Using a structured group discussion and questionnaire, the criteria used by faculty at a British university when grading undergraduate dissertations was investigated. Common ground and differences in criteria were identified. Issues included the tension between individual teacher freedom and institutional demands, and staff development…

Using documented materials, interviews, a questionnaire, and content analysis, Investigated the criteria used by faculty at a British university when grading undergraduate dissertations. Findings indicated considerable ambiguity regarding use, meaning, and application of criteria. (EV)

Examined whether the use of student evaluations of teaching effectiveness has been a contributing factor to a trend of grade inflation in a mid-sized, public university in the Midwest. Found a predictive relationship between student ratings of teaching and expected grades and an encouragement over time of grade inflation. (EV)

Discusses the potentially dysfunctional impact that has resulted from an over-reliance on student evaluations as a measure of good teaching. Argues that the long-term impact of the whole student evaluation process (and the student mentality of entitlement that supports it) should be examined. (SR)

Alvin Kernan describes with some regret the metamorphosis of the familiar research university into something fundamentally different. This new institution is buffeted by technological change and governed by market economics; it admits for reasons other than merit; it can't tell the ants from the grasshoppers; and it has abandoned its traditional…

The aim of the UK National Literacy Strategy is to raise standards in literacy. Strong evidence for its success has, however, been lacking: most of the available data comes from performance on tests administered in schools or from Office for Standards in Education reports and is vulnerable to suggestions of bias. An opportunistic analysis of data…

English is the associate official language in India and serves as a unifying force in this multilingual country. The teaching of English in K-12 settings focuses on the skills of reading and writing. Listening and speaking skills are not awarded much time, if any, in most classrooms or test settings; only two Boards of Examinations mandate their…

During the past 15 years, considerable attention has been given to a conspicuous longitudinal change in grading patterns in higher education. Commonly referred to as "grade inflation," the phenomenon has been perceived by some as seriously weakening the meaning of grades but by others as reflecting a positive tendency for students to…

Reports on increasing grade inflation in higher education in the United States and offers suggestions for curbing the phenomenon. (CP)

Several critical questions are raised by the proliferation of communications internships, yet the question of grading and evaluating internships is one that can be answered by examining the Media Program at Loyola College in Maryland. Although the communications curriculum was not fully developed until the 1986-87 academic year, enrollments in the…

Offers recommendations for an equitable grading system, including the use of daily quizes and analysis of the results of all tests. (IRT)

Conclusions reached in this research concerning student evaluation of university economics courses are easier grading is positively correlated with teaching evaluations; faculty will adopt easier grading policies if they are experiencing falling real incomes from teaching; and grade-evaluation relationships should be considered within the context…

Many, but not all, of the admissions selection criteria favored by U.S. colleges and universities unwittingly create incentives for educational dysfunctional behavior by secondary students, teachers and administrators, and by voters in school budget referenda. These include nerd harassment, peer cultures that denigrate achievement, various efforts…

This paper examines the issue of test score inflation in the context of test-based accountability. The first section provides some background on the topic, describing what exactly is meant by test score inflation, reviewing the existing evidence for such inflation, and discussing why one should or should not be concerned if scores are inflated.…

Grade inflation, which distorts the measurement process and reduces student effort, is caused, in part, by teachers' concern for students' emotional needs. Communication of classroom expectations and grading procedures, frequent evaluation, and utilization of standardized testing data can help reduce grade inflation. (Author/WD)