Assignments
and Grading
The Effect of Grades
Before Grades
After Grades
The Grading Problem
• No Standards
 You have to set the standards
 You are responsible for your own grading
Assignments and Exams
• Should link to course objectives
 Should allow you to see whether students are meeting goals
• Make a Course Calendar
 Check exams and assignments against objectives
• Offer assignment variety
• Have writing assignments
 Exam test questions
 Two column – problem solution in column 1, explanation in column 2
• Be Creative – maybe give a taste of professional life
 May need to break large assignments into chunks
• Include precise instructions
Example of Creative
Assignments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Advertisement
Briefing paper or “white paper”
Budget with rationale
Client report for an agency
Court brief
Diary of a fictional or real historical character
Executive summary
Instructional manual
Letter to the editor
Regulations, laws, rules
Research proposal addressed to a granting agency
Review of book, play, exhibit
Taxonomy of set of categories
Make sure you give
precise instructions
Late Work
• Penalties
o Give them a taste of professional life
• No Penalties
o Assignments should be learning experiences, not performances
• Year 1 – establish a policy and stick to it
• Year 2 – revisit your policy
Evaluating Assignments
• Save the pen
o Announce common errors in class and not on each students paper
o You may be able to simply give a number or letter on the paper
• Make a rubric
o
o
o
o
o
Establishes priorities – might even help your teaching
Tends to make grading consistent
Saves time
Share the rubric with the students
Let experience guide rubric revisions
Assigning Grades
• DON’T CURVE
o Traditionally a curve is to establish the numbers of A’s, B’s, etc. by some
standard, like the normal curve
• What is all students deserve an A?
o Today many students mean “give me points I haven’t earned”
Letter Grades
• How many divisions are there?
o Here we use A, B, C, D, F
o Assign each division a point value (F = 0, D = 1, C= 2, B = 3, A = 4)
• Next assign weights to the assignments
o Tests (Three)
o Papers (Two)
o Presentation
50% (15%, 15%, 20%)
40% (20%, 20%)
10%
• Sarah gets the following grades
o Tests: B, C, B
o Papers: C, C
o Presentations: B
Letter Grades (cont’d)
• Convert to numerical value
o Tests: 3, 2, 3
o Papers: 2, 2
o Presentation: 3
• Apply weights
o
o
o
o
o
Tests: .15*3; .15*2; .20*3  .45; .30; .60  Sum = 1.35
Papers: .20*2; .20*2  .40; .40  Sum .80
Presentation: .10*3  .30
Net sum is 2.45
Convert back into a letter grade (round down to C or round up to B)
Total Points
• Generate a scale (say we assign a total of 1000 pts)
o
o
o
o
o
A
B
C
D
F
900 – 1000
800 – 890
700 – 790
600 – 690
< 600
• Assign points/assignment
o Tests: 150, 150, 200
o Papers: 200, 200
o Presentation: 100
• Just add up total points and consult the conversion
table.
• Having so many points allows for fine divisions
Norm’s System
Lecture
% of Lecture
% of Course
Exams (equally weighted)
75
52.5
D2L Review Quizzes
10
7.5
MA Homework
10
7.5
Participation
10
7.5
Lab
Exercises
% of Lab
% of Course
75
18.75
25
6.25
(11 labs + Obs.)
Lab Final
A 90 – 105
B 80 – 89
C 70 – 79
D 60 – 69
F < 60
Summary
Total value
Letters/
Percentages
Points
earned
(Raw)
Grade
earned
Test l
15%
Test 2
15%
Final
exam
20%
Paper 1
20%
Paper 2
20%
Presentation
10%
6
7
3
9
8
6
.9
B
1.05
B+
.6
C
1.8
A
1.6
A-
.6
B
Final
grade
6.55
B to
B+
Total value
Total Points: Amount
1000
earned
Grade
earned
150
150
200
200
200
100
127
132
148
190
182
85 =
864
B
B+
C
A
A
B
B to
B+
Total value
Total Points: Amount
100
earned
Grade
earned
15
15
20
20
20
10
13
13
15
19
18
8.5 =
86.5
B/B+
B/B+
C
A
A-
B
B to
B+
Notes
• Grading should support learning not justifying your
grade
• Make grading transparent
• Comments on paper should be constructive
• Return work promptly