Okay, so after returning my first ever exam, in which the average grade was just average (a low C for those wondering), this is what I decided to do.
I returned the exam to them and let them correct their answers.
I know, I generated a heck of a lot more work for myself, but I just felt by them going back over their exams, using their books and notes to identify the correct response, that they might actually semi-learn some of the material they initially answered wrong.
These were my stipulations:
- corrections had to be typed (no way I was wasting more time trying to read illegible chicken scrawl)
- for each corrected answer- they had to give a reason WHY that answer was the correct one.
So, for example, for the handful of true/false questions on the exam, if the statement was actually false, they had to say why it was false and rewrite the question to make it true. If the right answer was actually true, again they had to give a reason why that was true. They just couldn't simply change their answer from true and false and get credit for it.
What sort of "credit" did I give them? Partial credit for each answer corrected. It worked out to be ~1/4 of a point for each correction. So the person who scored the highest, this would only knock him/her up 5 pts. Meanwhile, the person who scored a lowest (the 20) would still get an F, though albeit a higher F. (Not sure if that made him/her feel any better.. but it turns out it was a moot point, because that person did not turn in a regrade.)
As for curving - I decided to hold off to the end of the course. So I'm going to put up with the incessant whining about the grades, and then make some adjustment at the end. What exactly that adjustment will be is still up for grabs.
Though I definitely say that I have no problems failing someone who hasn't put forth any sort of effort towards the class at all.
Does that make me mean?
No it makes you real. You are putting forth lots of effort, planning, writing, teaching, grading. They should do their part, attending, listening, reading, learning! If they aren't then too bad!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I was accidentally "James" the last time.
It doesn't make you mean. What else are you supposed to do you with a person who is failing, and doesn't seem to care?
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the idea of making them correct their own mistakes; that is the best way for them to learn what they need to learn. I may use that...