When Professors Fail Students | Psychology Today

I just started teaching my third class at a local college where I’ve been an adjunct instructor for just over a year. I’m teaching the same class on group psychotherapy I taught last semester. I developed the curriculum for this eight-week class. That was challenging and a lot of work. I didn’t realize how much work was involved when I agreed. If they ask me to do that for another class, I’m definitely going to ask for increased compensation. But I digress.

I enjoy teaching. Most of the students are enrolled because they have a genuine interest in the counseling field. Their interest is apparent in their engagement in the online discussion boards and in their thoughtful and comprehensive responses to the assignments. I enjoy reading their various opinions on the questions I pose.

Last semester, I failed two students because they didn’t do the assignments. This is an asynchronous class, so the eight weekly assignments make up a student’s entire grade. The two students I failed did the first two or three assignments, then stopped. Another student didn’t do the first assignment, and then asked me for an extension during week four of the class. Another, more motivated student missed a later assignment, then took the initiative to request an alternate assignment for extra credit, which I happily gave her.

An article from the James J. Martin Center on Academic Renewal reports that, “although learning is the shared responsibility of students…