2008 Woodie Awards
Are Guilford students becoming smarter?
Ashley Gilmer
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: News
At face value it appears that the "Fall 2007 Grade Reports: Dean's List, Probation, Suspensions and Dismissals" support the idea that Guilford students may be getting smarter. The grade reports were released on Jan. 17 by the Academic Dean's Office.
According to the grade reports, 24 percent of the student body earned Dean's List recognition (3.5-4.0 GPA), which is higher than the average (22.9 percent) for the past five years. The fall new probation rate for traditional students has been steadily decreasing, reaching 4.7 percent. The suspension/ dismissal rate for continuing education (CCE) students (3.9 percent) was slightly lower than the five-year average.
The percentage of early college students on the dean's list reached on all-time high of nearly 50 percent last fall.
"There have been no dramatic changes," said Steve Shapiro, associate academic dean and associate professor of physics.
He explained that the averages and most statistics have shown no significant variation in student performance over the past several years.
But Shapiro did point out some trends. He said that the decrease in the fall new probation rates for traditional students and the increase in the number of early college students on the dean's list are trends that look promising and real.
When asked whether Guilford students were becoming smarter, he said, "it is hard to say," but commented that as in previous years, Guilford College students are, "just as wonderful, clever, creative and fun to work with … They are the reason I'm here."
When asked what he would attribute the fall statistics to, Allen Spain Jr., CCE student and business administration major, said "I think it is a combination of professors becoming more understanding and students working harder. Students realize how important a college degree is. Students may not be getting smarter, but they are working harder."
Senior psychology major Bobbie Jo Taft also thinks that professors have something to do with the figures.
According to the grade reports, 24 percent of the student body earned Dean's List recognition (3.5-4.0 GPA), which is higher than the average (22.9 percent) for the past five years. The fall new probation rate for traditional students has been steadily decreasing, reaching 4.7 percent. The suspension/ dismissal rate for continuing education (CCE) students (3.9 percent) was slightly lower than the five-year average.
The percentage of early college students on the dean's list reached on all-time high of nearly 50 percent last fall.
"There have been no dramatic changes," said Steve Shapiro, associate academic dean and associate professor of physics.
He explained that the averages and most statistics have shown no significant variation in student performance over the past several years.
But Shapiro did point out some trends. He said that the decrease in the fall new probation rates for traditional students and the increase in the number of early college students on the dean's list are trends that look promising and real.
When asked whether Guilford students were becoming smarter, he said, "it is hard to say," but commented that as in previous years, Guilford College students are, "just as wonderful, clever, creative and fun to work with … They are the reason I'm here."
When asked what he would attribute the fall statistics to, Allen Spain Jr., CCE student and business administration major, said "I think it is a combination of professors becoming more understanding and students working harder. Students realize how important a college degree is. Students may not be getting smarter, but they are working harder."
Senior psychology major Bobbie Jo Taft also thinks that professors have something to do with the figures.
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