Objective Feedback
Hi Everyone!
There is always a certain element of subjectivity when it comes to the discussion board and students often feel that they may not be getting their due credit. As a student I sometimes felt that my grade should have been higher based on the assignment instructions, but there was "the instructor is always right" philosophy at the university. Ironically, now that I am a student again, I often get myself in trouble for questioning a grade. :) I think the problem is that instructional design has taught me how to quantify even the most softest of the soft sciences in the form of grading rubrics. I guess instructors can make the worst students sometimes. :)
But more to the point, rubrics protect both the instructor and the student. They allow for greater communication of knowledge between instructor and student. And provide a demonstrative, qualitative list of how knowledge and the course objectives have been passed from instructor to student and to what degree. In theory this is what grades should do, but grades are too vague, rubrics break it down to exactly what transpired. They also make for great educational diagnostics! Rubrics can help both the instructor and student determine where the student needs the most help. The ABA (or sandwich) method can really help here where we start off with what the student did right, explain what opportunities for improvement there are, and end on a positive note.
Perry,
Thank you for sharing this helpful process. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
This is an area that I have struggled with in the past. Giving objective feedback. One thing that has helped me tremendously that I started doing early this year was my rubrics. Now I know this is not different, but the way I laid it out is. The original rubrics was a generalization for each assignment. I have now broken it down for each assignment into manageable sections within an excel spreadsheet. I start out my objective grading praising students for what they have done correctly. Then if there is anything wrong, I note that later on. Finalize the posting with the excel spreadsheet and points for each section.
This does two things. I have given them everything up front for what I am expecting in the assignment. Two if they are unsatisfied with the grade, I have this to fall back on. Leaving no questions.
Regards
Perry
As long as rubrics are used, then the final grade will stand. Whenever a bad grade is given without supporting information, it can create problems for the instructor.
Christina,
These are all good points. Thank you for sharing. Yes, the sandwich is a tried and true response. Do you use it when you question your instructor's grading of your work? Just a thought...
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Christina,
You make some very important points in your post. I too have subjected myself to becoming a student again. In the absence of a rubric, there is a certain amount of ambiguity in assignments.
You mentioned how there is "the instructor is always right" philosophy. There are some instructors that uphold this philosophy and I believe that this creates a disconnect between the instructor and students. You cannot have an effective learning environment with this kind of disconnect. In a university setting, I do believe that we should be able to question especially if there is valid evidence to do so.
