In recent years, an increasing number of colleges and universities have been turning away from traditional letter grading systems that limit student grades to A, B, C, D, and F based on the presumption that grading systems with more flexibility are advantageous to both teachers and students. However, as with any rating system, before opting for a…

This paper describes the Generic Automated Marking Environment (GAME) and provides a detailed analysis of its performance in assessing student programming projects and exercises. GAME has been designed to automatically assess programming assignments written in a variety of languages based on the "structure" of the source code and the correctness…

Conscientious marketing faculty spend extensive hours grading student essays and projects. As instructors work on grading papers, they may wonder how effective their comments are. The author explored how students in a marketing principles class reported their use of various grading methods. Students generally preferred rubrics with ratings and…

Analyzing student presentations from three perspectives--expert, peer, and self--provides extended feedback and opportunities to learn. All three of these are helpful and serve different purposes. The expert (teacher) feedback shows how the teacher views student work and often assigns a grade. Peer analysis provides students doing the analysis an…

Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is an online tool being used to integrate a writing component in classrooms. In an introductory zoology lecture class, the authors found that CPR-assigned scores were significantly higher than instructor-assigned scores on two of three essay assignments. They also found that neither students' technical-writing skills…

Information pertaining to the overall grading standards and practices within the five Peralta Colleges is compiled and analyzed here. The report is presented in three parts. The first part deals with the historical background of traditional and non-punitive grading, the national trends toward innovation and experimentation with various forms of…

Grading on the bulb is a technique based on two major considerations: that the grade given should represent the instructor's estimate of the student's probable success were he to choose a career in that field; and that the grades of D and F are eliminated. Many teachers grade this way; yet the technique has not heretofore had a name. Teachers who…

America's colleges and universities have long been the envy of the world. But it would be hard to think of a time when the public has viewed American higher education with greater skepticism. It is a tragedy that colleges and universities are increasingly characterized by their high costs, not their high standards. This fifth edition of…

North Queens Community High School serves approximately 200 students, 16-20 years old, as they strive to reach their personal and academic goals. All students at North Queens have previously been enrolled in high school elsewhere and are over-age and undercredited. Small class sizes, student-centered support, and an accelerated credit acquisition…

The benefits and weaknesses of mastery grading and grading on a curve are examined. (DE)

This report presents the results of a study that was undertaken to identify student attitudes toward the Pass-Fail (P-F) option at the University of Washington. A questionnaire designed to assess student opinions toward and possible behavioral changes resulting from P-F courses was sent to a random sample of sophomores, juniors and seniors…

In the Spring of 1968, a joint study group called an Ad Hoc Committee on Grades and Evaluation was created to examine current methods of student evaluation. Several members of the group believed that letter grading on the undergraduate and graduate levels was counterproductive, because grades do not accurately reflect either student performance or…

The Office of Institutional Research conducted an evaluation of the Pass-No Pass (P-N) grading system at the University of Wisconsin-Stephens Point. The second semester, 1971-72, was chosen for the basis of evaluation. Sources of information include student records, a brief questionnaire sent to students who chose at least one P-N course, and a…

Experience with the pass/fail system at the University of Alberta and a review of the literature has shown that (1) pass/fail does not seem to motivate the student to learn; (2) students do not use it as a vehicle to explore outside their major; and (3) students do fewer of the assigned readings and attend fewer classes in courses elected under…