GPA Busters

By Marissa Harshman

At some point in your college career, you'll register for a seemingly easy course that inevitably blind-sides you by its difficulty. The course appears to be an easy "A" because it's one measly credit or because the title says "introductory." The course is only a prerequisite for more difficult classes within your major. The course you would never expect to fail.

In high school, not passing a class usually meant listening to parents lecture about making school a priority, losing TV privileges or dropping a tenth off the sacred grade point average. In college, however, failing a class means retaking the class several times, changing majors or not graduating on time.

Each student has different strengths and weaknesses; but certain classes seem to bog many students down every quarter. Multiple math courses, chemistry 121, music 123 and philosophy 102 and 114, consistently yield the highest failure rates, says Sharon Schmidtz, assistant director and analyst for Western's Office of Institutional Research.

Regardless of class size, students fail many courses each quarter. Here are the four courses, with 50 students or more enrolled, that had the highest failure rates this past fall quarter. Use this list to maneuver your way through these tough classes, or around the subjects you should avoid spring quarter.

Music 123: Aural and Keyboard Skills 1

Topping the list is the first course in a six-part series, Music 123. For midterm and final exams, the class requires students to draw musical notes that correspond with the notes they hear the instructor play, and put their skills to test as they prepare and individually perform musical exercises.

Associate music professor Lesley Sommer says the course can be nerve-wracking for students because they must prepare and perform a solo piece for the instructor. Stage fright is not uncommon since students' grades are based on their performance, she says. Many students become frustrated when they discover that they cannot easily master the skills in music 123 without constant and patient practice, Sommer says. Students can relate the importance of keyboard practice to training required by athletes, she says.

"It's not enough to understand the concepts of the course, just like it's not enough to simply understand the concept of running a four-minute mile," Sommer says. "The students must practice until they can demonstrate the concepts in performance-type situations; until actually being able to run a four-minute mile."

Sommer suggests students who are struggling ask their instructors for help, and find a classmate to practice with regularly.

Philosophy 102: Introduction to Logic

The introduction to logic class, while only three credits, is frequently on the list of classes with the highest failure rates, Schmidtz says. This tough introductory class teaches students how to develop a formal system of prepositional and predicate logic for evaluating reason.

Philosophy lecturer Ty Barnes says he isn't surprised the course has a high failure rate. He says the course is similar to math courses, which are often difficult for students. The class also challenges students to understand and explain concepts on the exams rather than simply regurgitating what they hear in class.

"In philosophy courses we try to teach a skill, not just facts to memorize," Barnes says. "That becomes a problem because students want a test where they can say 'Here's what I've memorized,' and not have to think for themselves."

Students who fail usually don't do their homework so they begin to fall behind, Barnes says. When students get too far behind they rarely appear in class, he says.

Attending class, completing homework and seeking help are the best ways students can help themselves pass the course, he says. Barnes uses Blackboard assignments that immediately notify students if they answered a question incorrectly, and provide the correct answer. Barnes says using the online assignments as study guides usually helps students perform better on exams.

Math 204: Elementary Linear Algebra

Don't let the course name fool you. Though the name suggests simplicity, this course had the third highest failure rate fall quarter. Students taking this four-credit class must first complete Math 125, Calculus and Analytic Geometry 1. The elementary linear algebra course teaches students about systems of linear equations and matrices.

The course transitions students from computational mathematics to more abstract terms, which could explain why students struggle, math professor Tjalling Ypma says. Whereas lower-level math courses deal with numbers and equations, elementary linear algebra requires that students understand how and why formulas work, rather than simply plugging in numbers. The course introduces new terminology and approaches familiar concepts from multiple angles, he says.

Math 204 is a sequential course; if students don't understand a concept, they will continue to struggle until they seek help from the tutorial center or a professor, Ypma says.

Like most math classes, completing nightly homework assignments is the best way for students to stay caught up, grasp the material and prepare for exams, he says.

Physical Education 104: Beginning Hatha Yoga

All 100-level P.E. courses are one-credit developmental classes. The beginning Hatha yoga class introduces students to the breathing and relaxing techniques of yoga, P.E. advising coordinator Kate Kairoff says.

The yoga class, and other 100-level P.E. classes, is attendance and participation-based; if students don't show up or forget to drop the course, their grade drops after three absences, Kairoff says.

During fall quarter, the yoga class began at 8 a.m. Kairoff says the early start time may have contributed to the failure rate because students hit the snooze button instead of crawling out of bed for class.

"I don't know why people don't show up," Kairoff says. "I can understand if it was a class where you have to get up early and doing a lot of running around. But with yoga you're learning breathing and relaxation."

However, poor attendance is usually the main reason students fail the introductory level P.E. classes, regardless of the start time, Kairoff says. Because the course is graded on attendance and participation, students need only to show up and at least try to perform the techniques being taught in class, she says. If students don't show up to class, they will not pass the course, Kairoff says.