Comments on: Grading Policy http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/ falling indelibly into the past Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:01:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Dafina Girl http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-285 Dafina Girl Mon, 21 Aug 2006 19:47:49 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-285 <p>That’s awesome. </p> That’s awesome.

]]> By: Mathias Klang http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-284 Mathias Klang Sun, 20 Aug 2006 06:51:04 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-284 <p>Thanks for the advice. I will probably not grade each entry as such but rather make it a requirement that the students post at least three times a week. I also agree that there must be a word count. Mostly to avoid all the questions if this is left open. <br /> thanks! </p> Thanks for the advice. I will probably not grade each entry as such but rather make it a requirement that the students post at least three times a week. I also agree that there must be a word count. Mostly to avoid all the questions if this is left open.

thanks!

]]> By: Lorne Olfman http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-283 Lorne Olfman Sun, 20 Aug 2006 01:40:59 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-283 <p>Mathias: I think it is a good idea to try blogs. I use them as a kind of personal journal. My guidelines a pretty simplistic, namely, to get full points the entries must be at least 250 words, must be relevant to the course, and must not just restate ideas from class or readings. I do not give grades for blog comments, but it would probably be a good idea . I try to make a meaningful, though usually short comment on every entry. </p> Mathias: I think it is a good idea to try blogs. I use them as a kind of personal journal. My guidelines a pretty simplistic, namely, to get full points the entries must be at least 250 words, must be relevant to the course, and must not just restate ideas from class or readings. I do not give grades for blog comments, but it would probably be a good idea . I try to make a meaningful, though usually short comment on every entry.

]]> By: Mathias Klang http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-282 Mathias Klang Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:25:03 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-282 <p>I know what you mean. I teach computer ethics at a technical university. Most see come into my course with the basic idea that it’s going to be easy since they do not have to program. Despite warnings in the begining that I have no problem failing people they still seem to think that handing in a bad final essay should count as a pass grade. </p> <p> This term I am going to test blogs by requiring my students to blog. Actually I wrote a post about this earlier today. <br /> <a href="http://www.ituniv.se/~klang/wrote/2006/08/19/blog-for-credits/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ituniv.se/~klang/wrote/2006/08/19/blog-for-credits/</a> </p> <p> Any tips about students blogging as part of the course are hightly appreciated. </p> I know what you mean. I teach computer ethics at a technical university. Most see come into my course with the basic idea that it’s going to be easy since they do not have to program. Despite warnings in the begining that I have no problem failing people they still seem to think that handing in a bad final essay should count as a pass grade.

This term I am going to test blogs by requiring my students to blog. Actually I wrote a post about this earlier today.

http://www.ituniv.se/~klang/wrote/2006/08/19/blog-for-credits/

Any tips about students blogging as part of the course are hightly appreciated.

]]> By: Lorne http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-281 Lorne Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:58:46 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-281 <p>I am very specific about my grading policy. I provide a rubric for each assignment (paper, exercise, class participation, project,exam, etc.). All of this adds up to 1000. There is always some discretionary aspect, which allows me not have to designate every damn point. It probably sounds like I am a control freak, but I find it makes grading really easy and effectively eliminates complaints, and lets students know exactly what it will take to achieve each grade level. I admit it can be a lot of work if there are lots of assignments and/or students. I used to include a statement saying “if you do excellent work and attend all classes you will earn an ‘A’ grade.” It was meant to say “I don’t grade on a curve.” </p> I am very specific about my grading policy. I provide a rubric for each assignment (paper, exercise, class participation, project,exam, etc.). All of this adds up to 1000. There is always some discretionary aspect, which allows me not have to designate every damn point. It probably sounds like I am a control freak, but I find it makes grading really easy and effectively eliminates complaints, and lets students know exactly what it will take to achieve each grade level. I admit it can be a lot of work if there are lots of assignments and/or students. I used to include a statement saying “if you do excellent work and attend all classes you will earn an ‘A’ grade.” It was meant to say “I don’t grade on a curve.”

]]> By: Jason http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-280 Jason Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:31:32 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-280 <p>Agreed that minimal effort wouldn’t meet the terms of an assignment, but students might perceive that it would if told that a B+ is theirs to lose. Students at instutitions such as ours have acheived at high levels for years, and many believe its less due to their efforts and more because it is in their nature - one grade-bickerer once flatly told me “I am an A student” as factual rationale for why she didn’t deserve a B. (I was tempted to offer an argument as to why such identity categories are not internal essences but rather manifestations of performative social utterances of external behaviors, but I doubted she’d appreciate me justifying her grade with poststructuralist theory… anyone know Judith Butler’s grading policy?) I fear anything that encourages a sense that they are entitled to a decent grade before actually accomplishing anything in the course. </p> Agreed that minimal effort wouldn’t meet the terms of an assignment, but students might perceive that it would if told that a B+ is theirs to lose. Students at instutitions such as ours have acheived at high levels for years, and many believe its less due to their efforts and more because it is in their nature - one grade-bickerer once flatly told me “I am an A student” as factual rationale for why she didn’t deserve a B. (I was tempted to offer an argument as to why such identity categories are not internal essences but rather manifestations of performative social utterances of external behaviors, but I doubted she’d appreciate me justifying her grade with poststructuralist theory… anyone know Judith Butler’s grading policy?) I fear anything that encourages a sense that they are entitled to a decent grade before actually accomplishing anything in the course.

]]> By: KF http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-279 KF Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:19:06 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-279 <p>I wonder if this is a matter of how we’re defining “minimal effort,” Jason.  For me, minimal effort wouldn’t result in a successful meeting of the terms of an assignment, at least not if it were obvious to me that the effort had been minimal.  It’s possible that you may be right—that this policy may result in my students doing less and being content with a B+—but my one-semester sample thus far doesn’t suggest that that’s so.  (It’s also possible that this is a campus-culture issue, but I’m not sure exactly how I’d describe that.) </p> I wonder if this is a matter of how we’re defining “minimal effort,” Jason.  For me, minimal effort wouldn’t result in a successful meeting of the terms of an assignment, at least not if it were obvious to me that the effort had been minimal.  It’s possible that you may be right—that this policy may result in my students doing less and being content with a B+—but my one-semester sample thus far doesn’t suggest that that’s so.  (It’s also possible that this is a campus-culture issue, but I’m not sure exactly how I’d describe that.)

]]> By: Jason Mittell http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-278 Jason Mittell Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:09:08 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-278 <p>I disagree with the idea of a default grade - grades are based on work accomplished. (If at the beginning of the semester they’ve done no work, then they start with an F1) While in practice an “average” performance may be a B+ (more like a B for my criteria), I avoid any situation that suggests “grade entitlement” and rather frame assessment as related to what was actually done, rather than what was “lost” or “failed.” You hand in a paper that meets the assignment but doesn’t excel, you get a B; you excel, you get an A (or you fall short of the assignment, you get a C). I’d be afraid that the statement posted here would result in students happily doing minimal effort and expecting a B+ (which I wouldn’t give for minimal effort). </p> I disagree with the idea of a default grade - grades are based on work accomplished. (If at the beginning of the semester they’ve done no work, then they start with an F1) While in practice an “average” performance may be a B+ (more like a B for my criteria), I avoid any situation that suggests “grade entitlement” and rather frame assessment as related to what was actually done, rather than what was “lost” or “failed.” You hand in a paper that meets the assignment but doesn’t excel, you get a B; you excel, you get an A (or you fall short of the assignment, you get a C). I’d be afraid that the statement posted here would result in students happily doing minimal effort and expecting a B+ (which I wouldn’t give for minimal effort).

]]> By: KF http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-277 KF Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:02:05 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-277 <p>The B+ is my default “you have successfully completed the terms of the assignment” grade; anything higher requires something more, some spark of interest or insight, something that goes a bit beyond my most basic expectations for completeness and clarity.  That it falls at B+ is probably evidence of my contribution to grade inflation, but I mostly want to be honest here about the ways that I actually grade, rather than the ways I wish I did, I guess. </p> The B+ is my default “you have successfully completed the terms of the assignment” grade; anything higher requires something more, some spark of interest or insight, something that goes a bit beyond my most basic expectations for completeness and clarity.  That it falls at B+ is probably evidence of my contribution to grade inflation, but I mostly want to be honest here about the ways that I actually grade, rather than the ways I wish I did, I guess.

]]> By: New Kid on the Hallway http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/grading-policy/#comment-276 New Kid on the Hallway Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:27:14 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=132#comment-276 <p>Hmmm. How did you come up with the idea that they come in with a default B+? Just curious! </p> Hmmm. How did you come up with the idea that they come in with a default B+? Just curious!

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