I just finished my grades for ENG 102 and was surprised that six students failed the final exam; a fairly easy research assignment.

It is especially surprising that the students did so poorly because I cancelled classes for one week so that I could hold individual conferences with all of my students. During the conferences, I went over their research papers and final exams.

Students who were having difficulty with their exams were given extensive help. Everyone who needed help left my office with print outs of appropriate citations and other useful information. For example, when one student came to the conference, her research paper was pathetic and her final was even worse. We spent time going over both. When she left my office, she finally understood how to successfully search the Internet and the Schoolcraft College Online Databases. She followed the strategies we had developed together and, as a result, she received a 4.0 in the course.

Then why did six students fail the final exam? When I checked my records, I was not surprised to see that all six of these students neglected to schedule a conference with me. Especially because some of the conference times were available when our class was supposed to meet, I am not sure why they made their choices. However, conferences only help students who attend them.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD