Grading Brainstorm - How to pass students through a course

**Serenity** · 06-15-2010 11:09 AM

I guess first of all, is.. I would like to understand the end goal of going through a DVA course. Are we still running with the idea that a student that has taken and passed a course will get a badge or a special gif of recognition of some sort? If so, that would really validate this next wall of text

I'm currently looking at about 3 students that signed up and did nothing. No homework assignments, no face time in class. I wasn't even going to bother sending them the final exam.

I have about 5-6 students that consistently showed up to class.

Homework assignments were a complete bomb, though. Pretty much no one did them past week one.

I'm cool with that, I sort of saw the homework assignments as a way of people demonstrating what they gained from the class. But I also saw them as a thing people could do if they missed class.

But what might have also happened is... someone waltzed in, read the chat logs, learned something, and is able to write the final... So it's hard to judge how to proceed. I mean, it's just my opinion, but I can't sign up for a university course, not show up the entire time because I was too busy, and expect to receive credit for it. If I'm going to enroll in a course (and take the seat away from someone else), I'm going to make damn sure I make some kind of effort to participate and earn that little token of recognition.

So part of my dilemma is... I don't necessarily want to take those 10 initial sign ups, PM them the final and pass them through the course when they did absolutely nothing for the whole month.

So we brainstorm! One solution is to weight the participation... Like say by class, homework and exam.

My theory for weighting is... I don't want someone who ONLY takes the exam to be able to pass the course... so the exam < 48% of the final grade.

The other 52% gets split between Class attendance and homework assignments (26% each).

There are 4 classes and 4 homework assignments. So singularily, they would each be worth 6.5% (roughly).

What I'm getting at is... even if someone couldn't make the chats, but they did one homework assignment and aced the final exam, they could still pass the course.

So here's a few options there...

50% pass required...
100% final exam = 48%
One homework assignment OR one class attended (or a mix of both) = 6.5%
= 54.5% grade.

65% pass required...
100% final exam = 48%
Three classes OR three homework assignments completed (or a mix) = 19.5%
= 67.5%

70% pass required...
100% final exam = 48%
All homework completed OR all classes attended (or a mix equalling up to 4) = 26%
= 74%

I guess it all depends on how casual or strict we want to be with the end goal of the classes and who earns the badges. I guess what I don't want is to see people waltz into DVA like it's a laugh and waltz out with a token and have gained nothing from it and done nothing for it.

Any other ideas on how to pass people through a course?

**zebrah** · 06-23-2010 10:35 AM

Well I don't think there should be a hard grading system. I think progress is a much better measure of a students learning. If a student goes into a class not knowing anything, and they come out not knowing anything they fail. But if student comes in and tries hard to learn that should be rewarded. Although not having participation is bad.

This also depends on the length of the semester. I'll think more on this and post back.

**AURON** · 06-23-2010 11:41 AM

We're giving badges out to deserving students. But obviously they wont be freebies. I still don't think the dream control class needs a final exam...since it's more of a "creative writing" type class for dreaming. But as as far as other classes go; yes, there should be some sort of grading system to ensure that people show up....do homework and and show results after testing. Or the students will continue to not take the classes as seriously as they should.

**louie54** · 06-24-2010 06:45 AM

I think we decided not to do badges since Shift left. It was sort of her thing anyway, and there really wasn't much of a reason to have them.

**zebrah** · 06-24-2010 09:29 AM

Here is what I think.

70% of 100% = passing C
80% of 100% = passing B
90% of 100% = passing A
Attendance = 20% 5 points a class
Participation = 20% 5 points a class
homework = 20% 5 points a class
Final exam = 40% One time
Extra credit = 10% optional

total = 110% with extra credit

So if you aced the final and went to every class you could pass.

This way you can have a point value assigned to everything. This way a student can see what they need to do.

Now for how you get points.

If you go to class you get points for showing up. If you type and respond to the questions you get participation points. If you didn't go to class you need to read the chat log and make a response post in the chat log thread with your answers. This way you can tell if the students did read the log.

If the class doesn't have a chat session attendence and participation are merged into points for responding to teacher's posts.

Home work is easy to work out. If they do eveything to your liking 5 points. Maybe it was so-so 3 points. This way points are not fixed.

The final is graded by you with a 40 point max.

extra credit is totaly optional.

I think that a 100 point system is good with 1 point = to 1%

If that doesn't work for the particular class you can change the value.

**AURON** · 06-24-2010 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by louie54

I think we decided not to do badges since Shift left. It was sort of her thing anyway, and there really wasn't much of a reason to have them.

Alex wants to have them...we're having them.

**Serenity** · 06-24-2010 08:10 PM

Alright, so for dream control (since that is mine, so that is my focus)...

So...
Classes = 13% x 4 = 52%
Homework = 13% x4 = 52%
With a possible grading of 104% (it goes over 100 because my brain can't handle decimals as easily).

Thinking that 52% could be the minimum badge-earning margin (which would be completing 4 elements). Would Alex be okay with that, Akono? Or would he prefer something like 65%, which would mean something more like completing 5 elements (4 classes, 1 homework... or 3 classes, 2 homework, etc).

**zebrah** · 06-24-2010 11:28 PM

Seren we need to talk to Alex but 70% is the minimum I would pass someone at.

Edit: what do you think of my post I think it works out well.

**Serenity** · 06-25-2010 04:14 AM

To be honest, I'm not sure I want to mark for participation. Because, as teachers, we should be encouraging participation, anyways. And not just letting or having students sit there and blindly (or sleepily!) read chat. Plus, it's like... how do you judge that? How do you say if someone only speaks once or twice a class, they participated less than someone who talked the whole time? What if those one or two things were truly valuable?

I dunno. I'm against participation marking. I'll do it if the headmaster says we have to. But I will say right now, I dun like it!

**zebrah** · 06-25-2010 05:32 AM

I understand seren. Although almost every college course I have had particiation is required for a small part of the grade. I don't mean they need to talk the entire time. They should just answer your questions. It's not how good their response is. The point is making sure the student is engaged in the conversation.

I think participation should be an option but not manditory.

**louie54** · 06-25-2010 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by Akono

Alex wants to have them...we're having them.

Hmm. Alright, he's the boss lol

I just could have sworn someone (I think Naiya) said we weren't going to have them.

That's fine with me though. Do we have any, or do we need to get the Art team to make some for us?

**zebrah** · 06-25-2010 06:39 AM

I can always take a crack at it also. Would they be in the same place as totm badges?

**louie54** · 06-25-2010 07:39 AM

I believe so. Like an extra row under your picture.

**zebrah** · 06-25-2010 05:46 PM

Fancy. If we don't have em I can also look at making them. Unless of course you only want the art team to do it. What do you think of the grading systems Louie.

**Naiya** · 06-26-2010 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Akono

Alex wants to have them...we're having them.

Yeah...I know there doesn't seem to be much point to the badges, but I think it is neat to give them something for having finished a class.

I don't think we need to ask the Art Team, because Alex is hiring professionals to do the new site design, and I believe badges will have to be included to ensure that they match the overall theme.

**zebrah** · 06-27-2010 12:27 AM

Wow that's going to be cool. Thanks

**Serenity** · 06-27-2010 03:22 PM

Ohhhh kay.

So since I need to get this pushed through today (so I can tweak my course outline and start up my new class)... I'm going to set it at a 75% pass margin. That would mean completing 6 elements of the course (based on showing up to class and homework. It can be a mix of 3 classes, 3 homework... 4 classes, 2 homework, etc) in order to earn the graphic, once it's available.

Since last semester was a bit of a trial run and also wasn't specifically stated that there was a minimum pass requirement, I will pass through the students who showed up every week. That's 5 people out of my initial 10.

List to follow later today.

**louie54** · 06-28-2010 06:04 AM

Yeah, so far there is no pass/fail thing. Having a class was basically a last minute thing for me but I'm pretty sure this will be the time I'm teaching for now.

Now should we create these pass margins for every professor, or should we just let them create it on their own? I'm thinking have one ready for them, but they can change it to make it best for them.

**zebrah** · 06-28-2010 06:17 AM

I think having an outline of all things like; syllibi, grading, and class format would be good. But teachers could PM you or post in here to get other opinions. Atleast there would be a general format making a new teachers job easier.

I propose that anyone who wants to can write up an outline for teachers formatting and then we can all post them in the same place for discussion. What do you guys/girls think of that idea?

**louie54** · 06-28-2010 06:54 AM

Yeah, that's cool with me. Yeah.

**zebrah** · 06-28-2010 07:01 AM

Yeah, time to start writing. Yeah.

**louie54** · 06-28-2010 07:14 AM

Lol. Yeah!

**zebrah** · 06-28-2010 07:23 AM

if you read this before you head to sleep considering hopping in the IRC. Even if you cannot talk you might as well say hi.

**Naiya** · 07-31-2010 10:50 PM

Bumping.

We will soon be introducing the actual badges for completing courses when the site completes the skin upgrade. We should have a solid policy for what is a pass for the courses.