“Will this be on the test?” If that question immediately makes your heart race, muscles tense, or your face do an unflattering cringe type of
Rubrics are a valuable tool that supports student growth and facilitates instructor grading and feedback (Suskie, 2018). As instructors, we see this value; unfortunately, many
This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on March 11, 2019. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. How many of us teachers have had this experience?
Imagine if faculty did not design courses, select course materials, or grade student work. What role would faculty play in teaching and learning? We serve
Before discussing grading, let me return to assignments and a key point. My students are frequently uncertain about how to write an introduction and a
Over the previous decade, researchers have made the case that engaging students in metacognition improves learning outcomes for students across fields (Zhao et al, 2014;
Having clear insight into students’ thinking and where there might be gaps in their understanding of a topic is incredibly valuable. It allows a skilled
A very short trip to a time long ago J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous 1937 fantasy book, The Hobbit, introduces among its heroes a fierce
A wise and dear colleague of mine, now retired, once said to me as we walked to class, “I teach for free; they pay me
A common rhetorical move we professors make when students object to a grade is to reframe the discussion. We’ll say, “Let’s be clear. I didn’t give you this grade. You earned it.” And if it were appropriate we might underscore our zinger with a smugly snapped Z. But stop and think about it. When we make the “you earned it” move, it’s simply an attempt to shift the debate away from the fairness or interpretation of our standard and onto students to justify their effort by our standard, which really wasn’t their complaint.