My philosophy
Last semester, I participated in a study group that explored ways to make grading more equitable — that is, to be sure that our grading policies don’t create unnecessary obstacles for certain groups of students.
This inquiry led me to reconsider almost everything I’ve done in the past — things that you may be used to, since it’s what many (probably most) instructors have done, and continue to do.
My philosophy is based on the understanding that grades undermine students’ ability to learn. I therefore seek to separate quality from the grade.
This doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in quality; I will work hard to encourage you to think and write well. But for that to happen, you need to feel free to take risks, even to fail, without fearing that your grade will suffer.
Of course, I still have to assign you a grade at the end of the semester. So let me explain how that works.
The Grading Policy
The default grade for this course is a “B.” Completing less work than required for the default will lower that grade; completing more than required will raise it.
| To Raise the Grade | Default (B) | To Lower the Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Not applicable (N/A) | Complete all 3 major essays (see below for what “complete” means) | All 3 major essays must be submitted by the grace period deadline to pass the class. Each Incomplete major essay lowers the grade a full letter. |
| Reflections on all 3 major essays (+1/3) | N/A | N/A |
| All 3 working draft conferences with a reasonably complete draft (+1/3) | 2 working draft conferences with a reasonably complete working draft | 1 working draft conference with a reasonably complete working draft (-1/3) No working draft conferences with reasonably complete drafts: (-2/3) |
| 4 (of 6) working draft questionnaires, before and/or after (in some combination). Note: this only applies if you attend the related working draft conference. (+1/3) | N/A | N/A |
| Miss no more than 1 Discussion Group Assignment Post (+1/3) | Miss no more than 2 Discussion Group Assignment Post | Miss 3 – 5 Discussion Group Assignment Posts (-1/3) Miss 6-8 posts (-2/3) Miss 9+ posts (full letter) |
| Miss no more than 1 Discussion Group Assignment Response (+1/3) | Miss no more than 2 Discussion Group Assignment Responses | Miss 3 – 5 Discussion Group Assignment Responses (-1/3) Miss 6-8 responses(-2/3) Miss 9+ responses (full letter) |
| 2 additional Annotated Biblographies from scholarly sources (+1/3) | 3 Annotated Bibliographies, as assigned | 2 or fewer Annotated Bibliographies (-1/3) |
| N/A | Reflective Essay at the end of the semester | Incomplete, or no, Reflective Essay |
| Unit 3 Topic Conference | No Unit 3 Topic Conferences (-1/3) | |
| Miss no more than 1 Quiz for Understanding (+1/3) | Miss no more than 2 Quizzes for understanding | Miss 3 or more Quizzes for Understanding |
Note: As I explain this, keep in mind that Yuba College only records full letter grades (for example, A or B, but not A- or B+). So if you earn a B+ in the class, I’ll have to report it as a B.
How It Works
To receive a B in the class, you’d complete all the assignments in the center column.
If you complete all the work in the center column, then completing work from the left column raises your grade. If you do not complete all the work in the center column, your grade would be lowered, as explained in the right column — though the “Raise” and “Lower” columns can offset each other.
Examples:
Diana Troy completed everything in the center column, with one exception: she did not want to attend any of the working draft conferences (-2/3). This lowers her grade from a B to a C+. However, she really wanted a B, so she made sure she missed no more than one Discussion Group Assignment post (+1/3). This raised her grade back to a B-. (Final reported grade: B.)
Selina Kyle wanted an A. She completed everything in the center column, except that she couldn’t attend the Unit 3 Topic Conference (-1/3); this lowered her grade to a B-. However, she did all 16 Discussion Group Assignment posts and responses (+1/3 for each) and all three reflections on the essay assignments (+1/3). This raised her grade to an A-. (Final reported grade: A.)
Major Essays
Please note how important the three major essays are: To receive a passing grade in the class, you must at least submit all three essays by the grace period deadline. If you don’t, you won’t pass the class. This cannot be offset by doing work from the left column.
Further, each major essay that receives an Incomplete will lower your grade by a full letter. However, this can be offset by doing work from the left column.
The Grading System
In Canvas, I’ll be using the “Complete/Incomplete” grading system. This means there will be three grades possible for each assignment:
- No grade: If an assignment does not have a “Complete” or “Incomplete,” then it means either that you didn’t turn it in by the deadline, or that I haven’t yet graded it.
- Incomplete: If an assignment gets an “Incomplete,” then it means that you didn’t fulfill the requirements of the assignment. You’ll usually have ten days from when I assign the “Incomplete” to rewrite most of the major assignments. (There are some exceptions, though: (a) the period will be shorter at the end of the semester, since the semester ends and I have a deadline for submitting grades, and (b) Discussion Group Assignment posts and responses cannot be rewritten.)
- Complete: If an assignment gets a “Complete,” then it means that you fulfilled the requirements of the assignment.
To receive a B, you need to complete all the items in the center column (though, of course, the grade can be offset with things from the other columns.)
What Does “Complete” Mean?
As I said, I will be separating the notion of quality from your grade. Instead of grading on how “well written” your essay is, or how “proper” your grammar is, or how “insightful” your argument is, I’ll assign a “Complete” or “Incomplete” based on whether or not you completed the requirements of the assignment.
Some of these requirements are simple to understand. For example, if the assignment asks for 750 words, and you turn in 500 words, it would be marked Incomplete. If the assignment requires you to cite at least five sources, and you cite only three, it would be marked Incomplete. If I ask you to respond to three classmates, and you only respond to one, it would be marked Incomplete.
Other requirements are trickier. For example, if the assignment asks you to both explain and apply Carol Dweck’s concept of “mindsets” to your experience (that’s Essay 1), and you mention the mindsets without explaining them, that assignment would be marked Incomplete. Or if the assignment asks you to take a position on an issue, but you don’t do so, that assignment would be marked Incomplete.
Since some of the requirements are tricky, please feel free to contact me if I assign an incomplete and you don’t agree. I’m happy to talk to you.
A Note on Canvas’s Gradebook
Since Canvas can’t calculate grades based on Complete/Incomplete scores, the Canvas gradebook won’t indicate your grade throughout the semester.
Nonetheless, I’ve chosen not to “hide” the gradebook, as it could help you keep track of missing or incomplete assignments.
an see that this rewrite policy means that, even if you’re struggling at the beginning of the course, you don’t need to give up. You’ll have the entire semester to learn what you need to know and/or be able to to, and a single grade — even a “0” — won’t doom you to failing the class.
Late Policy
As I’ve said a few times now, my grading philosophy emphasizes learning. In a perfect world, that would mean that I’d have no late policy at all.
Unfortunately, the world isn’t perfect. I have found that far too many students let themselves get so far behind that they either drop, or they try to do everything in the last week (usually unsuccessfully, which is stressful and ends up wasting their time).
So here’s the general system:
- Due date: Every assignment has a due date that is designed to keep you “on track.” You should do your best to meet this due date, especially for essays, so that you can focus on one assignment at a time.
- Grace period: Every assignment has a “grace period.” This grace period is generally one or two weeks, depending on the assignment. I will not accept work after the grace period has expired.
- Rewrite: If you turn in a major assignment by the grace period, but still earn an “Incomplete,” you will have the opportunity to rewrite the assignment to meet the requirements. Specific details will appear on the assignments themselves, but this is the basic idea:
- Generally, you’ll have one week from the time you received the Incomplete to complete the work and resubmit it.
- Alternatively, if you’d like to meet with me before rewriting, you’ll have one week from the time you received the Incomplete to schedule a meeting, and then you’ll have one additional week from the time we meet to resubmit it.
- For the first two essays, you’ll have two opportunities to rewrite, if needed. (There is not time for multiple rewrites on the last essay, and the annotated bibliographies are of little value later in the process.)
One Last Thought
This grading system isn’t perfect. As far as I can tell, though, no system is perfect — there are always trade-offs. And this system has huge advantages over traditional ones.
If you’d like to talk through what these differences are—if you’re concerned (as some students are), or if you just want to understand better what’s going on here — I’m happy to meet with you to talk through it. I mean that: I welcome your insights, and I’ll consider them as I work on next semester’s courses.
Next up: Resources
The next section is about resources that you might find helpful.