First Grading
Some of you might think that I would be a harsh grader, since I was brought up by the system itself and have some scars to prove it. But in reality, I’m a fair grader. I was delegated the responsibility to grade the first lab report for the course I’m TAing. As a guideline for grading lab reports, the professor stated that the TA should not correct them, but only to see if the efforts and answers satisfy the question, i.e. did the students answer what the questions ask of them. And the grading of the lab report is using the infamous plus, check, and minus system. I was lenient of the first lab report since most of the students weren’t able to even complete the lab in class. However, I graded everyone’s report in all fairness. The majority of the students did well and no one got a minus!
I’m looking forward to grade my first homework assignment—53 homeworks!! And for those, I do have to correct the mistakes.
Since this class does not grade by curve, the grade you get is what effort you put in. It actual goes by the high school’s grading scale of 93, 86, 77, … etc.
This brings up the idea of grade inflation. I often times wonder about it since U of C isn’t exactly a proponent of the grade inflation, in fact, the school detests it. I can’t help but think how neither extreme is good for the students. Of course, for the institution, more grade inflation probably means more student attendance as oppose to less applicants. On the other hand, the comparison between two students from two different institutions is skewed and unfair if one student were to attend a school with no grade inflation. How can there be an universal educational system that grants some sort of fairness? Maybe that’s what standardized testing is all about—the great equalizer!
Maybe someone should study the students’ motivation to study in a place with grade inflation and a place without. All I’m suggesting is that it helps to give good grades so that the students don’t feel overwhelmed or unmotivated. Why work harder when you know that someone else is getting a better grade with less the effort? Is that fair to the students?
Some of you might think that I would be a harsh grader, since I was brought up by the system itself and have some scars to prove it. But in reality, I’m a fair grader. I was delegated the responsibility to grade the first lab report for the course I’m TAing. As a guideline for grading lab reports, the professor stated that the TA should not correct them, but only to see if the efforts and answers satisfy the question, i.e. did the students answer what the questions ask of them. And the grading of the lab report is using the infamous plus, check, and minus system. I was lenient of the first lab report since most of the students weren’t able to even complete the lab in class. However, I graded everyone’s report in all fairness. The majority of the students did well and no one got a minus!
I’m looking forward to grade my first homework assignment—53 homeworks!! And for those, I do have to correct the mistakes.
Since this class does not grade by curve, the grade you get is what effort you put in. It actual goes by the high school’s grading scale of 93, 86, 77, … etc.
This brings up the idea of grade inflation. I often times wonder about it since U of C isn’t exactly a proponent of the grade inflation, in fact, the school detests it. I can’t help but think how neither extreme is good for the students. Of course, for the institution, more grade inflation probably means more student attendance as oppose to less applicants. On the other hand, the comparison between two students from two different institutions is skewed and unfair if one student were to attend a school with no grade inflation. How can there be an universal educational system that grants some sort of fairness? Maybe that’s what standardized testing is all about—the great equalizer!
Maybe someone should study the students’ motivation to study in a place with grade inflation and a place without. All I’m suggesting is that it helps to give good grades so that the students don’t feel overwhelmed or unmotivated. Why work harder when you know that someone else is getting a better grade with less the effort? Is that fair to the students?
