Why Score Quizzes/Exams as Zeroes
As fundamental principles of education, a student can only successfully learn to the degree that they have motivation and commitment to engage in learning activities and have the appropriate time and resources allotted to them. The purpose of the developmental math program at BYU-I is to help students who have previously struggled with math be able to gain a solid foundation in algebra as well as become better students.
The BYU-I on-campus 100 level courses, after which the 100G/L courses are patterned, have a fairly strict policy on retakes of exams. The Math Study Center Director has established the policy that anyone getting below a 75% on an exam is required to retake the exam. The policy is reiterated and enforced with regular contact (3 days a week) with the instructor. If a student is not willing to retake an exam when given the opportunity, then there is usually an issue of motivation or allotted time which the instructors can counsel, advise, and ensure is taken care of before dealing with the academic deficiency.
The first few semesters of implementation of this policy in 100G showed that the distance between the instructor and the student created a situation where email communication was not sufficient to help the student fully understand that meeting with a tutor and retaking the exam were requirements of the course instead of suggestions. Many students would accept the low score on the exams and not attend to the policy. Instructors without background in the policy would either not enforce it at all or would enforce it at the end of the semester, when the student has no option of improving.
The 100G Course Council deliberated for some time about how to help in this communication. It was decided that having instructors put in a grade of zero for the exam score until one retake was accomplished would be an effective way to communicate the policy to students in a timely manner. It would also be in line with the requirements of the on-campus courses as well as the citizenship/academic balance of the objectives of the course.
Once a retake has been done, then the student has shown a minimum amount of time and motivation to be able to be successful in the course and the instructor should give the highest of the scores.
Note to instructors
As this practice is recommended to ensure that students understand the tutoring and retake requirements of the course, you may, at your discretion, establish such an understanding through other means, such as email or online office hours. If the student still has not met with a tutor and retaken it after 2 weeks, we strongly recommend implementing the policy as outlined.