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Fairness in the Classroom: Student Perceptions
By Mark Reed, OSU Forestry Media Center

What’s most important to the college students? -Grades, Right?

Wrong, at least to Rita Rodabaugh who directs the Academy of the Art of Teaching at Florida International University. Her one-year survey of more than 300 students that interest in grades is overridden by concerns with fairness.

Survey responders were presented with various teaching scenarios that featured instructors (not identified by gender) engaging in different types of behavior. Students assessed each situation in terms of how they felt about the instructor. For example, would they want to take a class from this person?

Rodabaugh found that students, regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity, perceive fairness as more important those high grades. The only students in her survey, who viewed high grades as an indicator of fairness, were notably those you had cheated or violated other academic codes.

Fairness also turned out to be far more important than teaching style. Instructors depicted in the teaching scenarios as fair graders but boring and uninteresting lectures received higher scores than instructors described as exciting lecturers but unfair graders.

What is Fairness?

One indicator of fairness, according to the students in this survey, is having some say about classroom situations. Instructors in the scenarios who eliminated test questions students found ambiguous or misleading revived higher scores that instructors who did not, even if the latter were described as giving higher than average grades.

Another indicator of fairness was consistency. Instructors described as having consistent course procedures and grading policies always received higher scores than inconsistent instructors. Again, this was true even when inconsistent instructors gave higher grades.

Fairness in interactions with students can be extremely important. Rodabaugh found that students might quickly become turned off to an instructor (and by extension, to a course or even a discipline) by just on instance of misguided sarcasm!

How are Instructors Unfair?

Those surveyed listed as the ten most unfair instructors behaviors:

Being partial to students on basis of race, gender, age, etc.
Not knowing the subject matter being taught; giving out incorrect information;
Grading unfairly, arbitrarily, or changing grading policies during the term;
Using unfair tests-asking trick questions or questions that are unrelated to lectures;
Embarrassing students in class through sarcasm or other putdowns;
Being unprepared for class-leafing through material to decide what to discuss next;
Not keeping office hours or being otherwise unavailable to students;
Assigning too much work;
Giving boring, dull lectures;
Not sufficiently challenging students or grading too easily.

Students can be Unfair too!

Students realize that they have responsibilities, too. Survey respondents listed as the ten most unfair student behaviors:

Stealing a test form the instructor’s desk;
Submitting someone else’s term paper as one’s own work;
Copying form another student’s exam paper;
Forging a doctor’s note to be excused form a test;
Handing in an assignment after the deadline;
Copying from another student’s homework assignment;
Letting another student use a term paper;
Continual talking in class;
Continual tardiness;
Signing the attendance roster for a friend.

(Reference: Rhem, J. Fairness. 1993. The National and Learning Forum 3 (1):(5.)


	Limit results to this site.		Health and Human Sciences » Exercise and Sport Science » Physical Activity Courses » PAC Instructor Guidebook » Teaching Tips. Teaching Tips Fairness in the Classroom: Student Perceptions By Mark Reed, OSU Forestry Media Center What’s most important to the college students? -Grades, Right? Wrong, at least to Rita Rodabaugh who directs the Academy of the Art of Teaching at Florida International University. Her one-year survey of more than 300 students that interest in grades is overridden by concerns with fairness. Survey responders were presented with various teaching scenarios that featured instructors (not identified by gender) engaging in different types of behavior. Students assessed each situation in terms of how they felt about the instructor. For example, would they want to take a class from this person? Rodabaugh found that students, regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity, perceive fairness as more important those high grades. The only students in her survey, who viewed high grades as an indicator of fairness, were notably those you had cheated or violated other academic codes. Fairness also turned out to be far more important than teaching style. Instructors depicted in the teaching scenarios as fair graders but boring and uninteresting lectures received higher scores than instructors described as exciting lecturers but unfair graders. What is Fairness? One indicator of fairness, according to the students in this survey, is having some say about classroom situations. Instructors in the scenarios who eliminated test questions students found ambiguous or misleading revived higher scores that instructors who did not, even if the latter were described as giving higher than average grades. Another indicator of fairness was consistency. Instructors described as having consistent course procedures and grading policies always received higher scores than inconsistent instructors. Again, this was true even when inconsistent instructors gave higher grades. Fairness in interactions with students can be extremely important. Rodabaugh found that students might quickly become turned off to an instructor (and by extension, to a course or even a discipline) by just on instance of misguided sarcasm! How are Instructors Unfair? Those surveyed listed as the ten most unfair instructors behaviors: Being partial to students on basis of race, gender, age, etc. Not knowing the subject matter being taught; giving out incorrect information; Grading unfairly, arbitrarily, or changing grading policies during the term; Using unfair tests-asking trick questions or questions that are unrelated to lectures; Embarrassing students in class through sarcasm or other putdowns; Being unprepared for class-leafing through material to decide what to discuss next; Not keeping office hours or being otherwise unavailable to students; Assigning too much work; Giving boring, dull lectures; Not sufficiently challenging students or grading too easily. Students can be Unfair too! Students realize that they have responsibilities, too. Survey respondents listed as the ten most unfair student behaviors: Stealing a test form the instructor’s desk; Submitting someone else’s term paper as one’s own work; Copying form another student’s exam paper; Forging a doctor’s note to be excused form a test; Handing in an assignment after the deadline; Copying from another student’s homework assignment; Letting another student use a term paper; Continual talking in class; Continual tardiness; Signing the attendance roster for a friend. (Reference: Rhem, J. Fairness. 1993. The National and Learning Forum 3 (1):(5.)