The college was small, but well regarded.
A number of professors and grad students were relaxing one long afternoon in the faculty lounge, and as the end of the semester was nearing, the group discussion was about grades.
At local high schools, school boards were arguing the merits of passing everyone with the same grade, no individual gradings of A-to-F - that the competition for scholastic honors in public schools was counter-productive, fostering harmful feelings of inferiority in some students.
"How about you, George," someone called out to the Economics prof.
, "what are your thoughts about competitive grading?" The professor shifted in his armchair, chuckling as he faced the questioner, then said, "Well, during my teaching career, I never failed a single student - but once I failed an entire class!" With everyone's attention upon him, he continued, explaining that the vocal leaders in one of his advanced classes strongly favored the "average grade" approach, the most outspoken describing it as desirable "socialism" in the public-school arena - highly effective as a social "equalizer".
The professor explained to his listeners, that the cause was obvious - among the professorial elite at that college was a faculty member, well-known for having strong pro-Socialistic views - and with an enthusiastic following among the student body.
"So I said," the professor continued, "OK, let's have a vote as to whether - as a class - most of you want to have individual gradings, or the class average as the grade for everyone.
Then," he continued, when a sizable majority voted for a class average grade - "OK again, I'll go along - everyone will get the same grade - no A's and B's for some, and F's for others, every one will get the average grade.
" The professor continued, "Then we had the first test and the grades were averaged - and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were outspokenly unhappy, but most of the students who hadn't really studied were 'high-fiving' each other.
" The professor looked around the room, and chuckled, "As you can imagine,when the second test rolled around: everyone studied less than before, the serious students being annoyed at their wasted effort, the others feeling they had no reason to even study as hard as before.
The second test average was C-minus!" The professor continued, "Now, no one was happy, but a mental attitude about study habits, gradings and rewards had been established - positions hardening day by day.
However, then a reaction set in, the better students began to worry about their grade-point averages - and so the 3rd test average was was a bit better, C-plus.
However, at that point the better students dropping the class - the 4th test was F - and there it remained.
" The faculty lounge was very quiet, the entire group focusing on the professor.
"Now, at every class, there was a palpable attitude of resentment: bickering, blaming and name-calling - little attention was given to my lectures - everyone voiced hard feelings - the most common expression was an angry, 'why should I work hard and get nothing for it?'" The professor got up to go, "So, I flunked the entire class!" Is this a true story - as in factual reality, or even a motivated conjecture - to run an experiment in human nature and work-reward variations? Does it matter which - would the outcome be different?