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Re: Arbitrary Grades?????

To: Phys-l

Regarding: Grading Lab Reports

1. I try to assign some questions with the lab experiment. These
can then be graded and help to determine the overall grade.

2. One interesting idea that I have not tried yet (but might in the
future) is to give a lab final exam. In this system, the lab grade
comes from (1) completion of the experiments, and (2) the lab
final. The individual experiments are graded perhaps only on
completeness, thus avoiding the problem of how to grade the
individual reports.

Does anyone else have any comments on lab finals?

Regards,
Steven Ratliff

On Thu, 9 Oct 1997, Jerry Hester wrote:

Tappers and Phys-lers,
I have recently instituted a policy for labs in which lab grades are
based:
50% Data sheet answers and results
50% Punctuality, Effort, Group work, Preparation, performance, etc.

I feel these more subjective criteria are really more valid measures for
labs. The problems here are many, such as, students don't like being
graded this way since it is a matter of how the GTA interpretes.
Students perceive things like effort and preparation differently than
the grader, and it is very difficult to teach GTAs to use a consistent
approach to grading of this type.

Do any of you use alternate grading criteria for labs and if so how do
you approach these problems?

Thanks,
--
Jerry Hester Email: jhester@mtu.edu
Dept. of Physics Phone: (906) 487-2273
Michigan Technological University Fax: (906) 487-2933
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295


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Steven T. Ratliff
Associate Professor of Physics
Northwestern College
3003 Snelling Av. N.
Saint Paul, MN 55113-1598

Internet: stratliff@nwc.edu (or str@nwc.edu)