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quick question about bellcurving?

 
Old 03-23-2011 at 01:08 PM   #1
Rakim
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quick question about bellcurving?
Okay so we just got back our 2nd midterm and the class average was 48 percent.

Whats the chance that it could be bell-curved?

The prof seems like a bit of a douche.
Old 03-23-2011 at 01:09 PM   #2
Commie8507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakim View Post
Okay so we just got back our 2nd midterm and the class average was 48 percent.

Whats the chance that it could be bell-curved?

The prof seems like a bit of a douche.
totally depends on the prof, in marketing our mid term average was 52% and the prof told us to study more for the exam.

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Old 03-23-2011 at 01:10 PM   #3
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Ah, okay.

I thought maybe there was some kind of protocol where they had to have a certain average.
Old 03-23-2011 at 01:39 PM   #4
britb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakim View Post
Ah, okay.

I thought maybe there was some kind of protocol where they had to have a certain average.
That depends on the faculty, and most profs will never admit it. They usually have more of a range for the course average, like between 60 and 67, but they rarely curve to make it fit, instead they'll make the next one easier or harder.
Old 03-23-2011 at 08:02 PM   #5
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Some profs will curve at the end of the year. Depends on the course.
Old 03-23-2011 at 08:13 PM   #6
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One of my profs once went all ??? at the idea of bell-curving...saying it didn't exist, just something us students had come up with...pfft...

(I hope that's not true, though.)
Old 03-23-2011 at 08:15 PM   #7
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Or, in the case of math 2zz3, they'll give all the top students an advantage in mark adjustment, such that the highest marks are excessively high, and the class average APPEARS higher.
Old 03-23-2011 at 08:20 PM   #8
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Bellcurving probably only exists to any reasonable extent in engineering; mainly due to the fact that some professors are so epicly bad or courses so difficult compared to our skill level or motivation that it actually keeps a majority of the class below a passing grade. Thats not to say that it doesn't happen anywhere else, but I've only heard of it happening for courses where there is one instructor, unlike something like a general chemistry, that has like 4 professors. Then again 'hearing about it happening' and it acutally happening are two drastically different things.
"guize, i did so badly, i hope for bellcurve, lolol" -> "guize, people are saying its gonna be bellcurved"
Old 03-23-2011 at 08:34 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanC View Post
Bellcurving probably only exists to any reasonable extent in engineering; mainly due to the fact that some professors are so epicly bad or courses so difficult compared to our skill level or motivation that it actually keeps a majority of the class below a passing grade. Thats not to say that it doesn't happen anywhere else, but I've only heard of it happening for courses where there is one instructor, unlike something like a general chemistry, that has like 4 professors. Then again 'hearing about it happening' and it acutally happening are two drastically different things.
"guize, i did so badly, i hope for bellcurve, lolol" -> "guize, people are saying its gonna be bellcurved"
Orly?
**** you *******.

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Old 03-23-2011 at 09:02 PM   #10
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our 1ZC3 average was apparently bad, so McLean said he is going to shift the marks
Old 03-23-2011 at 09:13 PM   #11
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bell curving does not happen on individual assignments/tests. If you keep bell curving every test then every students mark is based off a series of marks based on a class average. I like to think about it has you keep losing information on every test and the end result is essentially meaningless/lack of information. Professors will typically only bell curve at the end of the year.

Even then this is very rare. Most profs make tests/exams out of a small amount if they go bad. (this is not bell curving but improves marks nevertheless)
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Old 03-23-2011 at 09:42 PM   #12
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No bell curving! Your marks may be adjusted by increasing everyone's grade by the same amount but this is not bell curving. If the marks were bell curved (i.e. assigning the grades to fit the normal distribution), then there is a good chance many people will have their marks decreased.

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Old 03-23-2011 at 10:21 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Giygas View Post
No bell curving! Your marks may be adjusted by increasing everyone's grade by the same amount but this is not bell curving. If the marks were bell curved (i.e. assigning the grades to fit the normal distribution), then there is a good chance many people will have their marks decreased.
yeah bell curving sucks, you want your marks to be shifted, not curved



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