Grade point averages are one of the most widely used indicators of the success within a university or of individual students - but some Texas Tech faculty members see it as only a small portion of what should be used to measure success.
Marjean Purinton, an assistant academic dean in the Honors College, said while GPAs give an indication of how a student is performing, all grading measurements are only partial.
"There are just some things we can't measure," Purinton said. "How do you measure learning about yourself? How do you measure learning about the human condition?"
The Honors College has the highest GPA of all colleges at Tech, with a 3.66, but Purinton attributes that in part to the higher expectations placed on the students in the college as well as the selection process.
Purinton said the faculty members in the Honors College try to maintain academic rigor without "blasting" GPA.
"Well, I think students are driven by GPA," Purinton said. "We work really hard to try to help students understand that it's not the grade on the paper, but what you learn and what you can do that's important."
She said she hopes students leave the university feeling competent and confident.
GPA is only one measurement of success, Purinton said, and if that is the only thing a future employer looks at, then it is an incomplete profile.
"I think our society has gone nuts on GPA and SAT and GRE and those kinds of quantitative measurements," Purinton said, "which are only partial, and in some ways, flawed."
In fall 2007, the GPA of the Honors College was the highest of any college on the university, according to information provided by Institutional Research and Information Management. On the other end of the spectrum, the College of Engineering had a 2.71 GPA for fall 2007.
Jeff Woldstad, the senior associate dean for the College of Engineering, said the reason the GPAs in the college were much lower is because the difficulty of courses the students are required to take.
Woldstad said engineering students must take calculus, chemistry, physics and all upper-level math and science courses early in their college career.
"I think if you looked at the grade point average for those courses," Woldstad said, "you'd see anyone who took those courses is really going to have a lower grade point average than the average."
He said the college does not attempt to boost GPA in particular, but they try to make students more successful.
One of the things the college is successful with, Woldstad said, is the quality of engineers they produce.
"If you compare Texas Tech to other schools in Texas, our engineers are very high in demand," Woldstad said. "They compare very well with the University of Texas and Texas A&M."
Many employers choose to come to Tech because of the quality of the engineering students, he said, and the work ethic of the students at Tech is one of the things the college is known for.
Sean Duggan, the director of University Student Housing, said students who live on campus are more successful because of easy access to academic tools.
"It's just that community of learners - I just think makes it inevitable that students living on campus are going to be more successful than those living off," Duggan said.
The GPA for students living on campus is 3.081, and the GPA for students living off campus is 2.769, according to information provided by Institutional Research and Information Management.
Duggan said living on campus not only has a GPA advantage for students, but also there is a new and different learning environment for incoming freshmen that allows them to be immersed in the Tech environment and culture.
"It just helps students realize that not every person on this planet is exactly like them," Duggan said.
The department also is creating new programs to ensure student success on campus, Duggan said.
Freshmen Interest Groups, or groups of 20 students living on the same floor and enrolled in two classes with each other, will be available in the fall semester, and there also will be a new business learning community in the Chitwood/Weymouth Residence Halls.
"We continue to try and improve and increase our learning communities," Duggan said.
Bill Marcy, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, said there is not much fluctuation in the GPA of students from year to year.
However, GPA consistently rises from the fall semester to the spring semester, which Marcy said is because the students who do not make it to the spring semester may not be prepared.
"I would think it's probably because of the winnowing out that takes place during the fall of each year," Marcy said. "I think the student body in the spring has already survived a semester and they're going to do a little better."
But he said a better GPA does not necessarily make a university better than if it had a lesser GPA.
"I don't think it's a factor in looking at the success of the university," Marcy said. "It may tell you how well prepared your students are, and that may be an issue in terms of wanting to attract more academically well-prepared students."
DaNay Phelps, the senior administrator of University Academic Advising, said the main point of GPAs is that GPA is a factor in determining whether or not students graduate, are accepted into graduate school or graduate with honors.
She said the university keeps a close eye on students who are on probation or are suspended, trying to find patterns in those students.
"That should certainly be something that would draw administrators' attention and say, 'What's going on here, people?,'" Phelps said. "'Let's talk about what's happening here, and is there something we need to do differently to support the students so that they can be successful?'"
In recent years, she said, because of several programs started by the university, including a supplemental instruction program, more students are able to graduate in four years or less with a four-year degree plan.
Students also are registering for more hours, taking more hours and earning credits for those hours in greater numbers, Phelps said.
Be the first to comment on this article!