The following appeared in a memorandum from a dean at Omega University.
"Fifteen years ago, Omega University implemented a new procedure that encouraged
students to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of all their professors. Since that time, Omega
professors have begun to assign higher grades in their classes, and overall student grade
averages at Omega have risen by thirty percent. Potential employers apparently believe the
grades at Omega are inflated; this would explain why Omega graduates have not been as
successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its
graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should now terminate student evaluation of
professors."
In the stated memo Omega University dean recommended that Omega University should now terminate student evaluation of professors for its graduates to secure better jobs. To strengthen his argument, the dean also provided some facts that potential employers apparently believe the grades at Omega are inflated and as a result of that Omega's students have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. Though the recommendation is appealing, meticulous peruse reveals that the argument stands on some gratuitous assumptions.
Firstly, the dean states that potential employers apparently believe that the grades at Omega are inflated. In stating that evidence, the dean assumed that grades are inflated solely because of student evaluation of the professors and did not provided any further evidences in regarding this assumption. It may be the case that student's grades are inflated because of other factors. Perhaps, students cheated on exam. It may possible that questions of the courses were easy, hence student got high grades. Without ruling out the possible scenarios stated above, it would be fallacious to accept the dean's recommendation.
Secondly, the author of the memo pointed out that graduates of Omega did not get a job only because of their inflated grades. In assuming that the dean did not provide any promising evidences which could strengthen the argument. Even if students grades are inflated because of student evaluation procedure, it is surely possible that the students do not get better job because of other factors. It may be their lack of skills. May be the what the students have learnt from Omega differs the requirements of employers. If it is the case, then the dean's recommendation will not be fruitful for the betterment of the graduates in getting better jobs.
Finally, the dean, in the memo, made comparison of the Omega's students with that of Alpha, a nearby University. Here, the author, fallaciously, assumed that Alpha University is same as Omega in other, unstated, criteria in getting better job. But it may not be the case. It is entirely probable that Alpha differs from Omega. Perhaps, Alpha has a policy for the students to get a better job. It may be the case that Omega does not emphasize on getting better job. Perhaps, Omega's professor just teaches perfunctorily than that of Alpha. If the above facts are true, the dean's argument will not hold the water.
In conclusion, the dean's argument is fallacious because of some unsubstantiated assumptions. To better strengthen his argument, the dean must provide evidences in regarding scenarios stated above. To evaluate the dean's recommendation, I would need to analyze that (1) the grades are inflated only because of the students evaluation procedure, (2) because of inflated grades students do not get better jobs and (3) Alpha University is same as Omega University in other criteria of getting better jobs.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 13 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 7 2
No. of Sentences: 26 15
No. of Words: 476 350
No. of Characters: 2419 1500
No. of Different Words: 170 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.671 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.082 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.756 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 189 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 145 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 101 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 63 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 18.308 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 10.25 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.615 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.337 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.491 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.084 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 244, Rule ID: DID_BASEFORM[1]
Message: The verb 'did' requires the base form of the verb: 'provide'
Suggestion: provide
...valuation of the professors and did not provided any further evidences in regarding this...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 600, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'deans'' or 'dean's'?
Suggestion: deans'; dean's
...e, it would be fallacious to accept the deans recommendation. Secondly, the autho...
^^^^^
Line 5, column 432, Rule ID: HE_VERB_AGR[8]
Message: The proper name in singular (May) must be used with a third-person verb: 'is'.
Suggestion: is
...rs. It may be their lack of skills. May be the what the students have learnt from ...
^^
Line 5, column 547, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'deans'' or 'dean's'?
Suggestion: deans'; dean's
... employers. If it is the case, then the deans recommendation will not be fruitful for...
^^^^^
Line 7, column 247, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ted, criteria in getting better job. But it may not be the case. It is entirely p...
^^
Line 7, column 572, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'deans'' or 'dean's'?
Suggestion: deans'; dean's
...Alpha. If the above facts are true, the deans argument will not hold the water. I...
^^^^^
Line 9, column 20, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'deans'' or 'dean's'?
Suggestion: deans'; dean's
... hold the water. In conclusion, the deans argument is fallacious because of some ...
^^^^^
Line 9, column 64, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...s argument is fallacious because of some unsubstantiated assumptions. To better s...
^^
Line 9, column 215, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'deans'' or 'dean's'?
Suggestion: deans'; dean's
...scenarios stated above. To evaluate the deans recommendation, I would need to analyze...
^^^^^
Line 9, column 312, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'students'' or 'student's'?
Suggestion: students'; student's
...grades are inflated only because of the students evaluation procedure, 2 because of infl...
^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, apparently, but, finally, first, firstly, hence, if, may, regarding, second, secondly, so, then, in conclusion, as a result
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 23.0 19.6327345309 117% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 14.0 12.9520958084 108% => OK
Conjunction : 4.0 11.1786427146 36% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 20.0 13.6137724551 147% => OK
Pronoun: 35.0 28.8173652695 121% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 57.0 55.5748502994 103% => OK
Nominalization: 17.0 16.3942115768 104% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2478.0 2260.96107784 110% => OK
No of words: 476.0 441.139720559 108% => OK
Chars per words: 5.20588235294 5.12650576532 102% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.67091256922 4.56307096286 102% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.83505737407 2.78398813304 102% => OK
Unique words: 185.0 204.123752495 91% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.388655462185 0.468620217663 83% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 791.1 705.55239521 112% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59920159681 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 8.0 4.96107784431 161% => OK
Article: 10.0 8.76447105788 114% => OK
Subordination: 4.0 2.70958083832 148% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.67365269461 60% => OK
Preposition: 9.0 4.22255489022 213% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 26.0 19.7664670659 132% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 22.8473053892 79% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 63.8537530232 57.8364921388 110% => OK
Chars per sentence: 95.3076923077 119.503703932 80% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.3076923077 23.324526521 78% => OK
Discourse Markers: 4.96153846154 5.70786347227 87% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 10.0 5.25449101796 190% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 10.0 8.20758483034 122% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 6.88822355289 102% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 9.0 4.67664670659 192% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.267057438134 0.218282227539 122% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0883897234931 0.0743258471296 119% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0791421006599 0.0701772020484 113% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.187812375873 0.128457276422 146% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0608151717112 0.0628817314937 97% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.3 14.3799401198 86% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 44.75 48.3550499002 93% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.5 12.197005988 94% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.94 12.5979740519 103% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.68 8.32208582834 92% => OK
difficult_words: 95.0 98.500998004 96% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 15.0 12.3882235529 121% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.2 11.1389221557 83% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.9071856287 109% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.