Boston University | CET | In the Classroom

Design assignments to challenge students
Design a Grading Rubric to maintain efficiency and consistency
Some tips on grading an assignment
Questions to consider about student assessment when designing a course
Methods for determining final grades
Design activities that do not need to be graded: Classroom Assessment Techniques

Design assignments to challenge students

What is the objective of this assignment? What skills should the students work on or acquire by doing this assignment?

Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives

Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives ( Bloom, B.S., ed. (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York: Longman)

Level I Knowledge and Comprehension	Level II Apply/Analyze	Level III Synthesize/Evaluate

Describe Name List Outline Brainstorm Sort Remember Take notes	Organize Plan Graph Categorize Suggest Interpret Explain Summarize Generalize Illustrate	Develop Devise Construct Counsel Compose Critique Judge Debate Invent Design

Design a Grading Rubric to maintain efficiency and consistency

What components are you looking for in the answers to this assignment?
What is the relative weight of these components? Are they equally important?
What is excellent performance on this assignment? What is average performance?

To learn about designing a grading rubric, the following book is very helpful:
Walvoord BE and Anderson VJ (1998) Effective Grading (Jossey-Bass: San Francisco). Also check out the following websites from other universities which have sample rubrics appropriate for grading essays and papers.

Ball State University, English Department Writing Program
Prof. Karen Coats, English Department, Illinois State University
Texas A&M University, Writing Center

The example grading rubrics below used at Boston University were designed using Primary Trait Analysis (PTA), where characteristics of a good paper have established point values associated with them. The absence of certain traits results in a defined reduction in credit assigned.

CAS BI 107: Dr. Katie Kearns
Principles of Biology I
Laboratory Report Grading Rubric

Section	Value	Characteristics

Introduction	5	Presents relevant background to experiment; relates background to objectives; states both objectives and hypotheses; all relevant background cited
	4	Presents relevant background to experiment; missing one of the other traits
	3	Presents irrelevant background or relevance unclear; or missing more than one other trait
	2	Presents irrelevant background or relevance unclear and several other key traits missing
	1	Background material copied from or substantially similar to lab manual

Overall content	3	Conveys commanding knowledge of topic; demonstrates independence of thought; material presented in logical order; proper spelling and grammar
	2	Conveys adequate knowledge of topic with no spelling/grammar/typographical errors
	1	Demonstrates poor knowledge of topic; improper spelling or grammar, poor proofreading

MET CS 201: Prof. Gerard Keegan
Introduction to Computer Science using C++
Programming Assignments Grading Rubric

Value	Characteristics

Grade of 100	Correct solution, Well documented with comments, with good structure and effective use of whitespace, and Uses instructions and techniques from the current lesson(s)
Grade of 90	Correct solution, but missing either (2) or (3) above
Grade of 80	Partial solution (logic errors) Well documented with comments, with good structure and effective use of whitespace, and Uses instructions and techniques from the current lesson(s)
Grade of 70	Partial solution (logic errors), but missing either #2 or #3 above
Grade of 60	Compiles or builds with errors, but shows effort

Some tips on grading an assignment

Determine and verbalize the educational objectives of each activity
Prepare students for formal assessments by using activities of a similar challenge level
Consider whether all assignments need to be graded; would a check-plus/minus system work?
Save time in writing comments by creating a common error key
Be consistent by using a grading rubric
Use appropriate decimal places in grading to distinguish among different qualities of work
Grade the same question or paper section of all students at one time to focus your attention
Establish teachable moments like conferences or post-exam review to help students correct errors
Be aware of how much time you spend grading

Questions to consider about student assessment when designing a course

Will I grade on an absolute (criterion-referenced) standard, on a relative (norm-referenced) standard, on subjective determinations of student learning, on student-teacher contracts, or on some other method of grading?
What are my reasons for choosing the method I will use?
What do I consider outstanding performance?
How should an average student perform?
What are my reasons for allowing or not allowing students opportunities to earn extra credit?
What are my values concerning student attendance, class participation, and completion of assignments?
Will I depend upon a single method for assessing students' learning, or will I use a variety of methods (tests, writing assignments, oral presentations)?
Have I described my grading plan adequately to students in writing in the course syllabus and orally at the beginning of the course?
How will I handle late or missing assignments?

Methods for determining final grades

Weighted Letter Grades
4 multiple choice tests = 10% each
1 term paper = 15%
4 short written homework assignments = 5% each
Final essay exam = 20%
Attendance = 5%
A = 88-100%
B = 78-87%
C = 68-77%
D = 58-67%
F = 58%

Accumulated Points
2 multiple choice tests = 50 points each
2 essay tests = 50 points each
1 term paper = 100 points
2 homework assignments = 50 points each
1 final exam = 100 points
A = 425-500 pts.
B = 350-424 pts.
C = 275-349 pts.
D = 200-274 pts.
F = less than 200 pts

Definitional System
A = pass 90% of all assignments
B = pass 80% of all assignments

The Curve
A = top 10% of the class (top 10 students out of class of 100)
B = next 10% of the class

Design activities that do not need to be graded: Classroom Assessment Techniques

(Angelo TA and Cross KP (1993) Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers)

Focused Listing
Instructor selects a topic or concept. Students have a limited time to write as many related words, phrases or topics as they can. Students share their lists with the class (students can call out terms that are then written on the board). This activity can be done either at the beginning or the end of a lecture. Good for a survey or introductory course with lots of new terms to learn.

Categorizing Grid
Instructor draws a table with row and column headings representing important categorizing traits for important lecture information. Students fill in the information using only words or short phrases. Students could work in groups, which then share the information to the class. Best done at the end of a lecture containing lots of comparative information.

Defining Features Matrix
Instructor provides traits that must be compared between two or more things (concepts, organisms). Students fill in a grid, indicating with +/- symbols whether these traits are present or absent. Pick particularly confusing concepts (ones that appear to be similar at first glance).

Minute Paper
Instructor chooses a question (often "what was the most important thing you learned today" or "what important question remains unanswered") to which the students have one minute to respond. This activity may be done at the beginning or the end of a lecture, depending on the goal. Instructor should choose one or two questions to answer in the next class period.

Content, Form, and Function Outlines
Instructor chooses a short relevant text. After reading the text, students should be able to answer what, how and why questions in an outline format. Newspaper articles or news video may be appropriate. Good for showing the application of their knowledge to everyday events.

One Sentence Summary
Instructor chooses a topic that the students must summarize in one sentence ("who does what to whom, when, where, how and why?"). Students have a defined period of time to summarize. Must be a topic that you can summarize and that does not have too many answers or parts.

Student-Generated Test Questions
Instructor chooses topics that will be covered on the test and determines the kinds of questions that will be asked. The instructor then allows the students to generate a limited number of questions following the format determined by the instructor. Allow all students to see all questions before the test.

Human Tableau or Class Modeling
Instructor selects a process or structure important to the class topic. What can students learn from this that they cannot learn any other way? Can the students recreate this thing with their bodies without props? Give students certain parts of the structure to participate in. Be sure to identify the important learning goals as the students create this structure or process.

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