Grade inflation, which is defined as an increase in the average GPA of an institution over time without a corresponding increase in academic performance, is a concern for many colleges. The presence of grade inflation could be an indication of lowered academic standards over time. Suppose the following data show the average GPA for the student body at Newark College over the past several years. These data can also be found in the Excel file grade inflation.xlsx.

Year GPA Year GPA 2006 2.94 2010 2.85 2007 2.82 2011 3.08 2008 2.90 2012 3.15 2009 2.96 2013 3.10

a. Construct a graph showing the average GPA over time at Newark College.

b. Forecast the average GPA for the student body for 2014 using a trend projection.

c. Is there any indication that grade inflation is present at Newark College? Why or why not?

AppendixLO1