The article is concerned with the phenomenon of numerical marks, awarded for students' work, regressing to the mean when a number of components are amalgamated to achieve an overall mark. It is shown that such an effect is largely inevitable and one possible way of overcoming the problem is presented. (Author)

An instructional methods survey of full-time faculty at five midwestern colleges and universities was conducted during the fall of 1978 in an effort to provide both a description of current instructional practices and an historical perspective on their development over the last quarter century. The survey consists of a list of 42 method items…