One down...

[warrioreris]

I finished with my gender class today. Gave my presentation. Got 18/20...and lost the points for fidgeting--tapping my fingers on the table, and twisting in the chair I was sitting in. I nearly thought he was going to take points off for me sitting to do the presentation, but apparently sitting is alright. Apparently, the presentation itself

Comments

[koyetay]

Oh my god. That is completely inappropriate. In a Comm class, that's like the worst possible faux pas, to enter or exit a room while a speech is in progress. For the instructor to do it, while grading the presentation? I've never heard of such a thing.

To be honest, I think you have serious grounds for complaint. Fidgeting is not a legitimate excuse for docking a full 10%, especially if it was as minor as you say.

If I were you, I'd send the teacher an email about this, say that you feel you were unfairly downgraded and that you felt his actions were inappropriate. In addition, I can send you a copy of the 8 Competencies by which our Comm presentations are graded. It's a nationally adhered to rubric.

Was your presentation recorded in any way? Usually, Comm students final presentations are video recorded as an added redundancy in grading. If you have something like that, I could potentially set up a meeting with a Comm professor who could review your presentation based on that rubric (Again, it's a national standard that the comm department is trained in using to provide as unbiased a grade as possible).

It all depends on how far you want to go with this.

[warrioreris]

I would have pushed the point then, but it's not really worth it. Getting those two points wouldn't change my final grade in the course. I would have still ended up with a B. And, no, the presentations weren't filmed or anything.

[koyetay]

I still think you should point it out to the instructor, especially leaving the room like that, if only so he realizes that it was inappropriate, but it's up to you.

[warrioreris]

He was only a visiting professor, and he won't be coming back. And frankly, I don't think he would care anyway.