Pass/Fail Assessments
We are currently teaching one course with a Pass/Fail assessment. It is interesting in that the students either excel in their final project or not, almost in step with the Pass/Fail concept. I think that this is a type of assessment that would not work well with all courses or subjects and seems to be extremely difficult when it comes time to determine a student's grade.
Hi Margaret- Thanks for your post to the forum. Having a comprehensive grading rubric is essential to achieve grading with limited subjectivity. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
The difficult part of this type of assessment is when there needs to be a grade associated to the task beyond pass/fail. Can lean toward subjectivity but is often a more true reflection of how the student is doing overall.
Some projects have to be pass/fail with technical training. After a certain point of instruction students have to be able to complete an assignment. They generally have many oppourtunities to practice before the pass/fail is applied, but without demostrating they are able to do certain things, we can't certify them.
HI Jeffrey- Test taking strategy courses always stress skipping over a question you are not sure of. I try to drill that into my students but, as you mention, sometimes they just fall apart. Best wishes - Susan
I agree with you. One thing that I have notice with our students when given a pass/fail test is that they seem all geared up and ready for it; however, if they seem to get stumped on just one question (even if they get the answer correctly) they seem to fall apart and not focus as they should during the rest of the exam.
