely seems to be unofficial department policies, or the lack thereof.
In biology, for example, the department talks openly and regularly about grading. "We talk about where the department feels it is important to maintain the median grade," department chair Mark McPeek said. Although this policy is not enforced per se, it seems to have an effect.
McPeek said the department tries to make sure that students who excel are rewarded by being clearly distinguished in terms of grades. Biology medians are still inflated by historic standards, but less so than almost any other department at Dartmouth.
The department with the fourth lowest average median grade, chemistry, also has departmental discussion about where to set medians. Department chair Dean Wilcox said that while grading is "entirely up to the discretion of the instructor," the chemistry department "prides itself in having one of the lowest GPAs on campus."
Economics, with the fifth lowest average median grade, also has norms for grading within the department, said department chair William Fischel.
With relatively low average median grades, government has "an unspoken and sometimes spoken understanding about the usual array of grades within the department," department chair Dick Winters said.
Those with higher average median grades such as history and sociology lack even unofficial grading policies. Though all departments mention the ultimate power of the individual instructor in assigning grades, history and sociology chairs emphasize this far more than any departmental standard.
History chair Mary Kelley said department grading standards are "not even discussed," and have not been for at least two years.
Sociology chair John Campbell said any discussion in his department has been inconclusive and that if there is a larger standard for sociology instructors it is to try and be consistent with Dartmouth student and faculty expectations, as well as with other colleges and the social sciences in general.
Provost Barry Scherr suggests class size is another possible explanation for differing grades between classes. Grades in large courses tend to be lower, he said.
Assistant Dean of Faculty Jane Carroll concurred. "When we did look at the numbers it was very clear that GPA correlated with class size," she said.
However, analysis of the numbers from the fall of 2001 shows a relatively weak correlation. Only 16 percent of the variation in median grades is explained by class size.
In any case, whether or not this really explains departmental discrepancies is up for grabs. English offers large classes like biology and yet has a higher average median grade by .26.
Todd Yezefski '04 gave another explanation for departmental differences -- that subjects like engineering are simply "tougher," requiring "more time and more difficult work."
Though it may be the case today that professors in engineering give out lower grades on average, the data from the 1960s shows that there is nothing inherently more difficult about subjects such as biology, engineering or economics. In 1967-68 biology was the 11th most stringently graded department -- not even close to the first.
If the differing grades have anything to do with the subjects themselves, it is in "selection bias," said economics chair William Fischel. He said economics courses require an unusual mix of background knowledge in history, government and math -- meaning that the material is often out of sync with student expectations.
That the drop rate in economics classes is three or four times higher than in any other department, according to Fischel, indicates that the students who remain in courses are above average. As a result, the students getting the worst grades will opt for a "withdrawal" on their transcript.
Opinions differ as to whether or not these departmental grading discrepancies will have repercussions for students trying to get jobs or apply for scholarships and graduate school.
For a consulting job, points out Emily Miller '04, there may be a cutoff point in GPA below which employers throw out rsums. In that case, students might stand a better chance as music majors.
On the other hand, Yezefski '04 said differences between department grading policies do not "really put anyone at a disadvantage because it is probably true at other colleges too."
Though students do not seem to think these grade statistics will affect their choice of classes, the discrepancies between department median grades were seen as unfair by six out of eight students asked.
Marla Yazzie '02 said, "I don't think anything is really fair here at Dartmouth. And this is just adding to the pile."
