I keep wanting to have this talk during class time, and it keeps slipping away. So let’s start the conversation here and continue when we are together.
I’d like to know what your thought are on a fair way to evaluate the work you do in this course. I’d like us to come up with a system that rewards effort and growth without feeling punitive and awful. I think we can do this, at least in small ways.
Take a few minutes to poke around this website about “ungrading,” a new movement in evaluating student work. It’s okay if you don’t agree with any of it! I just think it is useful background to this discussion: https://www.jessestommel.com/ungrading-an-faq/ Feel free to google “ungrading” for more ideas.
Some parts of the course I have to grade the way the department wants me to grade. The final exam, for instance, is graded using this rubric, usually by me and separately by another professor. Take a look at the rubric:
NEWGradingRubricSomething I like about that rubric is that technical writing skills — spelling, grammar, that kind of thing — is evaluated separately from other writing skills, like argumentation (that’s basically the “thesis” column) and organization. There are some writers who are excellent at that kind of thing but still developing when it comes to things like subject/verb agreement, and I like that this rubric recognizes that.
Something I dislike about this rubric is that a thesis must be “clearly articulated” in order for me to recognize that it is “thought-provoking.” I like to be able to recognize ambition even when it could use greater clarity — which happens a lot.
In past semesters, I have used that rubric for all the major papers, on the grounds that it’s important for students to get used to what it rewards in order to have the best chance to do well on the final, but I don’t really like how much that feels like “teaching to the test.” In addition, it’s definitely not a good rubric for things like blog comments! So here is what I would like you to think about and address in your comments on this post:
- What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
- Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
- How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
- Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
- If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
– What I notice about the rubric is that it still has the same set up as the rubrics I have seen all my life. What I like about the rubric is that there are multiple ways to ensure you get a good grade. Each category doesn’t have just one requisite it has multiple, which gives you a better chance at getting a higher grade.
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
– I think we should use this rubric for the final paper ONLY.
How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
– I think you should definitely get full credit if you do them on time. If you hand it in late I think you should deduct like 3-5 points per day. I think what makes a really good course participant is someone who not only does their assignments but engages with their peers. I think we should reward when someone is a good student, when they are excelling in all their work.
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
– I think it should be a little bit of both. I think if it’s a group assignment, we should determine the goals as a group. But if it’s an individual assignment , then it should be individually determined.
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
– There was this system that I liked in a previous english class where we have done something like this except we would create our own rubric as a group for each assignment. After every assignment the rubric would get a little more difficult each time. This gave us room to improve each time.
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
What I noticed at first is the similarity between this rubric and the ones that have been used before at my previous schools. I like how each grade’s criteria has several components, giving the students better chances at achieving a higher grade.
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
I believe it is a good rule of thumb for major papers. (Most definitely not for discussion board comments, as I still have yet to figure out how to properly format those…)
How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
Since blog comments are based on everyone’s own views, the only way to fairly evaluate them is by rewarding punctuality and “punishing” plagiarism. The idea of extra credit is always nice, as it’s a source of enthusiasm but since “good” is subjective I am not sure how it could be determined fairly. A good course participant is one who makes an effort. Even if their comments are not always the most thought-provoking, as long as they try to engage and are clearly doing the work, they deserve to be acknowledged.
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
I most definitely would be open to it. I am especially interested in self-assessment, as I believe it can actually be a great tool for professors who are interested in the background of each student’s own process.
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
Unfortunately, I only have experience with old fashioned grading systems, which I find greatly faulty. They hardly ever give an accurate reflection on a student’s actual knowledge, thoughts and ideas.
I think you raise a good point with punctuality but I would be really sorry for those who just made a typing error!
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
1. Just like other people are saying this format is very similar to those I’ve used in the past. It’s simple yet shows exactly what you need to do in order to receive the grade you desire.
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
2. I believe that this rubric would work really well with papers and essays. On the other hand, I feel like the rubric won’t mix with blog comments because it’s a different type of writing. Since you’re interacting and responding to other people.
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
3. I don’t mind group work but I also don’t mind working by myself. All in all, I agree with this one.
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
4. When I took English in high school we used a rubric JUST like this and it was really easy to follow and work with.
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
When I look at the rebric, I see what teachers and professsors use to grade papers. What I like about this is because is what to expect to be graded on. What I dislike about is that it may grade paper a little bit unfaur because it does make the description.
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
I think for just the major paper. If it used for all papers, it will not be the same because maybe it might be shorter.
How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
I do not think it will apply much for blog comments because we can answer formal or informal. We also have think if the comment is sent late or is plagiarized then the rebric can apply because we should answer it with our words. The commnent will get some points or no points.
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
I think it is a good idea. To have rubric for ourselves to see how much progress we make.
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
My experience is to just follow what and how you should write. I think it is pretty much the same. I think sometimes rubrics do not tell the whole story for students.
The only thing I noticed about the rubric was the fact that it looked like the ones used to grade me in high school, it’s a bit nostalgic I suppose. Personally, I’m not a fan of these rubrics and I’d love to go back to the days where I was graded between 55%-100%. The numeric grading gives me a more concise idea of where I am in terms of my grade and how much I need to do to fix it (if needed).
Now onto the blog comments, if we’re talking about a grade between 1-5 I think that an on time comment should get a 3. A clear and well thought out comment should get a 4 and a clear comment with a reply or two should get a 5.
Would I like to determine any goals for an assessment? I don’t think so, I like receiving directions because I only confuse myself frankly.
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
I think the grading on the rubric is not that much differcene than the ones Ive always been graded on, so I think ill be fine if it was used to grade our paper.
How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments?
Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
I think for like making blog comments could count toward participant grade because the blog comments I can say is not that “important” and I dont think for the blog comments should be reward for extra point unless there super super good that’s just me soooo
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
I am fine with Both but personally i would probably pick individuallly because incase I mess up I dont want to drag my teammates down the water with me .
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
well the teacher I’ve had so far are very basic and just follow the average grading system, to be 100% honest you have been the most “trying” interesting teacher I’ve had so far.
– I noticed that if an essay is timed, work that receives a lower grade on the letter scale normally, will get a higher letter grade. This is most likely because timed writing cannot be edited for more sophisticated language or clear organization as you have less time to plan. I admire this as timed writing is the hardest in my opinion. I do not dislike anything in this rubric as it is straightforward on what you are supposed to do when tasked with writing assignment.
– I think this rubric is fair for all major papers. I would say that this rubric should be used for when we are writing important papers, however I do not know if this grading format is necessary when completing smaller writing projects.
– As long a blog post is completed and comprehensible then we should get the highest grade possible. I do think we should get extra credit if a blog post in phenomenal, but if it is average or above it deserves full credit. To be a good class participant, a student needs to be an active listener, engage in class discussions either though chat or using our microphones, and having all work completed. We are all learning and striving to be better students, I believe if a student is putting in their best effort, able to take criticism and apply new skills to our writing then we should reward students this type of behavior.
– I would be interested in creating the system in which my classmates and I are able to determine the goals for these projects. We will be able to set our own boundaries of what we are able to accomplish at this education level, but also be able to push ourselves to our limits of our own set goals. We should be held more accountable for these types of projects, as we were the ones to set the rules for this work. We must be able to complete this work and perform better due to these reasons.
– I’ve never had a teacher ask me how I would like to be graded, let alone have a nontraditional grading system. However, I am ready to try something new.
What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
I notice that this rubric is just like any rubric that I haven’t seen before. It’s very straightforward and gets to the point, so there’s no confusion on your grade. I like that there is room for improvement and different levels that you can hit to become a better writer.
Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
No, please let’s not use this rubric for any paper but the final.
How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
For me I really like blog comments. It’s a great way to voice your opinion and to hear what everyone else has to say. I think it should be graded by time since there isn’t really a structure to them. But maybe someone really liked the topic we were talking about and they wrote a very long detailed response, that person should get extra credit because they went all out on something that may have took another student 10 minutes. A good course participant is someone who simply try’s there best, asks questions, isn’t afraid to use there voice or state there opinion and generally somebody that wants to do good in the class. I’m not sure there should be really a reward given, I think you can tell whos a good participant when comes to down to the work.
Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
For me personally I’m not the biggest fan of group work. I love working with people and I’m all for team work but when it always comes to group projects I always get stuck doing most of the work or simply just trying to get others excited to do there work. So I strongly believe the system should be individual and everyone should submit there own work.
If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
I’ve never had a teacher when it comes to writing essays not give us the Rubric and at a young age we are taught to follow the rubric. So I’m not sure what’s it’s like to get graded on something that there is no quote on quote rules or guidelines to follow. But I don’t like rubrics because I stress over every little detail in them that it causes me to lose focus on the reason why I’m writing in the first place
1. What do you notice about that rubric? What do you like or dislike?
– I like how each section and level of effort towards a specific aspect of writing is clearly set out, but what i don’t like are the adjectives used to describe them. For example, insightful and ample can be subjective depend on whos reading. So for one person that could be the difference between a A and a B.
2. Do you think we should use this rubric for all major papers? For any of them?
– If we are given a direct set of instructions then yes the rubric is needed, but if we aren’t then i don’t think a rubric should be needed.
3. How DO you think it is fair to evaluate things like blog comments? Full credit for doing them on time? Some kind of extra credit for really good ones? What do you think makes a really good course participant? What should we reward and value?
– Someone who answers in detail with depth, so that means the participant is engaged in what the class is doing which is a good thing and should be awarded. We should value effort, and creativity.
4. Are you interested in a system where you (individually or as a group) determine the goals for a particular project and submit your own assessments (which I can follow or tweak)?
– Yes, i find that very fun because it gives us more control of what we want to get out of this course, it also helps us learn in ways that pushes us towards our goals.
5. If you have had previous experiences with other non-traditional kinds of grading, share them! Or if you have had experiences with courses whose evaluation systems really worked for you, talk about that! Let’s build something good here.
– I think that rubrics have worked well for me for the most part, though similar to what i have mentioned in the first question, writing is very subjective and with every English teacher comes a new perspective that a student must work towards. That can be very hard sometimes.