Assignments and Grading

The Effect of Grades

After Grades

Before Grades

The Grading Problem• No Standards

You have to set the standards

You are responsible for your own grading

Assignments and Exams

• Should link to course objectives Should allow you to see whether students are meeting goals

• Make a Course Calendar Check exams and assignments against objectives

• Offer assignment variety• Have writing assignments

Exam test questions Two column – problem solution in column 1, explanation in column 2

• Be Creative – maybe give a taste of professional life May need to break large assignments into chunks

• Include precise instructions

Example of Creative Assignments

• Advertisement• Briefing paper or “white paper”• Budget with rationale• Client report for an agency• Court brief• Diary of a fictional or real historical character• Executive summary• Instructional manual• Letter to the editor• Regulations, laws, rules• Research proposal addressed to a granting agency• Review of book, play, exhibit• Taxonomy of set of categories

Make sure you give precise instructions

Late Work• Penalties

o Give them a taste of professional life

• No Penaltieso Assignments should be learning experiences, not performances

• Year 1 – establish a policy and stick to it• Year 2 – revisit your policy

Evaluating Assignments

• Save the peno Announce common errors in class and not on each students papero You may be able to simply give a number or letter on the paper

• Make a rubrico Establishes priorities – might even help your teachingo Tends to make grading consistento Saves timeo Share the rubric with the studentso Let experience guide rubric revisions

Assigning Grades• DON’T CURVE

o Traditionally a curve is to establish the numbers of A’s, B’s, etc. by some standard, like the normal curve• What is all students deserve an A?

o Today many students mean “give me points I haven’t earned”

Letter Grades• How many divisions are there?

o Here we use A, B, C, D, Fo Assign each division a point value (F = 0, D = 1, C= 2, B = 3, A = 4)

• Next assign weights to the assignmentso Tests (Three) 50% (15%, 15%, 20%)o Papers (Two) 40% (20%, 20%)o Presentation 10%

• Sarah gets the following gradeso Tests: B, C, Bo Papers: C, Co Presentations: B

Letter Grades (cont’d)• Convert to numerical value

o Tests: 3, 2, 3o Papers: 2, 2o Presentation: 3

• Apply weightso Tests: .15*3; .15*2; .20*3 .45; .30; .60 Sum = 1.35o Papers: .20*2; .20*2 .40; .40 Sum .80o Presentation: .10*3 .30o Net sum is 2.45o Convert back into a letter grade (round down to C or round up to B)

Total Points• Generate a scale (say we assign a total of 1000

pts)o A 900 – 1000o B 800 – 890o C 700 – 790o D 600 – 690o F < 600

• Assign points/assignmento Tests: 150, 150, 200o Papers: 200, 200o Presentation: 100

• Just add up total points and consult the conversion table.

• Having so many points allows for fine divisions

Norm’s SystemLecture % of Lecture % of Course

Exams (equally weighted)

75 52.5

D2L Review Quizzes 10 7.5

MA Homework 10 7.5

Participation 10 7.5

Lab % of Lab % of Course

Exercises 75 18.75

(11 labs + Obs.)

Lab Final 25 6.25A 90 – 105 B 80 – 89 C 70 – 79 D 60 – 69 F < 60

Summary   

Test l Test 2Finalexam

Paper 1 Paper 2

Presen-tation

Finalgrade

  Total value

15% 15% 20% 20% 20% 10%  

Letters/ Points earned

6 7 3 9 8 6  

Percentages

(Raw) .9 1.05 .6 1.8 1.6 .6 6.55

  Grade earned

B B + C A A- B B to

                B+

  Total value

150 150 200 200 200 100  

Total Points: 1000

Amount earned

127 132 148 190 182 85 = 864

  Grade earned

B B+ C A A B B to

                B +

  Total value

15 15 20 20 20 10  

Total Points: 100

Amount earned

13 13 15 19 18 8.5 = 86.5

  Grade earned

B/B+ B/B+ C A A- B B to

                B+

Notes• Grading should support learning not justifying

your grade• Make grading transparent• Comments on paper should be constructive• Return work promptly