According to this article, after a brief halt, grade inflation has resumed at Harvard. Now, the grading policies at Harvard are not exactly a matter of great concern, but what’s interesting here is the utter indifference of most of the professors quoted. One says, “I’m unaware of any studies showing that tougher grading leads to more learning.”
It is a dismal feature of the education establishment that even the most obvious truths can be brushed aside unless some studies demonstrate them. Conversely, even ludicrous ideas can be accepted if, as the saying goes, “research shows” them to be true.
Regarding grade inflation, whether any studies prove it or not, there is both anecdotal evidence and solid logic to show that if students know that due to grade inflation they won’t get less than a B no matter how slovenly their work, some students will decide to coast along.
