15 January 2008
alternative grading systems
I'm trying a different grading system in a reading-intensive course I'm teaching this semester. I've adapted a sort of "step" model grading structure sometimes used in self-directed learning. Basically, I let the students choose the level of engagement they want to in terms of choosing the grade they will strive for. So, for example, students who wish to earn an "A" will have to, among other things, turn in reading notes every class period. (This assignment simply asks them to type a summary of that day's reading, quote a favorite/exciting/troubling passage or two, and provide optional commentary). Students wishing to earn Bs or Cs still have to turn some of these in, just not one every day. 50% of the class did not do it for the first reading assignment, essentially conceding during the second week that they do not wish to earn an A for this course. I did not expect that right at the beginning of the semester. There may be a lesson here. I hope I am patient enough to figure out what that lesson is.
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5 comments:
I'm not sure I really understand how this system is so different from traditional assignments, except to give students the feeling that you're not going to be disappointed with them if they don't do all of the work. Is the difference that you don't care so much about the content of their work, as long as they do it? (Sounds like you're grading them on whether they hand it in or not.)
I was probably unclear. They have to do the work satisfactorily, so content is important (it just isn't difficult to see if the content is correct: do they summarize the argument, do they quote a passage?). These exercises encourage engaged/active reading, and provide a simple, structured model for doing so. The "step model" states that they have to do all of them in order to earn an A as a final course grade. Half of them did not do the first one, and so cannot earn an A in the course. I'm not disappointed, just surprised.
I get the difference from the regular grading - it seems to make students more accountable for what they're putting into the class, or more conscious of it. (Doing all the "A" engagement assignments doesn't necessarily guarantee an A, does it? It's just an indication of how much you've consciously engaged in the class?)
What I wonder is if some of those 50% will turn around at the semester and want to make up the assignment they missed...
I'm wondering... do they believe you? I have a feeling that at least some of them will expect an A even without doing the assignments for an A.
new kid, they will have another one due today, and 22 more throughout the semester. This is a daily exercise. If they want to make it up today, B*, I'd be pretty flexible about that. But if someone does the work relevant for January 14th class discussion sometime in March, they missed the point of it, which was to encourage them to be prepared to engage in discussion (even if they aren't talking). Also, the grading system is based on several options and different types of assignments, not just being prepared for discussion. "If you want to earn an A, you must do a, b, c, and d. If you want to earn a B, you must do something slightly less. etc."
The point for me, is that the course in question (an upper-level elective with some of the most challenging concepts and readings in our major) has all of its intellectual benefits in doing regular work. For some classes, I don;t care if someone only comes to exams and is able to get a good grade. This class doesn't have any exams. It is foremost a discussion class, and I wanted to figure out a way to reward people for doing the work and participating; that is, for people to earn their grade based on being oriented to the learning process instead of a knowledge product.
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