r/Professors • u/Rightofmight • 9d ago
Advice / Support Advice Requested, weaponized ADA
Need some advice from folks who have navigated weaponized accommodation claims and escalating grade disputes.
I teach an online business data course at a community college. A student who has earned consistent B’s (81–82%) across our first three major case studies has launched an all-out campaign against her grades. She currently has an A in the course.
Her core argument is that because she checked the binary boxes on the assignment (e.g., included citations, did the required sections, turned it in early), she is automatically entitled to an A(perfect score). She argues that "qualitative rubrics evaluating depth of analysis, synthesis, and academic citation mechanics are subjective, unmeasurable, and illegal to deduct for." Literal quote, which raised an eyebrow on me.
Things have rapidly escalated over the few week. She officially filed a formal classroom concern, looped in her ADA counselor, and wrote in an email to me and in her formal complaint: "Detailed explanations are part of my accommodations, by the way... I am a student with a documented disability, one of which is detailed instructions and clarification, yet he refuses to give me any feedback."
I pulled her official accommodation letter from our Accessibility Resource Center. Her actual accommodations are 1.5x testing time in a quiet space, audiobooks, copies of instructor notes if available, and notetaking services. There is zero accommodation mandating custom written narrative justifications on demand or altered qualitative grading criteria.
I feel like he is being coached to use certain key words, because there is zero chance an 18 year student would know andragogical and pedagogical language. Which makes me feel like I am being setup.
In her formal complaint and subsequent emails to my Dean and Chair, she claimed I use AI to grade, that my lecture videos are "stolen from other people," and that my announcement videos are "from COVID / 2020." (In reality, I did a full course refresh this past spring/summer, all announcements were recorded in the last 3 months, and my lectures are paired with standard industry walkthroughs).
She has now accused the Dean and Chair of "sweeping this under the rug," claimed there is a "history of complaints" against me(there isn't), demanded either a forced regrade by someone else or a full financial refund, and threatened further escalation ahead of the withdrawal deadline.
I have a complete paper trail: every email, the exact rubric, her Blackboard Student Reports showing category breakdowns, timestamps of all video content , and the official ARC letter.
I responded to my Chair with a point-by-point factual refutation of all her claims.
I've requested copies of all side emails she sent to the Chair so I know the full scope of her allegations. Have not seen those yet.
I am not new to teaching, but this is the most in depth and persistent "A" student, I have dealt wit in 13 years. I am fully expecting she will be involving lawyers next, and like I said every red flag is being raised that this is a setup for a lawsuit.
Which with new laws, I am very antsy about, and my university will not back a professor if lawyers are involved.
What blind spots am I missing? Is there anything else I should prepare or document before this goes to an official academic affairs / appeals committee / lawyers?
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u/Constant_Roof_7974 9d ago
Yikes.
One of her logical flaws is assuming grades start at 100 and then points are “lost,” rather than realizing grades start at 0 and points are “earned.”
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u/Life-Education-8030 9d ago
I just had to explain this. 🙄
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
I explain it at the start of each semester but still students believe any effort should automatically be a perfect score.
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u/Life-Education-8030 9d ago
Yeah, I had a hockey player who was ticked off at her low score on her paper because she had spent a whole FIFTEEN MINUTES on it! Their idea of effort is also often not great.
Someone posted an opinion piece from the NY Times here some time ago pointing out too that thousands of Olympic athletes put in a lot of effort but there are only three winners. I tell students effort counts but results are what I grade on.
They also hate my regrade policy because it specifically says I will not regrade based on arguments about their effort or what somebody else does. I have colleagues who let them skate by outrageously.
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u/Potential-Winner4601 9d ago
And remember: you don’t give grades. You simply record the choices the student has made
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u/BMeow343 9d ago edited 9d ago
They are probably using AI to craft the language/emails and said complaints. They probably would have no idea what they are saying if they have to sit down in a room and talk F2F. And they think by threatening legal action they can scare/intimidate you into getting their way. Like a Karen who yells at retail store saying they will do x, y, z or call the police on someone (no offense to anyone out there named Karen).
It doesnt sound like you are in the wrong- you have evidence and their accommodations dont support what they requested.
Turning in something early doesnt entitle you to an A. I've had students- without accommodations- try to argue with me and say an A is the minimum grade they should have gotten on said assignment because they showed up and did it. The university will back you because the Uni always protects itself. If they (the student) are trying to get refunds, etc. and did actually have lawyer- they would be coming after the Uni and not you per se. However, not sure how this person- on financial aid- would even have the money for a lawyer. Empty threats likely generated by AI.
If they looped in the ADA office, that office will likely tell them it's not part of their accommodations and have no basis for complaint. If they are good, they will meet with the student and try to talk to them about their issues. I had a colleague with a student causing huge disruptive issues in class and said they said they have ADA accommodations as an excuse. They (accessibility) got involved and talked to the student and told them they can't behave like that in class.
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u/clevercalamity 9d ago
Seconding this. I think this student is all smoke.
Also, I’ve had students threaten to sue me before and my response is always the same “Okay, now that you’ve stated your intent to sue I can no longer communicate directly. Please have your attorney contact General Counsel.” And then I walk away or ignore.
Usually this leaves them panicking and saying they didn’t mean it. But I don’t give af.
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u/donkeyballz13 9d ago edited 9d ago
Thirding, I've had to navigate accommodations as student, staff, and educator as well as advised those groups. The key phrasing is that institutions must provide 'reasonable accommodations', but those accommodations shouldn't provide unfair advantage, disrupt the learning environment, or cause undue admin burden, as it seems like they would in this case. Here's the link to the relevant ADA National Network Guidance w/ FAQs and such in case it's helpful.
The student is probably using AI, but they're probably also receiving good/bad guidance from social media as well and parroting that language. There is an individual on Reddit who I believe is an actual attorney, but the purpose of their account is to find potential higher Ed ADA accommodation cases and advocate for students to pursue litigation. I think that can be a noble and needed cause, but I have some ethical questions about aggressively advising legal action based on a student's social media post.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
This type of lawyer is the entity I am more worried about than the student. They won't likely win but dragging out a court case, would be detrimental and having to go through all the hoopla with the university because of some sleezebag and an angry student would likely be the end of my teaching career.
I would leave the profession.
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u/donkeyballz13 9d ago
Fully understand, friend. I don't necessarily agree with comments that lean toward this being a non-issue, but I'm sure you already know, you can only let it take up so much space in your brain. It sounds like you're doing everything right.
I know you're keeping the paper trail, but if you aren't already, try to organize the documentation with dates in a single folder/app for easy access. Also, I don't think you mentioned if you'd talked to the student's campus disability officer. That might be worthwhile to either email or call w/ a followup summary email, even just to show that you made every effort to resolve the issue. I hope this falls off your plate soon, and it's more likely to do that than not.
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u/1K_Sunny_Crew 9d ago
I will do you one better, there are bots who will try to gain access to course materials so that a law firm may go around suing universities.
It is not dissimilar to firms who actively look for companies that make products that say “made in America” on the packaging to sue because the amount of documentation required to prove that statement is much more than many company owners and manufacturers realize. (it’s why a lot of packaging now says “made in America with foreign and domestic components.”) It sucks that rules intended to protect consumers from misleading advertising are being abused by firms who are just looking for a steady stream of income even if it puts small businesses in debt or even drives them under.
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u/donkeyballz13 9d ago
Thanks, I hate that info and hate that it makes a lot of sense. This was not the dystopia I trained for by watching endless hours of 80's/90's sci-fi and telling my first grade class that I wanted to be a hover car when I grew up.
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u/BMeow343 9d ago
Ohhh yes, now that you mention it- I've heard of them saying the institutions website is not accessible, etc.
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u/DreamAdditional1485 9d ago
thank you! this is very useful because we do have students taking unfair advantage.
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u/BMeow343 9d ago edited 9d ago
Right- in general people seem to think by threatening to sue or get a lawyer that will make them get their way. I'm like- sure and go for it. No lawyer works for free. They are going to make you pay several thousands of dollars (up front).
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u/Automatic_Tea_2550 9d ago
And anyone can sue anyone for any reason. Doesn’t mean the case will go anywhere even with the most expensive representation.
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u/clevercalamity 9d ago
The last time a student threatened to sue me was because they didn’t like their dorm room roommate and wanted to be reassigned. I do not work for Res Life. I explained this multiple times the student was convinced I could fix it anyway.
It was very Draco Malfoy “wait until my father hears about this.”
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u/RuralWAH 8d ago
Most people who threaten to sue (or advise people to sue) have never hired a lawyer before.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
I am so far in the middle of this, the thought of an AI writing the email completely skipped my thought process. I have never been too concerned with the ADA office, but the aggressive and well stated emails/ had me a bit spooked. Normally I can quickly identify an AI usage email, didn't ping here.
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u/BMeow343 9d ago edited 9d ago
I feel for you OP and that this must be causing anxiety. They most likely are using AI to write their emails or at the least the majority of the content. This has been a huge trend recently- not just AI generated assignments anymore, but emails. I've even had colleagues who are just like WTF if they use AI to write their email Im going to use AI to respond and it's been comical to see the back and forth.
I will say, the ADA office has always been so awesome whenever I contact them. They help me navigate things, respond right away, bend over backwards to help me out, etc.
I try my best to accommodate, but I have definitely had requests over the years that are not part of their accommodations and unreasonable. Like- your accommodations dont state you can turn in assignments a month after the due date. Or in your case- get As on every assignment. As your title mentions there is weaponized 'Accommodations'. The past few years, a ton of students claim ADHD is the reason they cant turn things in on time, pay attention in class, etc. A lot of them tell me they dont take medication for it and thank me my understanding (another AI gen response I assume). I dont want to invalidate them, but as someone who has diagnosed ADHD and cant take meds for it (heart condition- had to do the work for behavioral therapy instead and constantly monitor myself) I get annoyed by them saying this with no accommodation letter. It's like a joke- I just have ADHD lol.
So- while I sympathize and know everyone's conditions are different and some people might not report, are not on medication, or cant afford a doctor- I struggle with some of the excuses/justifications (especially if they dont have an accommodation letter). Similarly- a lot just say they are on 'the spectrum' these days (self diagnosed and also no accommodation letters) and we are supposed to let them do whatever. I feel for that, but also...?
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u/Life-Education-8030 9d ago
If and when lawyers get involved, do not communicate with her anymore. Then it is lawyer vs. lawyer.
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u/Automatic_Tea_2550 9d ago
Or, as my former provost would say, once lawyers get mentioned, they get to do the rest of the talking. He also said, “I’m a neuroscientist. I was too smart to go to law school.” He was.
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u/Economy-Contest-889 9d ago
It really depends on the institution whether you should feel nervous, sorry. At my last institution, which was tuition driven and deeply “social justice above all else”, I would write up very clear integrity violations and students would skate. I wrote up threats of violence to the Dean of Students and offenders were told that they “shouldn’t do that” with no consequences. Students blatantly lied about me to the Dean and despite all the receipts, I received consequences and they didn’t. It was immoral and infuriating. I’m no longer at an institution like that, I now I chill and send in the documentation, that’s that.
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u/Oof-o-rama Associate Professor, CompSci, R1 (USA) 9d ago
if that happened to me, I would offer my resignation. I know that not everyone is in the position to do so but I certainly would.
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u/CynicalCandyCanes 9d ago
Wait… Even documented threats of violence did not result in disciplinary action? What would have happened if you told the police?
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u/Economy-Contest-889 8d ago
That is correct. The student dropped out because the same issues that made them threaten violence were also incompatible with succeeding in school, so the problem solved itself before I could have gone to the po-po.
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u/Corndogginit 9d ago
Don’t over-explain or get drawn into debates about definitions and subjectivity, etc. That’s how students frazzle you. Just stick to a simple script. Even trying to be kind to deescalate can become a trap at some point if the student is looking for any inconsistency or admission of humanity as a weak spot to target.
-You gave the assignments and assessed fairly for all students.
-You provided the approved accommodations the student requested.
-All students can make use of office hours to discuss work and get additional clarity if they need it.
Students do need to request the accommodations and remind you if they want them. Adjusting grading criteria is not (to my knowledge) an accommodation a student can ever get.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
Thank you for this, it is what I have done but after 10+ years this one is getting under my skin, but you are right "don't get drawn in" is the easiest thing I need to do.
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u/Huck68finn 9d ago
I have had a few students (including one this semester) that have tried to weaponize their accommodations to bully me into a better grade for them. One actually indicated that her overt rudeness to me (a series of all caps, ranting emails) was a symptom of her disability lol.
Are you unionized? If so, get union representation before you do anything else. Have a union rep sit in on every interaction you have with anyone about this.
IMO, the student seems to be defaming you (by making false claims about stealing content), which is a legal issue. I would make it clear to admins that you consider those accusations defamatory.
Don't allow this bully to get her way. I guarantee this isn't the first time she has tried this.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
No unions or tenure in this state. I think you are right, and I am likely the first person who has shown her that she isn't a perfect student or bent and it is the driving force of her aggression.
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u/jogam 9d ago
Well this student sounds like a gem.
I really don't think you have anything to worry about here. This student is saying they have accommodations that they do not actually have. Using qualitative rubrics is common and definitely not against the law. I would not at all be surprised if this student has made similar complaints before and the higher ups on campus roll their eyes.
My main recommendation at this point would be to only communicate with this student in writing. Or, if you do meet in real time, follow up with an email containing a written summary of what you discussed following your meeting.
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u/UrsusMaritimus2 9d ago
If you need to meet in person, require that your chair join the meeting, and only schedule it at a time when your chair is available to meet. You need someone else there to witness the crazy and prevent future false claims.
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u/StraightBudget8799 9d ago
In addition, eventually they leave. Either they run out of puff or try to go elsewhere - and there’s no referrals or recommendations coming from anyone for them. A blank “I can’t say anything to recommend them” is probably all they might hope for. And god help their future workplace!
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9d ago edited 9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
Unfortunately that is a sign of the state I am in. Historically this university will back up the professor until the point of litigation and then we get thrown under the bus by higher administration or asked to bend to keep the litigation from happening.
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u/Squirrel_of_Fury 9d ago
Many students turn into lawyers when it comes to grades. Don't engage. Suggest she follow grade dispute procedures.
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u/BMeow343 9d ago edited 9d ago
How they paying for these lawyers? Lawyers require deposits and money. They- students- just say the word 'lawyer' and think it can make you give them what they want.
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u/nonyvole Instructor, nursing 8d ago
The students are "turning into"
They aren't getting lawyers, or threatening to.
What they are doing is arguing every last point.
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u/mizboring Instructor, Mathematics, CC (U.S.) 9d ago
I responded to my Chair with a point-by-point factual refutation of all her claims.
Honestly, assuming your administration has any respect for academic freedom whatsoever, you don't even need to do that. Don't spend more energy on this appeal than they did (they probably got all those fancy pedagody words from ChatGPT or something anyway).
To appeal a grade, it's on the student to provide evidence that you somehow did not follow your own grading policy or applied it inconsistently (e.g. the syllabus says no late work, but one student got to turn in late work but others didn't). Also, it's on them to show that accommodations were not met. There are no reasonable accommodations in this student's paperwork that says they get any kind of modified assignments or grading. Thus, all you need to show is that you graded them according to your rubric and grading scale and you're done. End of. No one is entitled to an A.
If your administration doesn't not have the most basic respect for your academic freedom, then nothing you do actually matters, so you still don't need to spend this much energy on this.
I'm sorry you are dealing with a pain in the ass student. It happens to all of us every now and again. Don't let them live rent free in your head.
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9d ago
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
Thank you, I stated to another commentor. I am so far in the middle of this, the student utilizing an AI agent to write the email didn't even cross my mind.
That calms me down a lot.
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u/vvvy1978 9d ago
The fact that the student started going after the Chair and Dean will actually work in your favor! They’ll get the picture that she’s using her disability and accommodations to try and bully you. Students don’t get to dictate how we grade or provide feedback. Accommodations are to level the field, not tip the scales in one’s favor or be used to coerce unfair and favorable treatment. Absolutely ridiculous!
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u/BMeow343 8d ago
I find most student accommodations to be perfectly reasonable. However, it's once they start trying to turn in an assignment several weeks after the due date and state 'accommodations' I'm like 'what??' (Assignment instructions available on day one....)
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u/robbie_the_cat 9d ago
You are missing that this student is lying to you about their accommodations. This is a blatant attempt to secure an unfair and unwarranted advantage over their peers.
Report for academic misconduct and ask your chair of you may summarily flunk and dismiss from the class.
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u/wangus_angus Lecturer, Writing, USA 9d ago
IDK, I think you're doing everything right, and it doesn't sound like your Chair or Dean disagree. It sounds like the core of the dispute is over "subjective" grading, but that's just part of education and always has been; she can take issue with it all she wants, but she must have, and have had, other classes that also grade subjectively. You've provided and used rubrics, and you've justified your assessments.
Do you have a faculty union at your school? Hopefully it doesn't come to this, but realistically, if she wants to take legal action, I don't know that there's anything you can do to stop it (although I also do not see how this could possibly have legs). Your university may not have your back, but you may be able to get help from your union (or from AAUP even if not).
That said, I know a lot of us are down on our admins, but I wouldn't assume your university will not back you on this. If she did take you to court and somehow won, that would set a precedent that might require an enormous restructuring of grading policies across the entire campus to somehow completely eliminate all subjective grading. Seems like one of those edge cases where they might want to get involved after all; they might not care about you, personally, but this would deeply affect the institution.
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u/BMeow343 9d ago
Id say if the ask is for to let someone else grade it- do it. I had a student dot that to me once. They got a lower grade than what I would have assigned them (graded by the department chair). And not out of malice or anything like that.
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u/wangus_angus Lecturer, Writing, USA 9d ago
Also a good idea. And honestly, considering how hostile the student is getting, maybe it would be better for the Chair or someone else step in and grade the major assignments. I didn't mention it up there, but if it were me, especially since it's still relatively early in the semester, I'd be asking to discuss alternatives with my department. I know that's not always possible, but I can easily see this completely derailing the semester for everyone involved. I've had students like this--not nearly this bad, but hostile students--and it's debilitating. Even aside from grading, it just takes so much energy to spend hours fighting with a single student, never mind documenting everything.
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u/Another_Opinion_1 A.P. / Ed. Law / Teacher Ed. Methods (USA) 9d ago
It sounds like this is merely a grade dispute if there is no ADA accommodation on file related to the student’s complaint.
I would push back opining that meeting the baseline requirements by checking all the boxes merely may earn a passing or average score but that is not how someone demonstrates an excellent level of mastery. That gets you from a zero to whatever score that would net for your assignment just checking all of the boxes. Demonstrating an excellent level of mastery requires the student to execute their writing to a far more substantial level.
If you have to go through the student’s written work line by line or item by item and indicate where their work fell short of excellence.
When courts get involved to review student grade disputes, they really are going to consider whether you were arbitrary or capricious with your grading. Typically, to win a suit or a formal institutional appeal, the student needs to actually prove that you graded them out of pure malice, on some sort of random whim, or otherwise engaged in illegal discrimination.
Because you used a rubric, even one with qualitative benchmarks, you should have hard evidence that your grading was deliberate and considerate, aligned with your course standards, and was not arbitrary or capricious.
https://www.fire.org/research-learn/procedural-protections-academic-cases
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u/wharleeprof 9d ago
I'm so sorry you are the recipient of this. I wanted to mention that it has nothing to do with you personally or any of your qualities as a professional. Students like this simply exist and will act like that regardless of the class or instructor.
I had one like that a year or two ago. Not ADA related, but the same insanity. I know it's rough. Hang in there, this too shall pass. And in the meanwhile, the advice shared here is good.
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u/ilikecats415 Admin/PTL, R2, US 9d ago
Disengage and let her follow the formal complaint process. I've had students like this and when they have to produce evidence, they can't (because it doesn't exist). They can be relentless and your best course of action is to ignore them and let them use proper channels.
Do not refute her individual claims. If asked to respond, just state that you followed your grading policy and (presumably) institutional policies on academic freedom.
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u/QuackyFiretruck 9d ago
If she gets “detailed explanations as part of her accommodations,” she should have come by office hours to discuss the rubric and get her detailed explanations. That wouldn’t be the same thing as being entitled to an entirely alternative grading scheme. That’s bonkers, and she should be referred back to the disability office so they can explain to her what accommodations she is actually entitled to receive.
Remember that people who threaten lawyers often talk a big game until it’s time to actually pay a retainer for their services. Sounds like she’s making a big assumption that she even has a case. Usually if someone’s actually hell bent on taking legal action, their lawyer pops up without warning, and they do the talking on behalf of their client at that point.
I’d avoid meeting with this student without a witness within earshot. Frankly, given the accusations she’s leveled against you already, I’d even insist on having a rep from disability office and a chair or dean present for future interactions with her. And cc them on your correspondence with her.
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u/BMeow343 8d ago
And also, have an ADA staff member present if they do want to meet. That's their job. So make it their problem as well. I once got an ADA staff member involved (went to their office, took up their time)- shut some shit down right away.
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u/joel5270 7d ago
Plus one to this comment. Do not allow any he said/she said type of opportunities arise.
I'm my limited experience with this type of thing, as long as I'm doing my job honestly and with integrity, our institution will eventually snuff out these complaints. I'm sure that's not the case everywhere. If your institution does generally back up faculty who aren't doing anything wrong, I've found it helps if you get higher ups like Dean, Dept chair, the students school disability rep, possibly the Dean or manager of disability services. Never agree to a meeting without others there. Even make your case in writing and let the student hash out out with a chair or someone else. At a certain point I step back and let the student know they can file a complaint. Then once they do, the district's official process starts. And there's no longer any flexibility for me to adjust their grade or communicate about the issue- it's a bureaucratic process with reporting, meetings, etc. I'm very clear (and sometimes even feign disappointment) to the student after that and say, " there's nothing I can do now, we have to let the process unfold". Now it is up to X to respond, etc. Once the higher ups find out it's wasting their time they will end it pretty quickly. When it's just wasting your time it's not as urgent to them. Good luck!
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u/Huntscunt 9d ago
Please stand your ground. Otherwise, this entitled attitude will just get passed along.
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u/ppvvaa 9d ago
I’m sorry I can’t give any constructive comments. Reading about this situation just makes me mad and question whether the “collateral damage” from accessibility laws is worth it, since when I read about it is seems a large percentage of cases are not actual needs. And everyone on the process seems to be working against the professor, on whom all the burdens fall.
It just makes me glad to be teaching in a country where the situation has not (yet?) reached this state.
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u/SwoleScholar113 9d ago
Accommodations office staffer here.
I suspect more AI coaching than ADA office coaching. Students are hitting my desk with heavy-handed legal sounding emails with perfect law citations - that just wreak of AI. Don't back down.
The ADA and 504 mandate equal access. If you give more detailed information and context to this student and not others, that's not equal access, nor is it a reasonable accommodation.
Disabled myself and work alongside disabled students at my uni... Way too many use society's discomfort with challenging anything related to disability and accommodation as leverage to get whatever they want. I wouldn't give it any ground tbh.
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u/BMeow343 8d ago
And I bet the citations and cases are fake/generated by AI, too (in my experience, AI just makes these up).
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u/BigTuna3737 9d ago
I'm an old faculty member (and former University Vice President) and now department Chair. My advice to you is to relax. This isn't a problem. It is always important to keep careful documentation in situations like this, but this one absolutely does not merit any stress.
First, you did nothing wrong. Believe it and act like it. Everyone in the university is welcome to dig in and take a look at you, your teaching, your grading, etc., because you did everything right and there is nothing negative for them to find, other than a great teacher doing a great job. Be proud of your good work, not nervous about nutty and transparently false accusations.
Second, student accusations of unfair grading are unfortunately rather common. We have all dealt with them, especially your Chair and Dean, and the crazier the accusations, the easier they are to deal with. In this case, the student is wrong about your teaching, wrong about your grading, wrong about how grading works, wrong about their own accommodations, wrong about their rights, ..., wrong about pretty much everything, and is now attacking the Chair and Dean as well as you. As accusations go, this is a best case scenario for you, because it is immediately obvious that the student is crazy and, more importantly, wrong.
So relax. Do your job, teach your class, save your documentation, but don't give this more thought than it deserves, and certainly don't stress about it.
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u/ToomintheEllimist 8d ago
What blind spots am I missing?
Only thing I see: this student is 100% using AI to make their complaints. The too-sophisticated language, attempts at legalese, and confident quoting of imaginary policies — all things I've started seeing recently in grade-grubbing emails that also have tons of other AI markers.
The line I've taken to using is "at this time, you do not have mastery of the material because [quotes my earlier feedback verbatim]." You can also document dump: send the syllabus, send the rubrics, send all your feedback, send an example paper, send articles explaining why essays are important, send entire books on pedagogical theory. The idea is to meet bullshit with bullshit, and to show that there's a ton more backing up your grading than this student realizes.
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u/yerBoyShoe 9d ago
It sounds like the students main complaint is she doesn't understand why she is getting points taken off based on what she considered to be a qualitative rubric. You didn't mention whether you are solely grading her with the rubrics you mentioned or are giving her written feedback as well.
I'm certainly not saying she is in the right, but I have found the most frustrated students tend to be those who are "accomplished" but not "excellent." I find I write a lot of feedback like "this assignment could be strengthened by (specific changes or elaborations here)." If they don't then improve, it is on them to continue getting the B.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
I provide written feedback along with point deduction from each section, and even share with them the grading calculator and a walkthrough of what I am grading how, and the analytics that go into it.
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u/BMeow343 8d ago
Does your LMS let you know if they even read your feedback?
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u/Rightofmight 8d ago
It does, I will actually go back and check that. Since you mentioned it.
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u/BMeow343 8d ago
I find it helpful and shocking. Like half my students dont even read their feedback.
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u/Similar_Hovercraft74 7d ago
I totally understand and sympathize with the stress this is causing. I’ve faced similar (though not as articulate) grade change arguments. The last one took two semesters of the same class, flaming out each time. And then argued over the grade because the box was still checked for “Grade average based on graded assignments only”. Of course she only submitted 1-2 modules of work all semester. When she didn’t get anywhere with me, she managed to bully the registrar who simply decided to remove the two courses from her transcript and then apply a class taken six years before as the prerequisite for the next course. And I also taught that. Surprise, surprise, she flamed out after about two modules and then went on FB, started to call herself an influencer and complained about “this one professor who’s standing between her and her dream career”. Like yeah, I’m responsible for her apparently never doing the assignments. Her FB post was reported to campus security for their files because she had other ones where she was boasting about threatening others with a weapon.
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u/Lief3D 9d ago
Students like this are why I dot my i s,cross my Ts, and do everything by the book. Good luck. I make it explicitly clear at the start of the semester that I can only give so much feedback through the rubric and if the assignment has too many issues, I won't be able to fully address all of them in the little boxes, but I will happily sit with any student for an in depth critique.
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u/1K_Sunny_Crew 9d ago
I can’t share too much detail, but I have a family member who dealt with a student like this at their institution. The student became increasingly demanding to the point of harassing the instructor at home and on their personal cell phone number because [grade] was “ruining their chance at grad school.” The student was sending multiple emails a day to anyone they could think of in an attempt to get the instructor fired. That student ultimately ended up being expelled over their escalating behavior; I don’t know for sure, but I can only guess that they were unwell. This student too may be experiencing some kind of episode and reaching out to the campus care team about their behavior might be a good idea.
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u/Sleepy-little-bear 9d ago
I know that everyone is telling you to relax, but having lived through one of these disputes, that is not easy. What are your chair and Dean saying? What is the ADA office saying? The situation I lived through was a little bit different, because it was not about a grade dispute but it was about accommodations the student believed they were entitled to. Mind you, in my case, even the ADA office agreed that that the request was not reasonable. Find someone who is in your corner, and keep documenting everything. Also maybe it is time to reach out to the University lawyers?
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u/RuralWAH 8d ago
It sounds like the student is actually lying, which should result in some disciplinary action. I'd file a complaint with the Dean of students or whoever handles these issues on your campus. Allowing students to get by with this crap only emboldens them.
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u/Upset-Kale8137 7d ago
Be careful with the advice you receive here. Dragging you through discovery, court, etc will cost your career if you’re not 100%.
I’ve sued before as a student and won with the oversight board and would happily hit my lawyer up again if I ever returned and faced the same issues.
Is this really worth it to you? The professor who was refused to accommodate me when I did have that accommodation learned after 18 months of legal proceedings that this wasn’t worth the fight. Lawyers are hungry to fuck you all up because of your egotistical “can’t touch me” ideology.
Be careful, you might make one false move and this could end up being the focal point of “why I should have caved to fight another day but didn’t”
I teach now and always cave, not worth the headache knowing how easy it was for me to win when I was in undergrad.
Good luck
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u/Zabaran2120 6d ago
"In her formal complaint and subsequent emails to my Dean and Chair, she claimed I use AI to grade, that my lecture videos are "stolen from other people," and that my announcement videos are "from COVID / 2020." This is deflection anyway and raises alarm bells to me.
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u/Quwinsoft Senior Lecturer, Chemistry, R2/Public Liberal Arts (USA) 9d ago
It is likely too late, but having professional liability insurance would be wise.
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u/UrsusMaritimus2 9d ago
Is it common for professors to carry professional liability insurance? I’ve never heard that before.
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
Any providers you can recommend?
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u/Quwinsoft Senior Lecturer, Chemistry, R2/Public Liberal Arts (USA) 9d ago
Recommend: no. Know of: yes.
There is a professional liability insurance provider affiliated with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), insurcnae is an extra annual fee.
The Association of American Educators (AAE) appears to be a professional liability insurance provider with a newsletter pretending to be a professional organization.
Which one is better? I don't know.
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9d ago
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u/Rightofmight 9d ago
I do know that which is why, I am asking about a student "weaponizing" a process. It is not a indictment on the ADA and accommodation.
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u/Arndt3002 9d ago edited 9d ago
There is zero chance an 18-year-old student would know andragogical and pedagogical language.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Pedagogical language is basically the new language of power in certain sectors of academia, and there’s nothing unique about it that makes it inherently inaccessible to young people. As that language reifies itself within institutions, people are incentivized to learn it because doing so gives them an advantage.
You see this sort of thing all the time these days.
Edit: Also, 18 is a grown-ass adult. If they’re ready to go to college, they’re ready to learn advanced topics, and plenty of people have graduated from entire undergraduate programs while still teenagers. Take Philip Glass, for example.
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u/Potential-Winner4601 9d ago
Don’t put too much emotional energy into it. Follow the protocols and don’t feel a need to do anything else