Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I would like to appeal my final exam grade. Specifically I would like to appeal the grade I received in question 1 of the short answers. I received a mark of 1/3 that I believe undervalues my answer.

The question I refer to has two parts to it. The question reads, ¿¿Describe operant conditioning and explain how you might use operant conditioning procedures to help a child learn to make their bed every morning.¿ Regarding the 1st part of the question I answered the following;

Operant conditioning is a form of learning related to reinforcement/punishment. You learn what behaviours have different outcomes (reinforcement or punishment) and you base your actions off of that. I received a checkmark from the marker.

On page 244 of the textbook, the definition of operant conditioning is ¿¿a type of learning in which behaviour is influenced by consequences.¿ It goes on to say ¿¿a response and a consequence are required for learning to take place.¿ Further on the same page it states, ¿¿The consequences of a particular behaviour can be either reinforcing or punishing.¿

On the website psycholology.about.com, they state the following; ¿¿Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

I believe that my answer for part 1 of the question is reflective of both the text and the website deserving full grades. Part 2 of the question I responded with the following answer;

There are 4 ways to help a child learn how to make their beds:
1) Positive reinforcement (if they make their bed, you will give them ice cream)
2) Negative reinforcement (if they make their bed you will take away their bed time)
3) Positive punishment (if they don¿¿t make their bed they have to do the dishes)
4) Negative punishment (if they don¿¿t make their bed they cannot watch tv).

Referring to table 6.2 on page 246 of the textbook, my answer contains all 4 different subtypes of operant conditioning listed with examples that would apply to the child learning how to make their bed with operant conditioning.

In the website listed above it states the following;
Some key concepts in operant conditioning: Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows. Positive reinforcers are favorable events or outcomes that are presented after the behavior. In situations that reflect positive reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of something, such as praise or a direct reward.
Negative reinforcers involve the removal of an unfavorable events or outcomes after the display of a behavior. In these situations, a response is strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant.
Punishment, on the other hand, is the presentation of an adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the behavior it follows. There are two kinds of punishment:
Positive punishment, sometimes referred to as punishment by application, involves the presentation of an unfavorable event or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows.
Negative punishment, also known as punishment by removal, occurs when an favorable event or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs.

I believe that my answer is reflective of both the textbook and the website. I did receive a checkmark from the marker on this part as well.

I don¿¿t understand how I could have received only 1/3 on this entire question based on my answer. If I assume that part 1 of the question was worth 1 mark and part 2 was worth 2 marks (0.5 for each of the four subtypes) I believe that I deserved at least 2/3 on the question or at the very minimum 50 or 1.5/3 based on my answer. Isn¿¿t the final exam a measure to see if the student understood the concept of what was taught I believe that based on my answer I understood the concept of Operant conditioning well enough to at least get a passing mark on this question.

The reason why I am appealing this one question for 1 additional mark is that it is the difference in whether I get a credit for this course or not. Unfortunately that is the position I find myself in, hence the importance of giving me the benefit of the doubt on this question and my knowledge of the material. I had an 80+ mark going into the final exam. All I required was a passing grade on the final to pass the course. I did study hard, however I received 17.89 on the final. After the final exam was bell curved, we required an 18/40 to pass. I am 0.11 from passing this course. I believe that this question deserves at least a 2/3 based on my answer. Because of the importance of this, I respectfully ask that you review my answer. Thank you for the opportunity to explain.