Since we only have one class meeting left and I'm still putting together my syllabus, I thought we should have a place online to ask/answer questions we may have about our respective syllabi. Here's a few of my own.
- I don't want to grade papers when they're handed in; I want the final portfolio of combined writing to be the majority of the final grade for my class. That being said, how do I penalize late papers when they themselves aren't receiving an individual grade?
- One practical question: what's the best way to keep track of grades? I may have a little problem making sense of grades when some of them are going to be percentages of larger percentages. Should I be using a spreadsheet template, or what?
Everyone else post their own questions so I don't look stupid.
3 comments:
Bob-
Seriously when it comes to grading, I am like WTF!!
I can't wrap my head around precentages, points, averages. My realtionship with numbers has grown distant over the years; I balance my check book using a calculator. So your guess is as good as mine. I just wanted you to know you were not in the boat alone floating off into the unknown grading abyss.
I think I may use a points system, if I can figure out one that makes sense. All of this will congeal over eggnog and sugar cookies, I am hoping.
I do worry about not giving students grades on their papers. How do you work this out? How will they be able to guage how they are doing? Is it midterm grades? Are you just going to put comments on the papers and hand them back? What precentage or point value is givien to the portfolio then?
Boy I had more questions than I thought. I obviously have not decided yet.
I am going to use an early/middle/late system for handed-back papers, but I think I'm going to use different terminology because that whole "late" thing bothers me. "Late papers are good, but if you don't turn them in on time, they'll be marked late!" See how this can cause some problems?
My idea is to change the terminology of EML to beginning/intermediate/advanced; I don't see any confusion happening with these words (once I explain them).
In regards to late drafts, the way I have my class tentatively structured is that I have a separate grade (percentage) for punctuality. Since the entire grade is not based on the portfolio, their grades will go down if they aren't turned in on time.
Hope this helps.
Post a Comment