To grade, or not to grade, that is the learning question.

 

 

    “I know grades don’t matter in grad school, but it’s so validating to get a 4.0!” I sent this message to a few friends at the end of FA20. I was happy to know I received a 4.0 GPA after taking 2 PhD classes while working full time (something I hadn’t done in 2 years). If I believe “grades don’t matter in grad school,” why did I get so excited about this assessment of my performance? Why did I finally get A+ grades? I have been in school for over 20 years now…Am I smarter this many years later? Or am I studying better? Is it both? Robert Bjork would probably tell me it is both. On one hand, I am “performing better” because I have deeper foundational knowledge and am able to successfully generate connections/engage processes (Brown et.al., 2014, p.76). On the other hand, graduate school forced me to do my readings before the lecture. As it turns out, learning is optimal for ESL students if they read the content before a lecture (University of California Television).

    Here is my truth- I had zero tests and received 100% on all assignments. I was given points for effort. I think this was the case for all students. If it was not, what is the difference between a 92, 95 and 100? Is it a difference we can measure? If not, why do instructors’ grade at all? Why do instructors make students feel as though they “learned less” because they received a 92 and their peer received a 97? If we cannot specifically measure where a student’s knowledge started and ended throughout a course, why do we assign a number throughout the semester as if we can measure this?

    My answer is this- grading is a faulty intuition. Instructors have been lead to think grades measure a student’s performance and ability, but it is only one data point of their performance. In reality, learning does not equal performance (University of California Television). I propose instructors take on Robert Bjork’s recommendation, “testing as a pedagogy versus assessment” (University of California Television). We need to test our students by having them practice retrieval, but we do not need to provide a grade for every test. Learning is a process; educators know this. As Brown et.al. (2014) point out, retrieval practice is a process that “builds interconnected networks of knowledge that bolster and support mastery of knowledge” (83). Students only need to note their progress (like our RPA’s) and feel good about their visible progress. Seeing a “c” or lower is not a desirable difficulty. Instead, a difficulty is desirable because students are responding to them (successfully) by engaging in processes that support learning and comprehension (University of California Television). A “c” or lower does not feel supportive, but a sense of progress does. While I am also only one data point, I put more effort into my learning if I do not receive a lower grade throughout the semester. If I am only expected to demonstrate progress, I feel good in the class (and the department), am likely to put in more effort, and “added effort increases comprehension and learning” (Brown et.al., 2014, p.87).

    So, let’s stop grading throughout the semester and only grade at the end of a course. Avoid students being discouraged by a letter and allow them to test their ability and potential with practice retrieval throughout the semester. If you must, provide a grade that reflects the student’s effort and progress at the end of the course (should be an A for all because we cannot measure effort). Let the excitement of an “A” plunge them into celebration with friends and into another semester of effort. 

 

 

 

Brown, P.C., Roediger H.L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Harvard University Press.

University of California Television. (2016, March 3). How We Learn Versus How We Think We Learn  [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZzoVp5jmI&feature=emb_logo