Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence: Spring 2011

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Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence CTSE Official CTSE Newsletter

Hitting the Mark

Spring 2011

Vol. 7, No. 2

by Jade Keena

All grading methods are not created equal Different methods of calculating grades can produce widely different results. Hofstra accounting professors Daniel Tinkelman, Elizabeth Venuti, and Linda Schain drew that conclusion from a study comparing three methods of calculating final course grades. They looked at the grading methods most popular among professors, which are: v Total possible points: In this method, students receive a score on each assignment based on possible points. The professor calculates the student’s final grade in the course based on total number of points earned over the semester. v Weighted average: The instructor converts the score on each assignment or test into the numerical equivalent of a letter grade, from F to A, using the familiar 0 to 4.0 scale. The instructor then computes a weighted average of the various assignments and tests.

v Median letter grade: The professor uses the median of the various course grades. Thus, if the student had three assignments, and earned a C, C+, and A, the median is a C+. Where different assignments have different weights, an instructor using this process would adjust the process to count the assignments with higher weights more heavily. These grading methods may seem similar, but in fact, they have the potential to produce disparate results. For example, if a student has two grades, 100 and 19, each weighted equally, her final grade for the class will depend on the grading method used by the professor. With the weighted average and median

In this issue Teaching the Unthinkable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Audio Comments on Student Essays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 From the Director: How to Curb Cheating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Rubrics for Better Grading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Scholarship in Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 What’s New in Blackboard 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Nurturing New Students? It’s Elementary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

letter grade methods, the student’s final grade would likely be a C. With the total possible points method, her final grade would likely be an F. The researchers looked at the grades of 223 students in five accounting classes. They found that the three grading methods produced the same grade only 43 percent of the time. The research also revealed that while no method was always the most or least generous, the total possible points method made it hardest for students to pass. continued on page 2

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