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Dr. Richard Watson, a professor at the University of Georgia professor, has enacted what he calls “stress reduction policy.” The purpose of Watson’s policy is to allow students to “choose their own grades in hopes of soothing those who feel unduly stressed by their earned ones. ”
Professor Watson, who is teaching two business courses in the fall, has introduced the policy because he believes that the emotional reactions to the stressful situations of college scan have consequences for all involved.
According to Watson’s syllabi, students can “email the instructor indicating what grade the student think is appropriate.”
Campus Reform
via Campus Reform:
If students feel “unduly stressed by a grade for any assessable material or the overall course,” they can “email the instructor indicating what grade [they] think is appropriate, and it will be so changed” with “no explanation” being required.
“If in a group meeting, you feel stressed by your group’s dynamics, you should leave the meeting immediately and need offer no explanation to the group members,” the policy adds, saying such students can “discontinue all further group work” with their remaining grade being “based totally on non-group work.”
Similarly, when it comes to “tests and exams” for Watson’s “Data Management” and “Energy Informatics” courses, all will be “open book and open notes” and “designed to assess low level mastery of the course material.”
Finally, for in-class presentations, Watson will allow “only positive comments” to be made, while “comments designed to improve future presentations will be communicated by email.
Watson is a Regents Professor at the University of Georgia. A Regents Professor is a title bestowed by the Board of Regents on “distinguished” faculty.
