Re: UCLA physics course (non-rant)

[Michael Edmiston <edmiston@BLUFFTON.EDU>]

We have fixed this problem.  Here, the student not only needs a 2.5
overall (in order to get a teaching license) s/he also needs a 2.5 in
courses required for the major and/or all subject-area courses required
for the major.

You know the reason why, and here's another example.  Suppose a student
REALLY wants to be a high school coach.  Take a major in Physical
Education and also take the education courses, so you get a teaching
license in Physical Education.  Now also take 32 semester hours in
physics and pick up a second teaching license for physics.  If we
didn't have a rule to prevent it, the student might get a 4.0 in
physical education and education courses, get a 1.0 in physics courses,
and still have an overall GPA of at least 2.5.

That won't work at Bluffton.  To get that physics license the student
needs a 2.5 in physics courses.  Plus, s/he has to pass the state
physics test.

Why would a student who wants to coach try to get a  physics license?
 You know the answer... it's a guaranteed job because of the shortage
of licensed physics teachers.  History teachers with coaching desires
are a dime a dozen.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.              Phone/voice-mail:       419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics        FAX:                    419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department            E-Mail                  edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817



-----Original Message-----
From:   Richard Tarara [SMTP:rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU]
Sent:   Monday, October 11, 1999 10:21 AM
To:     PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
Subject:        Re: UCLA physics course (non-rant)

----- Original Message -----
From:   Lois Breur Krause <krause@CLEMSON.EDU>

> It's especially interesting to me that a 2.5 GPA is required of
education
> majors!  wonderful!  somebody finally got it right! Are they also
required
> to take a major in their field, and fill in the ed credits as a minor
or
> electives?
Before you get too excited about this, you'd have to know the _average
grade_ in education courses at the institution.  Around here they run
about an A-, so a higher required GPA loses some of it's apparent
strength.  As with (apparently) most institutions, the sciences here
run near or at the bottom of the average grades in departments.
Rick

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