Grading
Do you think it is best to have the mean grade percentage of exams available for view to the entire class so that they can see what the overall grade was for everyone on an assignment?
Ramonica,
You may want to make sure students understand what you are providing but most LMS's will allow you to do that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In my opinion, this would be great. This in some way gives the student the motivation to want to do better than the average. I feel it will help all the way around.
John,
I agree with you. This semester I am not calling grading grading, I am calling it evaluation and I will provide them feedback. This is more inline with what happens in the real world. Students will be required to react to the feedback. I hope to change this culture of grading and just looking for a letter.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
John,
I do think it is up to the instructor to reach out to those students that are not meeting their expectations and talk about what they can do to meet it. Develop an improvement plan then work with it to meet the goal of the next assessment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
We could say that grading is a real life activity. They will in many organizations be evaluated on a continuing basis and will see how they a doing in comparison to their peers as well as their goals. Is real life activity a good goal in what we do?
Greetings all.
Many students are competitive. For this group it will be a great motivation tool . However, one item to consider is hat for the student who is struggling...being forced to face that they are constantly performing below average can be a major item that may make them give up. Has anyone seen this second group in a class?
Be awesome.
John
Raymond,
I don't quite know what this means. Why would fear be involved?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Yes, group feedback always starts a discussion based on knowledge vs fear.
Robert,
I would NEVER post grades of students so everyone will see. I do think there is value of posting median grade of the group.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe that from my position, each student's grade their business. If they choose to share it with others in the class...and the majority do....then that's their decision. At my school, years ago, I believe it was final grades that were posted for all to see. Anyway, we felt it shamed the students who didn't do well, and we stopped the practice.
Margaret,
I agree with you, there is value in letting students know how they compare to others particularly when they don't speak to the other students in the class.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
I agree with you. I teach the same type of students. I am trying to stop calling it grading but evaluating and I give students feedback. I am hoping to change the culture of "grading".
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think it may be beneficial to have mean grade percentages available for students at key points during the course, but not the final.
I think it is helpful to see how student stack up against each other but should not be the overall driver for the course.I think education is a personal experience, and folks should be expected to grow at their own pace.
Yes, I can relate. I teach first semester Freshmen as well as upper division Bachelors students. It is amazing the difference in maturity between those two groups. I am not sure what the answer is, I am a fairly new educator and struggle with helping students understand the impact of grades. One thing I always stress is that a poor grade means poor work, a poor portfolio which translates into smaller chance of employment.
Dawn,
Do we have weeks? :) I work with first semester students and they don't seem to understand the impact grades have; they wait then ask for extra credit (extra?) and/or what they can do to change it. Trying to have the conversations about this is frustrating until they realize they are in a hole they can't get out.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
I do use the mean and median as analytics to determine learning by students. I also look at weaknesses in the assessment. Did I ask a question wrong. Many LMS's will give you that information.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
That is a good strategy. It shows their grade in relationship to others. (and you are teaching math in the arts. That's crazy :))
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It is interesting the talk on financial aid and grades. I happen to agree that aid should be linked to student effort and motivation. At the same time if a student is struggling though, it is up to the Professor to start a conversation to help them before it gets too late. What do you guys think?
I agree with that. It is also a reflection on how poorly or how well we are doing as instructors. If the mean grade is a D, there is something wrong with how we taught the class at the same time it could give people the impression that they can continue to put in minimal effort if everyone is getting a poor grade.
