tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post9075247211558709411..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: the meaning of gradesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-91141522364997895212010-12-27T23:25:53.307-05:002010-12-27T23:25:53.307-05:00I post a rubric/criteria sheet for what makes an A...I post a rubric/criteria sheet for what makes an A/B/C/D paper or journal entry. I post samples of "A" papers. When I give back graded papers (each of which has been marked in the margins to show errors as well as good things), there's a grade sheet attached, with the Higher Order Concerns (thesis, organization, etc.) and Lower Order Concerns (grammar, style, tone, etc.) mapped outBurntChromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055976331443607569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-80414486614430848412010-12-27T19:20:10.611-05:002010-12-27T19:20:10.611-05:00My students used to get fixated on stupid little t...<i>My students used to get fixated on stupid little things that were wrong with the D paper and couldn't see the forest for the trees.</i><br /><br />Ditto. I ask students to write a particular type of section for their reports that has a stereotyped format in the literature. What they need to do is go to the library database and look up half-a-dozen or ten examples of the section, then copy introvert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-86488179941336287302010-12-27T18:02:05.193-05:002010-12-27T18:02:05.193-05:00I think the grading war is over. We've lost it...I think the grading war is over. We've lost it.W.T. Pfefferlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522687306482305195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-62323710459792905402010-12-27T15:48:50.839-05:002010-12-27T15:48:50.839-05:00@Blackdog I have found that showing 4 different ex...@Blackdog I have found that showing 4 different examples of A work actually works better than showing a range - the A paper, the B paper and so on. My students used to get fixated on stupid little things that were wrong with the D paper and couldn't see the forest for the trees.<br /><br />I hope you report back on how the examples work for you.WhatLadderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11603489349164511704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-42618067789529777762010-12-27T15:25:47.311-05:002010-12-27T15:25:47.311-05:00Ugh, Blackdog. You've finished with those stu...Ugh, Blackdog. You've finished with those students. Why do you want to continue to see them next semester? Sounds like a lose/lose to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-13588773075246832062010-12-27T10:22:48.921-05:002010-12-27T10:22:48.921-05:00I try very hard to do what Lord Humungus suggests ...I try very hard to do what Lord Humungus suggests in terms of asking students to demonstrate competency. This is a bit tricky in my discipline where it's easier to encourage students to memorize random facts than it is to get them to master and apply disciplinary tools. They WANT to memorize random facts, too...they ASK for them. And I say "Geez, you COULD look that up. Why would you cmthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814447289455034068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-13579644180368350852010-12-27T06:23:24.545-05:002010-12-27T06:23:24.545-05:00the UNC chancellor characterizes those who have hi...<i>the UNC chancellor characterizes those who have high standards (chemists in his example) as grading harshly.</i><br /><br />The bloody bureaucrat probably has never had to work hard for an A in his life. What constitutes "harsh"? Keeping your course GPA on the C/B border, like I do -- and I get plenty of complaints about how hard it is? Not worrying about whether, in a given semesterintrovert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-33825050546600420012010-12-26T20:28:18.352-05:002010-12-26T20:28:18.352-05:00I don't like that the UNC chancellor character...I don't like that the UNC chancellor characterizes those who have high standards (chemists in his example) as grading harshly. He should've chosen his words more carefully.Addledhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06183335543901285718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64465703855055682622010-12-26T19:16:42.781-05:002010-12-26T19:16:42.781-05:00I'm all for it. I particularly like the idea ...I'm all for it. I particularly like the idea of posting grade distributions along with grades.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-71882810191167034842010-12-26T18:08:55.889-05:002010-12-26T18:08:55.889-05:00I how the normative assumption at the outset (&quo...I how the normative assumption at the outset ("An A should mean outstanding work") is stated as if it were unambiguous, much less true. I'll tell you what an A means in my class - it means that, in my judgment, the student has mastered the material as well as I could possibly expect and then some. What *that A* means to other people is a function of the reputation of my Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-87529558704051575272010-12-26T17:21:30.122-05:002010-12-26T17:21:30.122-05:00How's about going back to basics-grading based...How's about going back to basics-grading based on the objectives listed on the syllabus.<br />For example, in differential calculus, if a student can demonstrate an understanding of the derivative in an applications problem and what the significance of it is, that goes a long way towards demonstrating complete competence in the material. I tend to look at grading, especially when grading Lord Humungushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06139122988611858103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-71996704842462916192010-12-26T16:54:15.951-05:002010-12-26T16:54:15.951-05:00Why not add class rank with grade? If you get an A...Why not add class rank with grade? If you get an A but you're 10th in a class of 15, that gives you instant perspective.<br /><br />I read that article this morning with great interest, but it does seem like there should be a rationalizing equation that can add a "real value" to each grade by adding context of environment. Maybe Mathsquatch can write that equation...Academic Monkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07086078244493768565noreply@blogger.com