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GRADING
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As a GSI, you have many demands on your time. Too often, time spent grading takes away from time spent doing coursework or research. Fortunately, there are some strategies you can use to make the grading process more efficient.
- Before you grade, spell out the criteria you will be using as specifically as possible, and come to an agreement with your instructor or fellow GSIs about how grades will be determined. Try creating a rubric, or grading scale, and test it out on sample papers. Making your grading criteria more explicit both enhances student learning and reduces the time you spend determining and justifying student grades.
- Identify common problems students had with an assignment and prepare a handout addressing those problems. This helps you to avoid having to write the same comments multiple times. It also enables you to address the problem in more detail and helps students realize that others share the same problems.
- Type your comments. This has a number of advantages: it allows you to keep a computer record of the student's progress over the semester, comments can be more detailed, longer comments on common problems can be cut and pasted from one assignment to another, and it is easier for the student to read what you have written.
- Do not comment on every problem or point. Focus on a couple of major points. This not only helps you to grade more efficiently, it also avoids overwhelming the students. It enables them to focus more effectively on the areas of their work that most need improvement.
- Use a spreadsheet to calculate grades. It may take a little time to learn how to use spreadsheet programs for grading if you are not familiar with them, but the savings in time can be considerable if you are working with grade points or weighted letter grades. If you use Microsoft products, you can download their gradebook templates for free (this link opens a new window).
- Don't waste time on careless student work. Walvoord and Anderson (1998) give the example of a faculty member who asks students to complete the following checklist and attach it to their papers. ["Effective Grading" by Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Jossey-Bass: 1998, pp. 128-29.]
- I read the short story at least twice.
- I revised this paper at least once.
- I spent at least five hours on this paper.
- I started work on this paper at least three days ago.
- I have tried hard to do my best work on this paper.
- I proofread this paper at least twice for grammar and punctuation.
- I asked at least one other person to proofread the paper.
- I ran the paper through a spelling check.
Calculating Grades
There are two basic models that are used to calculate grades on individual assignments or, more generally, across a number of assignments: weighted letter grades and accumulated points. [Based on "Effective Grading" by Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Jossey-Bass: 1998, pp. 93-104.] Both models require the instructor to establish a scoring rubric--a set of course or assignment specific criteria with corresponding points or grades that is used to evaluate the students' work.
Model 1: Weighted Grades
In this model, each grade counts for a certain percentage of the final grade. Different parts of a multipart assignment, different course assignments, or different aspects of a student's work, such as writing mechanics and content, are assigned a different grade. The instructor establishes a scoring rubric that weights each grade as a certain percentage of the final grade. Final grades are calculated by assigning each letter grade a number of points or translating it into its grade point equivalent. Spread sheet programs can be used to simplify the process.
The principle advantages of this model is that it allows the instructor to establish a clear set of criteria that assign different pedagogical weights to different categories, and to take into account developmental progression by weighting later grades more heavily than earlier grades.
Model 2: Accumulated Points
Each assignment or part of an assignment is given a number of possible points. The student's performance is evaluated by counting the points that they get on each assignment or part of an assignment, and working out their accumulated points for the semester or for that assignment. The final points are then translated into the appropriate format such as letter grades. For example:
Test 1 (40 points possible): parts 1 and 2 =10 points possible each; part 3 = 20 points possible.
Test 2 (40 points possible): parts 1 and 2 =10 points possible each; part 3 = 20 points possible.
Field Work (40 points possible)
Final Exam (80 points possible)
Total Points Possible: 200
The advantage of this model is that it makes it easy to curve grades when translating points into letter grades. As with the other model, it allows the instructor to weight not only assignments but parts of assignments and individual questions differently.
Whichever model you adopt, make sure that students have a good understanding of how course grades are calculated and explain to them why you have chosen to use the model you have, weight grades as you have done and so forth. Also, develop a clear policy with regard to extra credit assignments and grade penalties, and distribute it to students in written form early in the semester (this avoids disputes later on).
