CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY For years, the Ateneo de Davao University has been using the traditional form of grading system, which utilized a numerical, percentage basis for grading. With this traditional form entailed distinct grading and retention poliicies for each division. However, during the recent years, the effectiveness of this traditional grading system has been put into question. The quality of education in the Ateneo has remained stagnant, if not deteriorated. The quality of students that come in and remain in the Ateneo have become less the exemplary students that the Ateneo envisions its students to be; many have failed several times, but still continue to study in the university; some who failthose who are forced to shifttheir respective courses opt to shift to other courses, such as the Business and Management Division; others who have been deemed dismissed come back after having transferred and studying in another school. During recent times, the trends of education have also changed. Many colleges and universities nationwide have begun adopting the Qualitative Point Index (QPI) System, which, while still utilizing quantitative values, anchors itself on the basis of letter grades. All four Ateneo universitiesManila, Naga, Cagayan (Xavier), and Zamboangamake use of the QPI System, and have done so for years, leaving the Ateneo de Davao the only Ateneo University in the country that has yet to adopt the QPI System. According to University Memo No. 88 dated March 15, 2011, in response to the need to adapt to the changing times, and through the thrust of the Ateneo de Davao to further improve the quality of its education and raise its standards, the Ateneo de Davao administration, under the leadership of then University President Fr. Antonio

S. Samson, S.J., created the Ateneo Standards Committee. Through this committee, and in consultation with the rest of the university administration, the Ateneo was able to develop its own version of the Qualitative Point System. (Samson, 2011) The QPI System underwent several deliberations and amendments before its final form had been proposed and ratified. For instance, there was a point wherein certain letter grade equivalents had .75. In the final version of the system, the numerical equivalents, called the Quality Point Index, were distributed evenly. See Tables 1 and 2. Table 1.

Letter Grade A B+ B C+ C D F FD

Percentage Grade 92% to 100% 88% to 91% 84% to 87% 80% to 83% 76% to 79% 72% to 75% Below 72% Failure Debarred

Descriptor Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Acceptable Minimal Pass Failure For students whose attendance is less than 80% of total class hours

WP

Withdrawn with Permission For students who withdrew enrolled courses within the first six weeks of the semester, or the first two weeks of summer classes

Table 2.

Letter Grade A B+ B C+ C D F FD WP

Quality Point Index 4.00 3.50 3.00 2.50 2.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 Not Counted in QPI

In contrast to the traditional grading system, the Qualitative Point Index System entails several changes: 1] Unlike the previous grading system, the QPI System dictates a uniform grading system and policy for all divisions. 2] The teacher is given the free hand of using either the base 40 or zero-based grading in his classes. 3] Forced to shift status becomes inexistent; if a student fails his course, he is either placed on probationary status or dismissed immediately.

The letter grading system only affects first year students that have enrolled for School Year 2011-2012, and the succeeding batches that come along.

(http://www.addu.edu.ph/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=898&Itemid=235) RATIONALE The basis for this study centers on the need for the University to evaluate the effectiveness of its new grading system. Considering that the Qualitative Point Index System is considered an improvement in the educational standards of the institution, it can be considered as a factor in the universitys marketing mix, which serves to attract consumers (i.e., in this case, the students) to the university. As such, the proponents see the need to evaluate the performance of the new grading system and how it has affected the performance of both students and instructors, and research on the perceptions of both students and teachers toward the said grading system. Through this, areas for improvement can be identified, and an effective marketing plan can be made for the grading system and the university as a whole. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
STUDENTS Behavior Perception

TEACHERS

New Grading System (QPI) - Effectivity - Accuracy

PROGRAM AND STANDARDS

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

The framework of the study focuses on three major variables: Students The students are the ones affected by the grades, specifically those

who are in the first year beginning the first semester of June 2011. Those who are in the higher years, second year and upper class students will continue to receive numerical grades until school year 2014-2015 for a four year program, and school year 2015-2016 for a five-year program. The change in grading system will give the students a sense of independence from upper class men as they would not have the standards to compare their grades. This would allow them to focus on what they can do and improve. On the other hand, an issue in fairness among the different year levels might come up because of the differences in grading system. Teachers The grades have always been in the hands of teachers. They are the ones encoding the grades of students. It has also been implemented that the teacher has his own academic freedom. The teacher will each have his own standard and weighted distribution of grades. They are considered as one of the variables because of their participation and judgment as to where to identify the performance bracket of students in terms of the letter grading system. Program and Standards The established programs and standards of the university have resulted to the creation and implementation of the new grading system. In turn, the new grading system also affects the current programs and standards of the university, further improving and enhancing them, and raising the bar. New Grading System The new grading system involves the participation of the previous three variables. The students are to adhere to the new grading system; the teachers are to both adhere and make use of the system in grading their students; the programs and standards of the university are affected and relatively changed by the new grading system. The new grading system is also evaluated based on its effectiveness and accuracy.

PROBLEM STATEMENT HOW CAN THE NEW GRADING SYSTEM (THE QUALITATIVE POINT INDEX

SYSTEM) OF THE ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY BE MARKETED? Subproblems: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents?
2. Is the new grading system applied to the current first year students producing

better results compared to the previous first year batches? 3. Is there a relationship between the adoption of the new grading system and the improvement of students performance?
4. Does the new grading system attract students to study at the Ateneo de Davao

University?
5. What is the importance of changing the grading system?

6. Is there a relationship between adopting the new grading system and improvement of educational standards? 7. Should the new grading system be kept? 8. How should the new grading system be improved?
9. What are the perceptions of the students and teachers regarding the new grading

system? 10. Will the new grading system improve the students perception to studying? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1. This study will provide a brief description on the significance of marketing the new grading system applied by the Ateneo de Davao University to its current first year students. The study will primarily benefit the students, the institution, and the standard of education. 2. To the students, the proposed study will serve the first year students as their reference or guide in identifying how well they perform in their pursuit of satisfactory academic performance.
3. To the teachers, the proposed study will help them understand the accurate

translation of the numerical calculations of grades into the letter system and

vice versa, most especially to transferee students. 4. To the institution, the proposed study will propagate a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the grading system. This will further check the institutions capability to offer a competent grading system that will live up to its reputation of providing a high standard of education. 5. To the future researchers, the findings of this research paper can be used by other researchers as a source of secondary data in their respective future related researches. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS This research study deals primarily with the current grading system used by Ateneo de Davao University which is relatively new to the institution. The questionnaires will be distributed by the researchers. The respondents will include those from the first year students of Ateneo de Davao University batch 2011-2012. This study will discuss the current status concerning the new grading system being used whether it accurately determines the student's rank in class, underlying questions, the problems encountered with this shift of system, and the benefits of it. This study will be limited to first year students of Ateneo de Davao University batch 2011-2012 and to the faculty of the Ateneo de Davao University. DEFINITION OF TERMS Quality Point Index System An academic grading system used to determine a students academic standing by assigning a numerical value for each letter grade earned. The percentage equivalent is first being converted to its corresponding letter grade then to its quality point equivalent.

Ateneo Standards Committee -The Standards Committee attends to all matters pertaining to academic standards in the University. It will review and act upon student petitions of academic regulations and recommend policy regarding academic standards to the Council. It reviews petitions and appeals of students and faculty on change of academic marks, reinstatement of student, and lifting of probationary status. The committee consults with the University Registrar and the Deans in the formulation and development of policies on standards. Students All bona-fide students (specifically the freshmen of School Year 2011) that are taking up an undergraduate program in the Ateneo De Davao University. Teachers - All academic personnel and all other persons performing supervisory and/or administrative functions in school doing academic functions and related services, whether on full-time or part-time basis. Perception The act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of ones mind. It is also considered as an act of cognition and understanding. Effectiveness - The capability of producing an effect, and is most frequently used in connection with the degree to which something is capable of producing a specific, desired effect. Transferee - Students who have enrolled or taken college or vocational units in other colleges, universities or vocational schools. Grade conversion the process of converting an academic grade of percentage equivalent to its letter grade then to its corresponding quality point equivalent. Accuracy - The state of being accurate or free from errors. Standards Academic standards are as the the benchmarks rigor of quality the and

excellence in education such

of curricula and

difficulty

of examinations. Academic programs - Academic programs are also known as Bachelor's degree programs. It approximately takes four years to complete. There are many different types of programs and fields of study available for those seeking Bachelor's degrees. These programs vary from science degree to degrees in the field of arts, business and many more. Zero-based grading system An academic grading system in which the lowest score translated to percentage a student can get is zero. It is computed by getting a students raw score divided by the total number of items, then multiply by 100, in order to get the percentage grade. Base 40 grading system An academic grading system in which the lowest score translated to percentage a student can get is forty (40) percent. It is computed by getting a students raw score divided by the total number of items, then multiply by 60, and then add 40, in order to get the percentage grade. Traditional grading system The traditional grading system that Ateneo De Davao University uses is similar to the Base 40 grading system. This grading system is effective to only those in their Second Year status and onwards in the school year June 2011 Marketing Mix A planned mix of the controllable elements of a products marketing commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. These four elements are adjusted the until the right combination is found while that serves the needs of generating optimum income. product's customers,