Patrick Obi Qualifier

This study examines grade inflation in PHY 303K (Engineering Physics I) at the University of Texas at Austin, analyzing 402 course sections across fifteen years (2011-2025). Using a dataset that merges university grade distribution records with grading policy variables extracted from over 100 course syllabi, we characterize historical trends in grade outcomes, identify structural mechanisms driving those trends, and establish the timing of significant grading shifts. Analyses employ simple and multiple linear regression, one-way ANOVA, and five convergent breakpoint detection methods: segmented regression, the Chow test, PELT, bent-cable regression, and joinpoint regression. Findings are interpreted within a signaling framework, treating grades as institutional signals whose informational value may strengthen or erode over time. Planned analyses will further examine the decoupling of course grades from exam-based performance and extend comparisons to related STEM gateway courses.