I am very tempted to snitch tweet a particular UGA department, widely known as a “weed out” course for premed majors. I cannot count the hours I have spent listening to frustrated/angry students describe the disconnect between course instruction and exams. #iykyk https://twitter.com/astrotoya/status/1292846446195212289

This is blowing up a bit so I want to say, based on 23 years as a faculty member and MANY similar conversations over the years with SMART students who do well in other science and math classes... my criticism is about the disconnect between instruction and assessment.

The problem isn't that the science is hard. It IS hard, but not impossible. The problem is the apparent pride held, by some in that dept, about how hard it is to pass their courses. If the majority of students report no link between class/lab and test, that's on the instructor.

It smacks of intellectual elitism, and especially since this course is a gateway into so many science / medically oriented careers, it holds tremendous power. Students should KNOW why they got a low grade on an exam, and should not be blindsided if they did the work.

I will also add, many of today's students are unaccustomed to getting any grade other than an A. That's its own issue, and a B or a C is not a "failure." I don't have a problem with real grade curves. As long as the exam is based on what was taught in the class.

But this particular course, at our institution, has caused deep pain and tears over the years, disproportionate to its difficulty. I've seen students neglect other courses to over-work on this topic. That is bad across the board.