Just to let you know, I hear it from the proverbial little bird that we as a faculty will soon be asked to reflect seriously on how we evaluate student work and performance. I have already implemented some pretty nifty and unusual procedures, and I plan to implement some more; however, I'm not really sure yet how far I will or should go.
The gist of the matter is that, in some cases (probably a majority, I suppose), student ability and performance are not always reflected accurately by grades. For example, a student may be brilliant in math but an "underachiever," as we have heard folks say. That student could theoretically fail a math class for failure to do any work; however, he could later come along and ace the SAT or ACT and pass a college placement test. In that case, the student's failure in class wouldn't accurately reflect his ability. On the other hand, a student may work hard, turn in every assignment, do extra credit, etc., and still barely master the material. He may have a passing grade (even if it's marginal), but he may not know the material. Again, his grade wouldn't necessarily reflect his performance or ability.
Thus, we have a conundrum, and I really would like for you to think about this and post your thoughts. What is the best way to evaluate student work? What makes sense about your past experience (you must be completely generic in your responses--in other words, no nasty derogatory comments or specific names/classes--be objective in your analysis), and what doesn't? If you were a teacher, what kind of system would you use? Why?
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts because I feel the winds are changing, and I'm not sure where they will blow by the time you come back to school. Just a thought...
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