Students and faculty talk about what it takes to achieve an ‘A’
By Rachel Chaikof
Students and faculty at SCAD-Atlanta have different opinions about what it means to achieve an “A” grade on assignments. According to Pat Quinn, Academic Director for Communication Arts, “A’s” are earned by those that go above and beyond the parameters of the assignment.
Second-year fashion student Kaly Faliciano said that achieving an “‘A” means that she has achieved all
the requirements for the course to the best of her potential or in some cases in the manner that pleases
that professor.
“Getting an “A” means that I busted my butt,” a second-year illustration student, Hilary Smith, said. “The teacher knows it was the best you possibly could do on an assignment.”
For Amy Daugherty, a second-year graphic design student, she said that it means that she desires no
less than an “A.”
Daugherty said that she thinks that teachers at SCAD want to see students go that extra mile. “What I think ends up happening to an student when they take up a teacher’s challenge and actually put in real effort into their work as opposed to doing what is required is that they end up surprising themselves — learning that their ability is far greater than what they had anticipated,” said Daugherty, “You then have pride in your work and probably earned an A.”
Every professor has different standards on obtaining an “A” on assignments according to some students. “Most definitely I do believe that every professor has different standards,” said Faliciano, “In fashion alone, all the teachers have different standards and different ways in which they want you to present your storyboards.”
Smith pointed out that some professors grade the students on their own improvement. “At least that was the case in all my core classes,” she said. While professors have different standards of grading, professors give students the class requirements in the beginning of the quarter, on the first day, according to Daugherty. “For the most part there aren’t any surprises,” she said.
Denise Smith, Ph.D., Academic Director for Design and Liberal Arts, pointed out that each department has created what is called a rubric, a matrix which outlines for faculty what is failing, poor, fair, good and exceptional work. “For example, in grading an essay, the faculty is looking for content, but also technical qualities, such as a thesis statement, topic sentences, transitions, good spelling, grammar and punctuation” she said. “A student who synthesizes the material and discusses their own insights would be exceptional,” said Smith. “A student who manages to repeat most of the main points would be good, but if they miss any of the major points, then they would slide down the scale, depending on the completeness of their essay.”
Quinn pointed out that an “A” in a freshman level course is significantly different from an “A” in a senior level course. “Students should keep in mind as they progress through their programs, the classes do get more difficult and the standards increase,” said Quinn. Also, all of the curricula are designed to address many different skills within a specific discipline, which means that students are going to be pushed outside of their “comfort zones” into areas where they will need to dedicate more time and energy to earn that higher grade.
Quinn said that he frequently recommends that students keep an eye on the professional work being produced within their fields. “That is a great benchmark to use to check your level of achievement –— do you understand the work? Can you see why certain decisions were made in producing the work? Are you producing work at or near that level on a regular basis?” he said.
“Getting too focused on a letter grade is a slippery slope, rather stay focused on the big picture of improving skill sets to match professional standards and the grades will take care of themselves,” said Quinn.
Denise Smith said that if a student wants an “A” in a class, he or she should show the teacher that he cares about what he’s learning, show up to class on time, and ask questions when others won’t. “He should also turn in assignments on time, and if anything is wrong with it accept the consequences instead of making up excuses,” she said. “This positive way of thinking will help a teacher decide if that student gets an 89 or a 90. The professors aren’t obligated to round up, but if the students show that they care, the odds are in the student’s favor.”
