So I just sent a venting email to my mother about my Stats class. Not so much the class really because I really love my teacher and I'm understanding the material fairly well; I'm really just enraged with the course manager. Due to my venting email to my mom, I thought I'd also vent to my blog followers.
My teacher, Dr. Heaton, is literally amazing! After I scored a 70 on the first exam, which ok...is not that bad, but I know what I'm doing in Stats so I know I can do better than that! Anyways, after that test, I went in to meet with Heaton just to go over my options I guess. He was super helpful right off the bat! We kind of worked out that I'm just not a good test-taker and that I get test anxiety when I go in the testing center (darn that testing center!). So, we went over my answers to the first test and what I did wrong; then he said he'd make me my very own "practice exam" a week before the next test. I would still treat it like a real exam, just not in the testing center. This was just a good way for me to deal with my testing anxiety and fear of the testing center. So last Wednesday I went to Heaton's office and picked up my practice exam. I studied for it, just like a real test. I woke up early this morning and took it. This afternoon, I met with Heaton and went over my answers. He explained (extremely well) where I went wrong and kind of even gave me hints as to what I should focus on while studying. I studied a bit more, had dance class, and went and took it. Scored an 80...I'm happy with it. It's a major improvement from my last test, however, I do feel like I knew more answers than that. I feel like I have the potential to do better because in all honesty, as I was taking the test, I was so excited because I knew the answers! As I left the testing center, I was thinking I got at least an 89, hoping for a 90. But I can't change it now, so I'll just study that much more for the next one. I am bound and determined to do well in this class.
Anyways, that's not really why I'm venting. I LOVE my teacher and I understand the things we're learning. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we have an online quiz due at 11 pm. Last Friday, I completely spaced on submitting quiz 19. Like...I have no idea what happened. 11 pm rolled around and I completely forgot. Ok...I accept that and I deserve a zero for forgetting. However, also on Friday I started working on quiz 20 (it allows you to start the quiz, save, and go back - you don't have to take it all in one sitting). Out of 13 questions, I answered 9. Four of the questions had graphs that you had to look at in order to answer the questions. Well...these graphs didn't load. I figured it was maybe just the Internet connection and I'd save and try again later. I tried the next day and I still couldn't see the graphs. I kind of forgot about it (I should have emailed right away when it didn't load), but Monday night 11 pm rolled around and I missed the deadline. Second time in a row. (Yeah I know...I'm a great student haha). Anyways, I emailed my teacher explaining what happened and he said to email the course manager because he doesn't really have any control over the quizzes. So I emailed them and they sent a brief and blunt email back saying that I had enough information to answer the questions. I emailed again and explained further in depth that these graphs didn't load. How was I supposed to answer questions about a graph or table that I can't see? They sent another brief and blunt email saying basically that I'm screwed. This didn't sit well with me. This is crap! I answered 9 of the 13 questions. I understand if they can't re-open the quiz for me to answer those other 4 because I understand there was a deadline. However, how is it fair to give me a zero when I answered over half the questions!? So tonight, I sent a very detailed email to the course manager (AGAIN!) explaining my point that I didn't think I deserved a zero for the 9 questions that I did answer. At least to make it fair, let me submit those 9 questions and I'll take whatever score I get; but I DO NOT deserve a ZERO!
After sending this email and venting to my mom, I really thought about "Is this really worth the fight?" But then again, this is MY grade! This is a huge university and if I don't fight for the grades that I clearly earn, I am just going to get run over and forgotten about. Depending on what kind of email I get back from the course manager, I might even get my teacher involved because honestly, he's a nice guy and he's fair. Give me my freaking points that I earned. I know I didn't meet the deadline, but why should I deserve a zero for a quiz that I answered half the questions and why is that my fault for those graphs not loading!? I also understand that if they re-open it for one person, that's not fair to others who may have had the same problems; my teacher did say he had gotten several emails of the same thing happening. But really? They're going to give all those students zeroes for quizzes that didn't load? That's the departments fault!
Gosh dang it! I don't deserve a zero!
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