Developing a Grading Philosophy

Why a Grading Philosophy? 

Most people probably don't have a fully-formed grading philosophy as new instructors. It is not something that new faculty are encouraged to reflect on and develop, but it can be a foundation for many other classroom practices. Perhaps you have had to put together a teaching philosophy for a job application; a grading philosophy is one element of a larger teaching approach. Often, personal views on grading impact everything from classroom management, to feedback emphasis, to policies and procedures. 

Grading discussions usually center around “how” and “what” (for example, what’s the grading breakdown? how many points should the assignment be worth?) and not “why” (what really matters in the course grade? what is the best balance between process and product?). Sometimes, faculty simply inherit grading practices from their colleagues without careful review or examination. When we reflect on these questions, it helps us work on alignment (see the Outcomes series for more information about alignment).  

So, as starting point, it is useful to reflect on your own attitudes about grading. The following short video provides some questions for you to consider the “why” of grading: what is the purpose of grades? what should or should not be graded? and, what is your responsibility in grading and what is the student responsibility?

 

 

What to Grade?

There are as many answers to the question "what should I grade?" as there are instructors. Academic freedom allows you to design assignments, their weight, and the overall course grading approach based on your disciplinary expertise. But, it can be problematic. Some faculty find it overwhelming to start from scratch, so often, they adopt ideas from colleagues. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. But, if those ideas are never examined and revised for individual instructors, they can be limiting. 

Frequently, the following issues come up about grading:

1. grading attendance - whether or not to count "participation" points, or something similar to attendance, is a long-running debate. Advocates for this approach want to reward positive behavior (showing up, engaging in class conversations, etc.). It is also often used to provide some "instructor discretion" points - used to either punish or reward students for meeting/not meeting instructor expectations. A great reflection from veteran faculty and author James Lang on the topic can be read here, "Should We Stop Grading Class Participation. Links to an external site."  If you decide to incorporate some kind of attendance/participation grading component, make sure that you are being as fair as possible. Communicate your expectations of full credit clearly - you might think it is transparent to students, but that is rarely the case. Provide examples, discuss it thoroughly, model it, and give early feedback so students can improve as the course progresses. And, make sure that you are considering non-visible obstacles to attendance and participation. In particular, responsibilities like work and family outside the classroom can impact attendance.  Also, invisible disabilities like social anxiety prevent some students from speaking up. Decide how you want to address these issues. 
2. credit vs. no-credit - no matter what you use to assess student learning (exams, presentations, etc.), it is important that you build in opportunities for student to practice. Well-scaffolded courses have assignments that build on each other, allowing students to practice foundational skills before demonstrating more advanced skills. Consider adding low- or no-point practice assignments that allow you to provide individual feedback that steers people in the right direction, and also provides you with information to adapt your instruction to better support actual student learning. This approach - using formative assessment - is key to student success. 
3. late work - to accept, or not to accept...that is the question. There are no easy answers here, and there are solid arguments on both sides of the debate. Your approach is likely connected to your philosophy; if your goal is student mastery, no matter the timeline, then you may be more open to accepting late work. If your grading philosophy includes student professionalism as a key component for grades, you may decide against it or add point deductions. Again, you are authority for making decisions about these grade elements, but there are many resources available to help you make those decisions. 

There are other important aspects of grading, and I hope that you will review other parts of this online course to learn more. Or, join one of the TLC events on the topic.