An increasing number of university faculty have become interested in alternative grading systems in recent years. While there is a growing body of research on such grading systems, implementation can be a challenge for instructors. Mastery-based testing is a grading system in which students learn from feedback and have multiple attempts to…

Math courses graded on homework, tests, and a final examination can result in students putting together enough partial credit to pass the class without gaining a reasonable mastery of the course content. Mastery-based testing can help to address this by allowing the instructor to align course grades with mastery of the learning objectives for the…

Mastery-based testing is an assessment scheme that challenges students to provide complete solutions to problems derived from clear course concepts. Students are allowed multiple attempts to demonstrate mastery, which helps create a classroom environment where students value persistence toward thorough understanding. In this paper, we describe in…

This paper gives a blueprint for reacting to the various issues that an instructor will face in their day-to-day life as the manager of a Mastery-Based Testing (MBT) classroom. For example, I created a rubric to compare traditional testing with MBT, adapted my office hours to accommodate more retake opportunities, and required effort between…

As educators, it is important for us to recognize that our assessment methods affect student attitudes. If we want students to learn from their mistakes and counteract a fixed-mindset of learning, perhaps we should look at what we incentivize in the classroom. Some professors are attempting to counteract math and test anxiety, poor STEM retention,…

In recent years, online teaching has become extremely popular. Most institutions of higher learning are offering online courses in almost every field of study. Teaching any course online is challenging, but teaching quantitative courses, such as operations management, management science, statistics, and others, have added a more challenging…

Mastery-grading techniques such as mastery-based grading, specifications grading, and standards-based grading are assessment techniques professors are implementing in order to support a growth mindset of learning, decrease test anxiety, and help students develop a deeper understanding of course objectives. In this paper, we provide an analysis of…

The authors present the results of quantitative data and student feedback from a two-year study of the effects of a new assessment model called "mastery-based testing." In mastery-based testing, students are given problems in which they can only receive full credit for the problem after they demonstrate mastery of the objective being…

Standards-based grading (SBG), sometimes called learning objectives-based assessment (LOBA), is an assessment model that relies on students demonstrating mastery of learning objectives (sometimes referred to as standards). The goal of this grading system is to focus students on mastering learning objectives rather than on accumulating points. I…

This study analyzed the effect of a learning philosophy assignment on students' intellectual development and mastery of first-year biology and second-year biochemistry course content. We used pre- and post-surveys to assess students' cognitive complexity, and compared students' midterm and final exam marks to assess mastery of course content. The…

In this paper, we report on developments in the Mastery Learning (ML) curriculum and assessment model that has been successfully implemented in a metropolitan university for teaching first-year mathematics. Initial responses to ML were positive; however, we ask whether the nature of the ML tests encourages a focus on shallow learning of…

This book is about inclusivity and open education in the digital age. It reports the latest data on this topic from the 2021 Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) conference. This annual conference focuses on challenges pertaining to the evolution of the learning process, the role of pedagogical approaches and the progress…

This paper addresses the exam success rates in Mathematics 1 at the College of Polytechnics in Jihlava (CPJ). Primary data taken from the school information system cover the years 2006--2015. We carried out a success rate analysis based on several criteria (form of study, the reason for termination of studies, gender). We observed the dependence…

The research aims to identify the impacts of embedding non-traditional writing tasks within the course of modern physics conducted to the students of Physics Education and Physics Study Programs. It employed a quasi-experimental method with the pretest-posttest control group design. The used instruments were tests on conceptual mastery, tests on…

This article reports findings from a 3-year qualitative study exploring the experiences of African American preservice teachers as they prepared for the Praxis "basic skills" teacher-licensure exam, a gatekeeper to many teacher-education programs. Using the construct of self-efficacy, results illustrate how students assess their Praxis…