And if so, what is the best way to "curve" a course?
So any helpful suggestions from out there in the vast (more experienced) internet teaching world would be most appreciated.
My gut right now is telling me to wait till the end to curve. Not to curve each individual exam. Curving now might give students false hope that they are doing well. But curving in the end means they don't know what grade they are going to get. Though I don't suppose anyone could complain about getting a better grade than expected.
But then again, these student constantly surprise me, so I shouldn't cross that possibility off the list.
On a related grading note- why do students think it is acceptable to hand in an assignment weeks after it is due and then get disgruntled with me for not accepting it. Assignments are due the DAY that you are told or that is written in your syllabus. What part of "assignments will not be accepted late" do you not understand?
Did you end up curving? I'm guessing by your most recent post, the answer is no?
ReplyDeleteI generally curve only at the end of the semester; there are some good online resources for helping calculate curves, too, so that you can be fair about it. Sometimes if everyone does really poorly on an assignment or exam, though, I'll give them a make up or retake and then average the grades.
ReplyDeleteYes, students could complain about getting a better grade than expected. Because they would have worked less had they known they were going to get better grades than they thought.
ReplyDeleteNot that I consider that a valid reason, but some of them will.
I work in the world of computer science which, unlike biology, has a huge gender inequity. I have heard strong admonishments to curve after each exam, not wait until the end. This is because in CS, girls think they're failing when in fact they're doing fine. They will drop out.
ReplyDeleteThe thinking goes that a student with an 85% who is used to doing better, expects better of her- (or him-) self will drop out of the class, thinking s/he is not capable of doing good work in the class. When from your point of view, that's the class's best student.
I would probably just curve each exam so the students don't freak out and are more aware of how they're actually doing.
But be kind to yourself, no matter what you do. You'll be a better teacher in a few years and look back and cringe. But I would bet that truly, you're okay right now.