Brenna Curley (Moravian University), Adam Loy (Carleton College), Eric Reyes (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)
Abstract
"Traditional grading schemes award points on each assignment and course grades are determined through a weighted average of those points. This can lead to students asking questions like “what do I need to do to get an A in this course?” when we really want students to focus on the learning and not the points. Non-traditional grading seeks to redefine the relationship between grading and learning by realigning grades with course activities. In this workshop, we will discuss the key components of non-traditional grading schemes and provide participants with a foundation for implementing a non-traditional system in their course.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the key characteristics of non-traditional grading systems.
- Identify hurdles students and faculty may encounter with non-traditional grading systems.
- Practice writing measurable learning outcomes for one topic of a course or specifications for one assignment.
- Make significant progress toward the construction of a system for one of their courses (or assignments) via a scaffolded interactive activity
Participants will want to bring a current syllabus and example assignments from a course they would like to discuss. This will be helpful for converting current materials to a non-traditional framework. This could be electronic (encouraged to bring a tablet or laptop) or a hard copy they prefer to markup.
No prior knowledge is necessary; however, participants will benefit from having identified a particular course they would like to focus on during the workshop."