Assessment and Feedback
Intro to College Teaching 2
November 14, 2007
Esther Leibovich (Ecology & Evolution)
& Lara Pudwell (Mathematics)
What is Assessment?
• the process of documenting, usually in
measurable terms, knowledge, skills, and
the like
• the process of determining how well course
goals have been achieved
• important both for students and for the
instructor
Assessment topics
• Grades
– Purpose
– Grading philosophies
– Grading non-written
assignments
• Non-graded assessment
• Giving Feedback
• Detecting Cheating
• Grading Variations
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Self-assessment
Peer-Assessment
Contract grading
Grading Penalties
Extra Credit
Curving
What do we use grades for?
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To motivate students
To reward effort
To help students successfully
identify good work
To punish students for lack of effort
To rank students for higher-level courses or grad
school
To inform the teacher about what students have and
have not learned
Most importantly, we use grades to communicate the
extent of student learning (how well they have
achieved the course objectives)
Grading Philosophies
• How do your grading policies motivate your
students?
– “whip technique” pushes students to learn
based on a fear of receiving a poor grade
(grade-centric)
– “carrot technique” encourages students to earn
the reward of a good grade (learning-centered)
• Are grades “given” or “earned”?
Frequency of assessment
• Assess student learning as frequently as possible!
– The more grades you have, the more reliable the overall final
grade will be.
• If you start early, you show your students that you are
serious and expect them to keep up all along.
– Start early to measure comprehension, then later test recall and
interpretation.
• Early and frequent assessments also allow you to monitor
whether you are teaching effectively.
• Early and frequent assessments allow you to better adjust
your teaching and your students’ study strategies.
Other assessment considerations
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What goals are being assessed?
Reasonable limits of time required.
Flexibility?
Frequency?
Using Rubrics
Writing Rubrics and Keys
• Forces instructor to consider what goals are
being tested
• Can give students a sense of justice about
their grades
• May include partial credit
Non-written assignments
• Examples of non-written assignments include but
are not limited to:
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Debates
Presentations (individual and group)
Leading discussions
Oral exams
Conversations and class discussions
• While designing oral assignments, it is important
to consider how you intend to grade them.
Grading non-written assignments
• As with written assignments, be clear with your
students about what you expect. Let them know
what your grading criteria will be, and include a
rubric if possible.
• Decide what criteria you will use to assign
grades, such as: clarity, content, organization,
delivery, etc.
• On the class sakai website, we have included a
list of websites that have sample rubrics and
more guidelines for grading these types of
assignments.
Class Participation
• Should class attendance and participation play a
role in final grade determination?
– Why might a teacher want to include attendance and
participation in a grading scheme?
– What problems might arise as a result?
• How else to motivate
students without using
grades?
Sample rubric for grading non-written assignments
Ideas for non-graded assessment
• Attendance quizzes
• Have students present problems/mini
discussions in class
• Participation in web forums (e.g. Sakai)
• Maintain an interactive classroom
• Minute papers, quizzes
Giving Feedback
• Grading as a dialogue…
– Positive comments do more than stroke fragile
egos. Tell them what you liked and why.
– Negative comments should be accompanied
by suggestions for improvement.
Feedback can…
• Give suggestions for
improvement
• Explain mistakes
• Focus on level of
critical analysis
• Focus on argument
• Focus on overall
impressions
• Tell what has been
done badly
• Focus on subject
matter
• Correct mistakes
• Tell the grade
• Focus on use of
supporting evidence
The Teaching Professor, June/July 2002, p. 3
5 characteristics of unhelpful
feedback
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Uses technical language
Difficult to read
Not enough info to be helpful
Too impersonal
Too general or vague
The Teaching Professor, June/July 2002, p. 3
10 Characteristics of Effective
Feedback
• Solicited
• Attentive, Caring, and
Respectful
• Collaborative
• Well-timed
• Clear and direct
• Specific
• Directed at behavior
the person can change
• Focused on a limited
range of behavior at a
time
• Rounded or balanced
• Provides direction for
improvement
The Teaching Professor, December 2003, p. 5
Teaching Through Comments
(Adapted from Filene Appendix 8.1)
• Identify strengths. How can strengths be used to repair weaknesses?
• Identify the biggest problems.
• Try to phrase questions so they cannot just be answered with “yes” or
“no”
• Avoid identifying problems without suggesting ways to repair them.
• When something is good, explain why.
• Avoid doing the students’ work for them. Let them make the
corrections.
• Minimize comments in the margins. Try to put most writing into a
succinct well-thought-out comment at the end.
• Be kind. Assume the students have tried their best.
• Keep notes for yourself about the students’ performance (strengths
and weaknesses) or keep a copy of your comments so you can track
progress over time.
Detecting/Responding to
Cheating
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Make standards clear ahead of time.
Google suspicious work.
Build an airtight case.
Don’t let students get away with it.
Consult the Rutgers Policy on Academic
Integrity at
(http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html)
The Teaching Professor, August/September 2004, p. 3
Self-Assessment and PeerAssessment
• Pros
– Students discover their
own mistakes
– Reinforces student
learning
– Immediate feedback
– May reduce studentteacher conflict and
student anxiety
• Cons
– Possibility of cheating
– Grade inflation
College Teaching, Vol 55, No. 2 (Spring 2007), p. 72-76
Contract Grading
• Alternate form of grading with the goal of putting
learning more in students’ hands
• Students and professors agree
on an individualized “contract”
at the start of the semester
concerning grades, weighting of grades, etc.
• Grades may depend on effort rather than
comprehension.
• Pushes students to evaluate personal strengths
and weaknesses
• May require more effort from instructor
Grading Penalties
• Be clear and consistent about grading policies.
Include them in your course syllabus.
• Many teachers also explain policies for
delinquency, such as penalties for late work,
missing exams, and poor attendance.
– Many teachers feel that laying out penalties for every
foreseeable infraction ahead of time gives students
control over their own behavior because they are
aware of the consequences. Others feel that this shows
a fear of “losing control” of one’s students.
Extra Credit
• Considerations:
– Is this going to help your students present you
with evidence that they have achieved course
objectives?
– Does the assignment encourage grade-centered
or learning-centered study?
– Is this assignment being offered to all
students?
• Grade insurance
To Curve or not to Curve?
• Curving grades involves comparing
students to each other.
– There are many different ways to curve grades.
• Grading without a curve bases grades on a
predetermined set of standards.
– When you set standards, be sure to be clear and
communicate to your students what they are!
Your assignment
• Review your course syllabus:
– Are your grading policies clearly stated?
– How do you plan to grade different types of
assignments and activities you have included?
– Consider what values your grading policies convey to
students.
• Next class: November 28:
– Bring in polished copy of syllabus, and any other
assignments, lectures, etc. you have prepared. This
will be handed in.
– Be prepared to describe your class and spend 5
minutes telling about your favorite course innovations.
– Post your course syllabus to Sakai.