Binary grading
Intent
Use pass-fail grading and retakes to simplify grading and improve clarity for students.
Problem
Traditional points-based grading tends to be our least enjoyable activity in a course. Despite our best efforts creating and using rubrics, assigning partial points to partial learning, we still find ourselves in dispute with learners over the grade we assign. Our helpful feedback seems to be ignored or forgotten by the learner.
Learners also find the grading process frustrating, and often interpret a poor grade as a failure on their part, rather than a natural part of the learning process. They also tend to focus on how to earn a grade, rather than how to learn.
Solution
This play consists of five practices, which combine to reduce the frustrations of grading for both us and the learners. Most of the practices will not work well by themselves, but when used together, provide a useful solution.
- Pass/fail scoring
- Retakes
- Simplified grade calculation
- Recommend a pace
- Mixed assessment types
Applicability
This play was implemented in three upper level undergraduate courses with enrollments of 25-40 learners in each course. It has not been implemented in other settings to know if the level or enrollment of the course could impact its effectiveness.
How to Implement
Details of each of the five play practices are provided here.
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Pass/fail scoring: Learner work is evaluated as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. This provides for quicker assessment, as time is not required to determine partial points. Detailed feedback is required to facilitate learning.
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Retakes: In the absence of partial points, the option to redo an assignment is provided. No limit on retakes is enforced, except for the end of the semester. In-class activities (e.g. quizzes) are schedule outside of class with the instructor. Other items are simply revised and submitted by the learner. Assessable items due at the end of the semester are not eligible for re-dos, due to the lack of time.
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Simplified grade calculation: Similar to Specifications Grading, a learner’s course grade is based on how many assessed items earn a “complete.”
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Recommend a pace: Due dates are provided for each assessable item, but are not enforced, nor is there any penalty for a learner submitting work late. This sets a pace for the learner, and provides guidance as the progress.
A fifth practice, Mixed assessment types, can be used to improve binary grading, but may not be strictly required to implement it. A given course can have a variety of assessment approaches. For example, in-class quizzes, take-home projects, etc. Lower course grades can be earned by doing just one type of assessment, while higher grades require a variety of assessment types. The types and quantity of assessment items can vary, based on the needs of the course. Final exams can be graded using a typical point-based approach, with higher levels of points translating into higher quantities of completed items.
See Also
________List any other related plays here as a bullet list of chapter links. Then remove this text.
Source
Source: Andrew Berns. 2020. Scored out of 10: Experiences with Binary Grading Across the Curriculum. In Proceedings of The 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Portland, OR, USA, March 11–14, 2020 (SIGCSE ’20), 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3328778.3366956
Described by: David Largent (dllargent@bsu.edu)
_______Be sure to add the source to References as well.
References
_______Insert references to publications or web pages describing, evaluating, or sharing experiences with this technique. Then remove this text.
Community Discussion
Community members are free to comment on, ask questions about, share experiences, or otherwise contribute to knowledge about this play by posting comments below. See Chapter 33. Join Our Discussions for details.
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