The Philosophy Final: A Case Study

The Philosophy Final:  A Case Study

Instructions:  Please read the following case very carefully.  Next prepare an analysis of the situation that addresses the following questions.   There is no right or wrong answer.  Just support your conclusions and suggestions.  Typed. Double Spaced.  2-3 Pages.  Submit in DropBox by 9:00 a.m. Feb. 3.  Bring Hard Copy to Class.

1)    What WAS the problem here? (Be succinct – DO NOT repeat the case – identify what you believe was the primary problem.)

2)    Why did this problem occur?  That is, what caused it?

3)    What should have been done differently at the time? 

4)    What changes would you recommend for the future to avoid this situation?  Support your answer.

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Monday, December 14, 2014, was a sunny but cold day on the campus of the University of Colorado.  It was also the first day of final exams for the fall semester.  One of the first finals to be given was for a beginning philosophy course.  This was a large, multi-section course with over 500 students.

Normally, the students met in small groups of 20-25 students instructed by a graduate student instructor.  However, all 500 students took the mid-term and final as a single class.  The University of Colorado regularly used the Coors Events Center (basketball arena) for final exams for large classes.  Students knew that whenever they took an exam in the Events Center, they were to arrive at the center, pick up a lapboard at the door, and spread out across the arena.  The 500 Philosophy students had taken their mid-term exam there in October without incident.  Now, shortly before 8:00 a.m., they began arriving in the Events Center for their final exam. 

The professor of the beginning philosophy course, a tenured associate professor, in the Philosophy Department, was administering the exam.  Assisting the professor were 20 graduate student instructors who normally taught the students in the small group sections.  The graduate student instructors each had a designated area of the arena for their students to sit.

Promptly at 8:00 a.m., the professor, welcomed the students and asked the graduate student instructors to hand out the exams.  The professor responded to a few questions and then the students were hard at work.  A while later, with the exam progressing normally, the professor left the Events Center and walked across campus to her office which was about a 20-30 minute walk.

The exam continued to proceed without any problems.  By 9:00 a.m., approximately 250-300 students were still taking the exam.  Suddenly, the women’s basketball team took the floor of the Events Center and began practicing.  Immediately, the students complained to their graduate student instructors that they could not concentrate with the practice going on around them.  The instructors were taken by surprise too.  They quickly discussed the situation and then a few of them went down to the floor of the Events Center to talk to the head coach.  The coach told them that her team had the Events Center reserved for practice at this time.  The graduate instructors stated that the Events Center was reserved until 10:00 a.m. for the Philosophy final exam.  The coach said she would not stop her team’s practice.

The graduate student instructors did not know what to do.  They quickly talked amongst themselves searching for a solution.  More and more of the philosophy students were complaining and saying they could not complete their exam.  Another delegation of graduate student instructors went to the Events Center Scheduling Office that was in a lower floor of the arena.  The receptionist at this office said that she did not know how the conflict could have occurred.  She told them she would find someone to handle the problem.  The instructors then tried to call the professor but she was not back in her office yet.

The graduate instructors now found themselves in a very difficult situation.  The students were angry and most had stopped working on the test.  The coach was angry and unmoving.  The basketball team continued to practice.  The graduate instructors knew they had to do something fast.  But, what should they do?  With a large group of angry students gathering around them, they reached a decision.

At approximately 9:20, the graduate instructors halted the exam and told the remaining students they would all receive “A’s” on the exam.  They then collected the exams and told the students to leave.  The basketball team continued their practice.  Several students immediately called the Denver newspaper.  The incident quickly became a media event. Several television stations even conducted live remotes about the incident from the Events Center later that day.