Insights into College in China - Grades

My fellow classmates from BYU-Idaho are scattered about different levels but there is a large handful of us in the same level only in different classes. A few weeks ago, we had our first test, and the resultant less-than satisfactory grades provided grounds for very interesting comparative discussion. Among the various sections on the exam there was a short essay that we had to compose. One classmate told me that when she noticed she had missed points on the essay she asked the teacher why this was, to which she was told that her composition was not as good as others’ in the class.

This subjectivity of grading has manifest in other ways. Every other day we have a small writing quiz to test our ability to write Chinese characters. I have friends in other classes that when they write traditional characters (versus the simplified characters used here in Mainland China) they get no points, but another friend was even encouraged by his professor to do so if he did not know the simplified form, and thereafter received full points. On these same quizzes I have incorrectly written up to three characters , which the professors noted by circling them, but was only docked 1 point!

The preoccupation with grades, at least in this language program, has been something unique to the American students. An Italian classmate commented to me the other day that despite tests scores and attendance at Capital Normal University, they ultimately return to their home institution where they are given language tests (something akin to CLEP tests) which serves as the only basis for their credits and grades. I think that the Chinese professors not only understand but accept this as the norm. Two American classmates were in a level above me and were doing poorly in their class, literally on the verge of failing, and approached the professor about changing classes. The response they received was, “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal if you don’t do well on the tests and such, you’ll get Chinese slowly, it’s okay.” They objected by saying that their grades were poor, which in fact was important to them. The reply came, “Oh, if it’s about the grades then we should probably get you into another class.”

Grant you, this is the experience of only one university, and it is a unique situation because of the conglomeration of cultures constituting the attendants of the language program. However, as I continue to investigate aspects of education in China, you will see that this is not the only thing that deviates from Western standards of administering education.