Is grading on a curve fair?

Question

I just finished a college physics class with 81.4% of the possible points. I thought I had done well as it was a tough class. I found out that I got a C because the majority of the class did well. However, the professor failed to take into account that half of the class dropped out before the end. My grade was being compared to those who were already excelling and most had taken physics before. (Before the class thinned out, I was doing better than the average.) From my past college experience, it seemed that teachers graded on a curve to help out those who might be struggling with a difficult course. It seems like this time, the curve didn't benifit anyone, but penalized average/good students. Can any college profs or teachers tell me if I'm just being whiney or if it's not fair. By the way, this is community college, not university.

Answer 1

Fair?  Yes, as long as there isn't something in the course syllabus that says 81.4% isn't a C.

Right?  No.  I taught a college class last semester where students achieved much higher scores than I expected, and higher than previous classes achieved.  I handed out a lot more A's and B's.  To me, the material I teach sets the grade scale, not the students's scores.  I have used a curve to improve grades when I thought the material was too hard, but not just to fit a population to some pre-conceived grade distribution.

Answer 2

Anything done impartially for all students across the board is fair.