‘Grading’
Student and Faculty Expectations about Grades – Highlights from a Conversation
Feb. 3, 2011—by Derek Bruff, CFT Assistant Director Last week, the CFT hosted a conversation titled “Negotiating Student Expectations about Grades and Goals.” We’ve found that when students and faculty have very different expectations about teaching and learning, a variety of teaching challenges can result, frequently leading to frustration for both teachers and students. We’re planning to...
Tackling Grade Inflation through Data and Transparency
Dec. 31, 2010—by Derek Bruff, CFT Assistant Director The New York Times published an article earlier this week titled “A Quest to Explain What Grades Really Mean” that reports on efforts at a few schools, notably the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to tackle the problem of grade inflation. UNC-Chapel Hill sociologist Andrew Perrin is...
Episode 24 – Grading with Rigor
Oct. 28, 2010—In this episode, we feature comments edited from a discussion held by three panelists: Bonnie Dow Associate Professor and Chair, Communication Studies Ken Schriver Senior Lecturer, Physics & Astronomy Michelle Sulikowski Senior Lecturer, Chemistry http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/cftpodcast/ep24_rigor.mp3 [MP3, 20 min 57 sec] Each panelist talks about how they design and grade assessments that foster student learning and...
Tools for Grading – Sample Rubrics and Spreadsheets
Sep. 29, 2010—Below you’ll find the sample rubrics and Excel spreadsheets used in today’s Virtual Brownbag session, “Tools for Grading: Rubrics and Spreadsheets.” Example Rubric #1 – Research Paper – Winona State Example Rubric #2 – Opinion Paper – Derek Bruff Example Rubric #3 – Critical Thinking – Northeastern Illinois Sample Gradebook – Empty Sample Gradebook –...
9/29 Workshop: Tools for Grading: Rubrics and Spreadsheets
Sep. 22, 2010—Time & Date: 12:15 – 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 29 Location: Online Facilitators: Derek Bruff and Kat Baker, Assistant Directors, CFT Audience: Faculty, Graduate and Professional Students, Post-docs, and Staff Interested in learning some tips and tricks for grading more effectively and efficiently? In this Virtual Brownbag, CFT assistant directors Derek Bruff and Kat Baker will...
9/20 Workshop: Grading with Rigor
Sep. 13, 2010—Time & Date: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., Monday, September 20 Facilitator: Kat Baker, Assistant Director, CFT Audience: Faculty, Graduate and Professional Students, and Post-docs Panelists: Bonnie Dow, Communication Studies; Ken Schriver, Physics & Astronomy; and Michelle Sulikowski, Chemistry In this session, we will consider how to design and grade assessments that foster student learning and...
Grading in Red Ink a Bad Thing?
Sep. 10, 2010—According to a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology reported on NPR, instructors who grade with red pens tend to grade more harshly than instructors who grade using blue pens. Here’s Abraham Rutchick from Cal State-Northridge: And just before [the subjects] start, they’re given a pen with which to do the corrections and...
Grading Effectively and Efficiently
Aug. 23, 2010—Last week, CFT assistant director Derek Bruff facilitated a faculty workshop titled “Assessment of Student Learning: Grading Effectively and Efficiently.” During the workshop, the participants surfaced a few reasons why grading can be challenging, particularly in small classes and when grading student papers. Grading in Small Classes In a small class, students expect a lot...
8/19 Workshop – Assessment of Student Learning: Grading Effectively and Efficiently
Jul. 27, 2010—Time & Date: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Thursday, August 19th Facilitator: Derek Bruff, CFT Assistant Director Format: Teaching Workshop Location: Center for Teaching (1114 19th Avenue South, 3rd floor) Audience: New and Returning Faculty Whether the assignment is a semester-long project or a one-paragraph essay, student work should be assessed appropriately. That means aligning your...
Introduction to Rubrics: an assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning
May. 10, 2010—Introduction to Rubrics: an assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning, by Dannelle D. Stevens and Antonia Levi, Stylus Publishing, 2005. From the publisher: Research shows that rubrics save professors’ time while conveying meaningful and timely feedback for students, and promoting self-regulated and independent learning. The reason rubrics are...