Hello Class of 2018,

Please consider signing this if you’ve felt that the final exam for PT was unfair and would like partial credit given for “Select all that apply” questions. A lot of people feel that this exam was unfair, and if enough people sign it, we can present to Dr. Mounce and/or the Office of the Dean on why we feel this way and respectfully request that we receive partial credit on this exam.

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Since the second and final exam of PT: PHRD 419, many of us felt that the exam was very unfair based on how it was graded, as well as with the types of questions on the exam. In the first exam of this module, we were given 5 “Select all that apply” questions, with the professors telling us beforehand that partial credit would be given for correct answers. On the second and final exam of the same exact module/course, there was a huge increase to 13 “Select all that apply” questions on this exam, and although 5 questions were taken out from the exam, it was much more difficult to gain points, since these questions were not given partial credit. Not only is this inconsistent in how exams within the same course/module are graded, it is very unfair to students since we are still very new to these types of questions. The material tested on the exam had a lot of questions that were more fitting in a biochem/immunology course instead of a PT course, and less so about patient care of first line/second line therapy for disease states like what we are normally tested on in PT exams. Combined, this culminated in a drop in average exam score to 70% from 80% on the first exam, even after questions were thrown out. Consequently, many people failed the exam, with people who were doing well on exams suddenly found themselves dropping between 10-30 points on this one.

We would like to get an estimate of how many people feel the same way about this exam, and if willing, an optional input on why they personally thought it was unfair, as many have been discussing this exam with much depth. We would like to respectfully present these reasons and a count of how many people feel this way about the exam to Dr. Mounce, the course coordinator, Dr. Culhane, Dr. Vitali, and if necessary, to the Office of the Dean, who will listen to our voices if we have enough people who feel the same way. If enough people sign this, Dr. Mounce, the chairs, and/or the Dean’s Office will take a good look at this exam again, and consider giving us partial credit for the “Select all that apply” questions, which will benefit everyone as grades can only go up, not down. There are many people who have failed the exam in question, and quite a few people were not able to pass the module because of this. A strong support and positive outcome will largely benefit the entire class, and people who are on the edge and greatly affected by this will be able to continue on with courses with the rest of our class. We ask that if you feel the same way about the exam in any way mentioned or at least know someone who is struggling because of this, please consider signing your name, which will really help support those who are largely affected by this.

Thank You