A Great New Way to Avoid Grading Papers

The worst part of teaching at a college or university — except perhaps for faculty meetings — is grading papers.  Professors in the U.K. have turned this particular lemon into lemonade, by refusing to give exams or grade papers unless they get a pay raise.  About half the dons at British universities are apparently participating in the “industrial action,” refusing to mark papers or exams for their students.  Some universities (including the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, left) are already canceling finals and papers, and making plans to deal with the problem, including delaying degrees, awarding temporary degrees, or even granting degrees based on performance to date without the final exam or paper.

It will be interesting to see how students will respond to the fact that their faculties regard them as bargaining chips in a labor dispute.

[Frank Snyder]