Midterm season has come and gone. With finals right around the corner, students in STA130 have been given a surprising requirement by their professor. In a recent Quercus announcement, Professor Jack McKay informed his students that all failed midterm exams would require a parent’s signature.
With a policy harkening back to his students' elementary school days, Dr. McKay explained to The Boundary that “it’s a move that just makes sense”. McKay told our correspondent that midterm averages were extraordinarily low this exam cycle. With more students than ever failing their midterms, Dr. McKay believed introducing this controversial policy would hopefully inspire some parents to encourage their children a little harder next time.
However, it seems that improving the course average might not be the only motivation behind this policy. “I mean let’s just look at the numbers,” McKay said, “with this many students taking their exams home to their parents, at least one of their moms has to be in the market for a tenured professor”. Upon further probing by our correspondent, Dr. McKay sheepishly admitted that he hoped some mothers would be so impressed by his care for their children and reach out for a parent-professor conference over dinner.
Many other professors have taken note of Dr. McKay’s innovative pedagogy. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not this practice will be implemented more broadly at the university.
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