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#alternativegrading — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #alternativegrading, aggregated by home.social.

  1. CW: My review of "Grading for Growth" by David Clark and Robert Talbert
    goodreads.com/book/show/125125680-grading-for-growth

    This book opens with an excellent argument for why traditional grading systems used at most universities suck, and then spends the rest of its pages explaining the what and why and how of alternative grading methods, specifically standards-based grading and specification grading. The whole picture is centered around the "four pillars of alternative grading", which are (1) clearly defined standards, (2) helpful feedback, (3) marks indicate progress towards meeting a standard, and (4) reassessment without penalty (but not without limitations).

    You probably won't get much out of this book if you don't teach in higher education, but if you do (and you're using traditional grading) then there is a lot here to learn. I really appreciated how it uses lots (and I mean *lots*) of real-world examples of many different courses that use alternative grading across a variety of disciplines and contexts. I particularly appreciated the chapter on large courses, though I kind of disagree that 100 students really counts as large (I teach a course for 250 students and it's one of the smaller courses in the program). The authors are not afraid of really going into the nitty-gritty details of how to apply these ideas, which is best exemplified by the very concrete workbook for alternative grading in chapter 12. While it can easily be skipped if you're just interested in the general ideas, I do like its inclusion for those who need that extra push to bring it into practice. The frequent reminders to keep things as simple as possible and not strive for perfection were also very welcome.

    Despite my love for the ideas in this book and all the inspirational examples in it, it does have a few flaws:

    1. It is primarily focused on two rather similar grading techniques (standards-based and specification grading) but onlu touches on ungrading in a few places and leaves out others like mastery grading completely.
    2. Despite the inclusion of examples from all over the world, most of the book is still very US-centric, which is especially visible in its focus on using letter grades, but also other things like the assumption that universities use semesters rather than trimesters or quarters or the idea that you can change a class syllabus while it is already running (here it is viewed as close to a legal contract that should be fixed well before the start of the academic year).
    3. As I mentioned before, despite the chapter on teaching large classes I feel like a lot of the practical detailed advice in the book does not really apply to this setting (or at least it is not obvious to me how to apply it). Just as an example, with 250 students it is simply impossible to give everyone a chance to do a reassessment during office hours.
    4. The book completely fails to discuss the use of LLMs by students which is somewhat understandable since it was published in 2023, but has quickly become perhaps the biggest challenge for any approach to grading. Hopefully a new edition or follow-up book could address this challenge.

    Despite these shortcomings, I consider this book (and especially the first four chapters) essential reading if you're doing any kind of teaching in higher education.

    #HigherEducation #AlternativeGrading #BookReview
  2. CW: My review of "Grading for Growth" by David Clark and Robert Talbert
    goodreads.com/book/show/125125680-grading-for-growth

    This book opens with an excellent argument for why traditional grading systems used at most universities suck, and then spends the rest of its pages explaining the what and why and how of alternative grading methods, specifically standards-based grading and specification grading. The whole picture is centered around the "four pillars of alternative grading", which are (1) clearly defined standards, (2) helpful feedback, (3) marks indicate progress towards meeting a standard, and (4) reassessment without penalty (but not without limitations).

    You probably won't get much out of this book if you don't teach in higher education, but if you do (and you're using traditional grading) then there is a lot here to learn. I really appreciated how it uses lots (and I mean *lots*) of real-world examples of many different courses that use alternative grading across a variety of disciplines and contexts. I particularly appreciated the chapter on large courses, though I kind of disagree that 100 students really counts as large (I teach a course for 250 students and it's one of the smaller courses in the program). The authors are not afraid of really going into the nitty-gritty details of how to apply these ideas, which is best exemplified by the very concrete workbook for alternative grading in chapter 12. While it can easily be skipped if you're just interested in the general ideas, I do like its inclusion for those who need that extra push to bring it into practice. The frequent reminders to keep things as simple as possible and not strive for perfection were also very welcome.

    Despite my love for the ideas in this book and all the inspirational examples in it, it does have a few flaws:

    1. It is primarily focused on two rather similar grading techniques (standards-based and specification grading) but onlu touches on ungrading in a few places and leaves out others like mastery grading completely.
    2. Despite the inclusion of examples from all over the world, most of the book is still very US-centric, which is especially visible in its focus on using letter grades, but also other things like the assumption that universities use semesters rather than trimesters or quarters or the idea that you can change a class syllabus while it is already running (here it is viewed as close to a legal contract that should be fixed well before the start of the academic year).
    3. As I mentioned before, despite the chapter on teaching large classes I feel like a lot of the practical detailed advice in the book does not really apply to this setting (or at least it is not obvious to me how to apply it). Just as an example, with 250 students it is simply impossible to give everyone a chance to do a reassessment during office hours.
    4. The book completely fails to discuss the use of LLMs by students which is somewhat understandable since it was published in 2023, but has quickly become perhaps the biggest challenge for any approach to grading. Hopefully a new edition or follow-up book could address this challenge.

    Despite these shortcomings, I consider this book (and especially the first four chapters) essential reading if you're doing any kind of teaching in higher education.

    #HigherEducation #AlternativeGrading #BookReview
  3. CW: My review of "Grading for Growth" by David Clark and Robert Talbert
    goodreads.com/book/show/125125680-grading-for-growth

    This book opens with an excellent argument for why traditional grading systems used at most universities suck, and then spends the rest of its pages explaining the what and why and how of alternative grading methods, specifically standards-based grading and specification grading. The whole picture is centered around the "four pillars of alternative grading", which are (1) clearly defined standards, (2) helpful feedback, (3) marks indicate progress towards meeting a standard, and (4) reassessment without penalty (but not without limitations).

    You probably won't get much out of this book if you don't teach in higher education, but if you do (and you're using traditional grading) then there is a lot here to learn. I really appreciated how it uses lots (and I mean *lots*) of real-world examples of many different courses that use alternative grading across a variety of disciplines and contexts. I particularly appreciated the chapter on large courses, though I kind of disagree that 100 students really counts as large (I teach a course for 250 students and it's one of the smaller courses in the program). The authors are not afraid of really going into the nitty-gritty details of how to apply these ideas, which is best exemplified by the very concrete workbook for alternative grading in chapter 12. While it can easily be skipped if you're just interested in the general ideas, I do like its inclusion for those who need that extra push to bring it into practice. The frequent reminders to keep things as simple as possible and not strive for perfection were also very welcome.

    Despite my love for the ideas in this book and all the inspirational examples in it, it does have a few flaws:

    1. It is primarily focused on two rather similar grading techniques (standards-based and specification grading) but onlu touches on ungrading in a few places and leaves out others like mastery grading completely.
    2. Despite the inclusion of examples from all over the world, most of the book is still very US-centric, which is especially visible in its focus on using letter grades, but also other things like the assumption that universities use semesters rather than trimesters or quarters or the idea that you can change a class syllabus while it is already running (here it is viewed as close to a legal contract that should be fixed well before the start of the academic year).
    3. As I mentioned before, despite the chapter on teaching large classes I feel like a lot of the practical detailed advice in the book does not really apply to this setting (or at least it is not obvious to me how to apply it). Just as an example, with 250 students it is simply impossible to give everyone a chance to do a reassessment during office hours.
    4. The book completely fails to discuss the use of LLMs by students which is somewhat understandable since it was published in 2023, but has quickly become perhaps the biggest challenge for any approach to grading. Hopefully a new edition or follow-up book could address this challenge.

    Despite these shortcomings, I consider this book (and especially the first four chapters) essential reading if you're doing any kind of teaching in higher education.

    #HigherEducation #AlternativeGrading #BookReview
  4. CW: My review of "Grading for Growth" by David Clark and Robert Talbert
    goodreads.com/book/show/125125680-grading-for-growth

    This book opens with an excellent argument for why traditional grading systems used at most universities suck, and then spends the rest of its pages explaining the what and why and how of alternative grading methods, specifically standards-based grading and specification grading. The whole picture is centered around the "four pillars of alternative grading", which are (1) clearly defined standards, (2) helpful feedback, (3) marks indicate progress towards meeting a standard, and (4) reassessment without penalty (but not without limitations).

    You probably won't get much out of this book if you don't teach in higher education, but if you do (and you're using traditional grading) then there is a lot here to learn. I really appreciated how it uses lots (and I mean *lots*) of real-world examples of many different courses that use alternative grading across a variety of disciplines and contexts. I particularly appreciated the chapter on large courses, though I kind of disagree that 100 students really counts as large (I teach a course for 250 students and it's one of the smaller courses in the program). The authors are not afraid of really going into the nitty-gritty details of how to apply these ideas, which is best exemplified by the very concrete workbook for alternative grading in chapter 12. While it can easily be skipped if you're just interested in the general ideas, I do like its inclusion for those who need that extra push to bring it into practice. The frequent reminders to keep things as simple as possible and not strive for perfection were also very welcome.

    Despite my love for the ideas in this book and all the inspirational examples in it, it does have a few flaws:

    1. It is primarily focused on two rather similar grading techniques (standards-based and specification grading) but onlu touches on ungrading in a few places and leaves out others like mastery grading completely.
    2. Despite the inclusion of examples from all over the world, most of the book is still very US-centric, which is especially visible in its focus on using letter grades, but also other things like the assumption that universities use semesters rather than trimesters or quarters or the idea that you can change a class syllabus while it is already running (here it is viewed as close to a legal contract that should be fixed well before the start of the academic year).
    3. As I mentioned before, despite the chapter on teaching large classes I feel like a lot of the practical detailed advice in the book does not really apply to this setting (or at least it is not obvious to me how to apply it). Just as an example, with 250 students it is simply impossible to give everyone a chance to do a reassessment during office hours.
    4. The book completely fails to discuss the use of LLMs by students which is somewhat understandable since it was published in 2023, but has quickly become perhaps the biggest challenge for any approach to grading. Hopefully a new edition or follow-up book could address this challenge.

    Despite these shortcomings, I consider this book (and especially the first four chapters) essential reading if you're doing any kind of teaching in higher education.

    #HigherEducation #AlternativeGrading #BookReview
  5. CW: My review of "Grading for Growth" by David Clark and Robert Talbert
    goodreads.com/book/show/125125680-grading-for-growth

    This book opens with an excellent argument for why traditional grading systems used at most universities suck, and then spends the rest of its pages explaining the what and why and how of alternative grading methods, specifically standards-based grading and specification grading. The whole picture is centered around the "four pillars of alternative grading", which are (1) clearly defined standards, (2) helpful feedback, (3) marks indicate progress towards meeting a standard, and (4) reassessment without penalty (but not without limitations).

    You probably won't get much out of this book if you don't teach in higher education, but if you do (and you're using traditional grading) then there is a lot here to learn. I really appreciated how it uses lots (and I mean *lots*) of real-world examples of many different courses that use alternative grading across a variety of disciplines and contexts. I particularly appreciated the chapter on large courses, though I kind of disagree that 100 students really counts as large (I teach a course for 250 students and it's one of the smaller courses in the program). The authors are not afraid of really going into the nitty-gritty details of how to apply these ideas, which is best exemplified by the very concrete workbook for alternative grading in chapter 12. While it can easily be skipped if you're just interested in the general ideas, I do like its inclusion for those who need that extra push to bring it into practice. The frequent reminders to keep things as simple as possible and not strive for perfection were also very welcome.

    Despite my love for the ideas in this book and all the inspirational examples in it, it does have a few flaws:

    1. It is primarily focused on two rather similar grading techniques (standards-based and specification grading) but onlu touches on ungrading in a few places and leaves out others like mastery grading completely.
    2. Despite the inclusion of examples from all over the world, most of the book is still very US-centric, which is especially visible in its focus on using letter grades, but also other things like the assumption that universities use semesters rather than trimesters or quarters or the idea that you can change a class syllabus while it is already running (here it is viewed as close to a legal contract that should be fixed well before the start of the academic year).
    3. As I mentioned before, despite the chapter on teaching large classes I feel like a lot of the practical detailed advice in the book does not really apply to this setting (or at least it is not obvious to me how to apply it). Just as an example, with 250 students it is simply impossible to give everyone a chance to do a reassessment during office hours.
    4. The book completely fails to discuss the use of LLMs by students which is somewhat understandable since it was published in 2023, but has quickly become perhaps the biggest challenge for any approach to grading. Hopefully a new edition or follow-up book could address this challenge.

    Despite these shortcomings, I consider this book (and especially the first four chapters) essential reading if you're doing any kind of teaching in higher education.

    #HigherEducation #AlternativeGrading #BookReview
  6. Man, I just love being able to take information and display it in charts.

    After our test today, I was able to look at the overall proficiency on each learning target for each class. I can also dive into trajectory for each class on individual assignments. So great.

    #teaching #assessment #alternativeGrading

  7. Man, I just love being able to take information and display it in charts.

    After our test today, I was able to look at the overall proficiency on each learning target for each class. I can also dive into trajectory for each class on individual assignments. So great.

  8. Man, I just love being able to take information and display it in charts.

    After our test today, I was able to look at the overall proficiency on each learning target for each class. I can also dive into trajectory for each class on individual assignments. So great.

    #teaching #assessment #alternativeGrading

  9. Man, I just love being able to take information and display it in charts.

    After our test today, I was able to look at the overall proficiency on each learning target for each class. I can also dive into trajectory for each class on individual assignments. So great.

    #teaching #assessment #alternativeGrading

  10. Man, I just love being able to take information and display it in charts.

    After our test today, I was able to look at the overall proficiency on each learning target for each class. I can also dive into trajectory for each class on individual assignments. So great.

    #teaching #assessment #alternativeGrading

  11. Has anyone played around with encouraging (but not requiring) students to teach one another?

    One way of demonstrating mastery of the material is teaching it to others. I feel like if student A says "Student B really helped me understand the material" that increases my Bayesian posterior that student B understood the material really well (and also that student A understood it, since presumably after student B explained it, student A understood it at least better than they did before).

    I wouldn't do this as the only, or even major, part of their grade, but it seems like if the grade is to reflect learning, that teaching it to others certainly reflects on their learning.

    (Additional context: this is for a university-level elective technical course in Comp Sci, for 3rd and 4th-years mostly. I generally do flipped classroom and alternative grading - some combo of ungrading, mastery-based, standards-based, but I'm open to ideas. The class has about 55 students, so whatever it is can take some time but not be *too* time-intensive on me & the one TA.)

    #AlternativeGrading #grading #teaching #education #CSEd #ComputerScience #CompSci

  12. Has anyone played around with encouraging (but not requiring) students to teach one another?

    One way of demonstrating mastery of the material is teaching it to others. I feel like if student A says "Student B really helped me understand the material" that increases my Bayesian posterior that student B understood the material really well (and also that student A understood it, since presumably after student B explained it, student A understood it at least better than they did before).

    I wouldn't do this as the only, or even major, part of their grade, but it seems like if the grade is to reflect learning, that teaching it to others certainly reflects on their learning.

    (Additional context: this is for a university-level elective technical course in Comp Sci, for 3rd and 4th-years mostly. I generally do flipped classroom and alternative grading - some combo of ungrading, mastery-based, standards-based, but I'm open to ideas. The class has about 55 students, so whatever it is can take some time but not be *too* time-intensive on me & the one TA.)

    #AlternativeGrading #grading #teaching #education #CSEd #ComputerScience #CompSci

  13. Has anyone played around with encouraging (but not requiring) students to teach one another?

    One way of demonstrating mastery of the material is teaching it to others. I feel like if student A says "Student B really helped me understand the material" that increases my Bayesian posterior that student B understood the material really well (and also that student A understood it, since presumably after student B explained it, student A understood it at least better than they did before).

    I wouldn't do this as the only, or even major, part of their grade, but it seems like if the grade is to reflect learning, that teaching it to others certainly reflects on their learning.

    (Additional context: this is for a university-level elective technical course in Comp Sci, for 3rd and 4th-years mostly. I generally do flipped classroom and alternative grading - some combo of ungrading, mastery-based, standards-based, but I'm open to ideas. The class has about 55 students, so whatever it is can take some time but not be *too* time-intensive on me & the one TA.)

    #AlternativeGrading #grading #teaching #education #CSEd #ComputerScience #CompSci

  14. Has anyone played around with encouraging (but not requiring) students to teach one another?

    One way of demonstrating mastery of the material is teaching it to others. I feel like if student A says "Student B really helped me understand the material" that increases my Bayesian posterior that student B understood the material really well (and also that student A understood it, since presumably after student B explained it, student A understood it at least better than they did before).

    I wouldn't do this as the only, or even major, part of their grade, but it seems like if the grade is to reflect learning, that teaching it to others certainly reflects on their learning.

    (Additional context: this is for a university-level elective technical course in Comp Sci, for 3rd and 4th-years mostly. I generally do flipped classroom and alternative grading - some combo of ungrading, mastery-based, standards-based, but I'm open to ideas. The class has about 55 students, so whatever it is can take some time but not be *too* time-intensive on me & the one TA.)

    #AlternativeGrading #grading #teaching #education #CSEd #ComputerScience #CompSci

  15. Has anyone played around with encouraging (but not requiring) students to teach one another?

    One way of demonstrating mastery of the material is teaching it to others. I feel like if student A says "Student B really helped me understand the material" that increases my Bayesian posterior that student B understood the material really well (and also that student A understood it, since presumably after student B explained it, student A understood it at least better than they did before).

    I wouldn't do this as the only, or even major, part of their grade, but it seems like if the grade is to reflect learning, that teaching it to others certainly reflects on their learning.

    (Additional context: this is for a university-level elective technical course in Comp Sci, for 3rd and 4th-years mostly. I generally do flipped classroom and alternative grading - some combo of ungrading, mastery-based, standards-based, but I'm open to ideas. The class has about 55 students, so whatever it is can take some time but not be *too* time-intensive on me & the one TA.)

    #AlternativeGrading #grading #teaching #education #CSEd #ComputerScience #CompSci

  16. The most overlooked technology for teaching (if you're on Microsoft for email) is mail merge. I have emailed every one of my students a personalized check in for the start of the semester. It took me about 10 minutes total. This is particularly helpful for people who use #AlternativeGrading #AcademicChatter

  17. The most overlooked technology for teaching (if you're on Microsoft for email) is mail merge. I have emailed every one of my students a personalized check in for the start of the semester. It took me about 10 minutes total. This is particularly helpful for people who use #AlternativeGrading #AcademicChatter

  18. The most overlooked technology for teaching (if you're on Microsoft for email) is mail merge. I have emailed every one of my students a personalized check in for the start of the semester. It took me about 10 minutes total. This is particularly helpful for people who use #AlternativeGrading #AcademicChatter

  19. The most overlooked technology for teaching (if you're on Microsoft for email) is mail merge. I have emailed every one of my students a personalized check in for the start of the semester. It took me about 10 minutes total. This is particularly helpful for people who use #AlternativeGrading #AcademicChatter

  20. The most overlooked technology for teaching (if you're on Microsoft for email) is mail merge. I have emailed every one of my students a personalized check in for the start of the semester. It took me about 10 minutes total. This is particularly helpful for people who use #AlternativeGrading #AcademicChatter

  21. The book *Grading for Growth* by @dccmath and @RobertTalbert is now available! Read about it and find the link to order on their Substack: gradingforgrowth.com/p/grading

    My calculus class appears as a case study in chapter 5 (“Standards-Based Grading”) as a fairly straightforward example. Of course I’ve made a few changes in the system even since I did this interview 😉 but I think it still stands as a good reference for anyone considering an SBG or other alternative grading system.

    Check it out!

    #Grading #GradingForGrowth #Teaching #AlternativeGrading #StandardsBasedGrading #SBG #Calculus

  22. The book *Grading for Growth* by @dccmath and @RobertTalbert is now available! Read about it and find the link to order on their Substack: gradingforgrowth.com/p/grading

    My calculus class appears as a case study in chapter 5 (“Standards-Based Grading”) as a fairly straightforward example. Of course I’ve made a few changes in the system even since I did this interview 😉 but I think it still stands as a good reference for anyone considering an SBG or other alternative grading system.

    Check it out!

    #Grading #GradingForGrowth #Teaching #AlternativeGrading #StandardsBasedGrading #SBG #Calculus

  23. The book *Grading for Growth* by @dccmath and @RobertTalbert is now available! Read about it and find the link to order on their Substack: gradingforgrowth.com/p/grading

    My calculus class appears as a case study in chapter 5 (“Standards-Based Grading”) as a fairly straightforward example. Of course I’ve made a few changes in the system even since I did this interview 😉 but I think it still stands as a good reference for anyone considering an SBG or other alternative grading system.

    Check it out!

    #Grading #GradingForGrowth #Teaching #AlternativeGrading #StandardsBasedGrading #SBG #Calculus

  24. The book *Grading for Growth* by @dccmath and @RobertTalbert is now available! Read about it and find the link to order on their Substack: gradingforgrowth.com/p/grading

    My calculus class appears as a case study in chapter 5 (“Standards-Based Grading”) as a fairly straightforward example. Of course I’ve made a few changes in the system even since I did this interview 😉 but I think it still stands as a good reference for anyone considering an SBG or other alternative grading system.

    Check it out!

    #Grading #GradingForGrowth #Teaching #AlternativeGrading #StandardsBasedGrading #SBG #Calculus

  25. The book *Grading for Growth* by @dccmath and @RobertTalbert is now available! Read about it and find the link to order on their Substack: gradingforgrowth.com/p/grading

    My calculus class appears as a case study in chapter 5 (“Standards-Based Grading”) as a fairly straightforward example. Of course I’ve made a few changes in the system even since I did this interview 😉 but I think it still stands as a good reference for anyone considering an SBG or other alternative grading system.

    Check it out!

    #Grading #GradingForGrowth #Teaching #AlternativeGrading #StandardsBasedGrading #SBG #Calculus

  26. From TBIL.org to #AlternativeGrading to the @PreTeXt Runestone Open Source Ecosystem PROSE.runestone.academy ... It's the middle of two pretty hectic but great weeks!

  27. From TBIL.org to #AlternativeGrading to the @PreTeXt Runestone Open Source Ecosystem PROSE.runestone.academy ... It's the middle of two pretty hectic but great weeks!

  28. From TBIL.org to #AlternativeGrading to the @PreTeXt Runestone Open Source Ecosystem PROSE.runestone.academy ... It's the middle of two pretty hectic but great weeks!

  29. From TBIL.org to #AlternativeGrading to the @PreTeXt Runestone Open Source Ecosystem PROSE.runestone.academy ... It's the middle of two pretty hectic but great weeks!

  30. So much fun talking with other #AlternativeGrading people at #TheGradingConference today about maintaining balance while alternative grading. Recordings from the conference will be available publicly in a few months

  31. So much fun talking with other #AlternativeGrading people at #TheGradingConference today about maintaining balance while alternative grading. Recordings from the conference will be available publicly in a few months

  32. So much fun talking with other #AlternativeGrading people at #TheGradingConference today about maintaining balance while alternative grading. Recordings from the conference will be available publicly in a few months

  33. So much fun talking with other #AlternativeGrading people at #TheGradingConference today about maintaining balance while alternative grading. Recordings from the conference will be available publicly in a few months

  34. So much fun talking with other #AlternativeGrading people at #TheGradingConference today about maintaining balance while alternative grading. Recordings from the conference will be available publicly in a few months

  35. There are many things I like about #AlternativeGrading The one standing out at this moment is being able to review assignments as they come in instead of waiting and doing them all at once. I have already assessed almost half of the assignments that are due this evening. And yes, this also shows that many students do complete and submit their work early. #AcademicChatter #RespectStudents

  36. Looking for examples of university courses that implement #alternativegrading (#ungrading, specifications grading, etc) in arts departments (visual art, theater, music, etc).
    #eddev #facdev #higheredpedagogy #podnetwork

  37. Looking for examples of university courses that implement #alternativegrading (#ungrading, specifications grading, etc) in arts departments (visual art, theater, music, etc).
    #eddev #facdev #higheredpedagogy #podnetwork

  38. Looking for examples of university courses that implement #alternativegrading (#ungrading, specifications grading, etc) in arts departments (visual art, theater, music, etc).
    #eddev #facdev #higheredpedagogy #podnetwork

  39. Looking for examples of university courses that implement #alternativegrading (#ungrading, specifications grading, etc) in arts departments (visual art, theater, music, etc).
    #eddev #facdev #higheredpedagogy #podnetwork

  40. Looking for examples of university courses that implement #alternativegrading (#ungrading, specifications grading, etc) in arts departments (visual art, theater, music, etc).
    #eddev #facdev #higheredpedagogy #podnetwork