Can Students Expect Study Guides for Tests?

To the Editor:

As a former dean completing (joyfully) my fourth decade as a faculty member, I cannot pass judgment on the decision at Louisiana State University to remove Professor Dominique G. Homberger from her Biology 1001 course (“A Professor at Louisiana State is Flunked Because of Her Grades,” The Chronicle, May 16). But there are some factors cited that should be of concern to nearly every faculty member. Specifically, the article notes that, in the context of exams, students alleged "... the questions often dealt with material that had been assigned as reading but never discussed in the classroom. She irked some students because she did not give out detailed study guides for tests. ... “

I do hope that we as faculty members will not be held to implicit (or explicit) contracts with our “customers” requiring us to test only what we cover in class and nothing else (though I would agree that the fraction of such material on an exam should be relatively modest). Moreover, while it is very appropriate to provide students helpful guidance for what will be emphasized on an upcoming exam, preparing one’s own study guide is one of the most productive ways for a student to prepare for an exam.

Arthur Greenberg
Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of New Hampshire
Durham, N.H.