Can I have a grade bump? - Contextual Variables and Ethical Ideologies in Teaching

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

Educators face frequent moral dilemmas when students request exceptions such as extensions, late submissions, grade bumps, and waivers. In a culture of transparency, the unwritten policies behind these requests become the least transparent form of learner consideration. The work examines contextual variables that intensify dilemma complexity and the ethical ideologies that can guide decisions, aiming to promote reflection rather than prescribe best practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Everyday requests and dilemmas

Contextual factors increasing requests

Limited guidance in pedagogical literature

Pedagogical inquiry and session development

“Can I have a grade bump?” The Contextual Variables and Ethical Ideologies that Inform Everyday Dilemmas in Teaching Kristie R. Dukewich, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Suzanne Wood, University of Toronto Educators are regularly confronted with moral dilemmas for which there are no easy solutions. Increasing course sizes and program enrolments, coupled with a new consumerist attitude towards education, have only further exacerbated the quantity and quality of students ’ requests for special academic consideration (Macfarlane, 2004). Extensions, late submissions, and grade bumps—once rare—are now commonplace. However, there is very little in the pedagogical literature that addresses these everyday dilemmas. In a culture of transparency, unspoken policies that address these requests are the form of learner consideration that is the least transparent to students and educators alike. Here we explore some of the variables that contribute to the complexity of these dilemmas, and the ethical ideologies that can inform their resolution. Our goal is not to provide best practices, but rather to facilitate reflection about how individuals make these decisions. The idiosyncratic nature of these decisions can be framed as a reflection of different ethical ideologies, and we describe one approach to framing individual ethical ideologies from the business literature. Finally, we consider whetherfaculty should be making these decisions at all, using the centralization of academic integrity (cf. Neufeld & Dianda, 2007) as a model, and explore its parallels with issues around ethical dilemmas in teaching. Introduction Whenwas I satartmazeedd teaatchitnhge asna gumrabderuatoefstudstuednten,tIs requesting exceptions to the course policies. Since then, both the number of requests for special treatment and the kinds of requests that I receive from students have only increased. Students regularly ask me for extensions on assignments because they are busy. Students ask me to accept homework after the deadline has passed because they forgot to submit. Students contest the application of late penalties described in the syllabus because once it is applied to them, the penalties seem unfair. Students ask me tobe excused from in-class assignments because they have tickets to a concert. I have always been most incredulous about students who ask me to increase their final grade for reasons that are unrelated to the quality of their work. Despite my early career amazement, I am regularly conflicted about how to respond to these requests. Some requests are clearly unreasonable, and those requests are easy to answer. However, some requests really are ethical dilemmas because they pit two or more of my ethical values against each other (Shapira-Lishchinsky, 2011) . Often I have to weigh an individual’s well-being against the well-being of the community or class. Or I have to weigh justice against mercy. These situations are dilemmas because they come down to a right versus a right. Which course of action is more right? Macfarlane (2004) describes a number offactors that have led to an increase in students’requests for special academic consideration. The first is a shift in power, from absolute power in the hands of the faculty, to a wider distribution of power shared between administrators, faculty, and students. The shift has not been entirely unwarranted. In the past, academia was an elite pursuit, and faculty could make arbitrary decisions with impunity, creating a very real possibility for the abuse of power (Macfarlane, 2004) . However, recent trends in higher education have made this status quo untenable. More students have access to higher education, and our student body is more diverse than ever in terms of previous education, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic status (Fenwick, 2005) . Worldwide, there has been an increase in course sizes and program enrolments (Altbach, Reisberg & Rumbley, 2009) . Students now have more choice than

FAQs

Why have requests for special academic consideration become more common?

The document links the increase to shifts in power, broader access to higher education, larger course sizes, and student-as-consumer trends, alongside improved understanding of diverse student needs.

What makes these classroom decisions ethical dilemmas rather than simple policy questions?

Some requests create conflicts between competing values, such as individual well-being versus community well-being, or justice versus mercy—situations described as a right-versus-right dilemma.

What is the document’s primary goal regarding solutions for these dilemmas?

It does not aim to provide best practices; instead, it facilitates reflection on how individuals make these decisions and explores ethical ideologies that can inform their resolution.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay