Hi Jim,

I think that is a great idea. 

I have my students grade their own performance and progress on a weekly basis.  This gets them thinking about what criteria they should use to assess themselves and what each letter grade really means.  This always leads to some great discussions in the first weeks of class.  Isn't C supposed to be average, and A an excellent grade?  It seems that the grading system has become skewed so that now a B is average and C is what a student gets when they don't do anything for the course.  I have found that in letting the students grade themselves they tend to actually use the C=average as a guide.  If they don't prepare for their weekly lesson, they have no option but to give themselves an E...and then work really hard the next week to get an A.  Allowing them to grade themselves also seems to promote them working harder earlier in the semester, rather than cramming everything in the last weeks.  (I do teach a lot of students one-on-one or in very small groups.  Being with each student when they assign their grade is easy.  I haven't figured out how to incorporate self-grading when teaching large classes.)     

I was actually to talking to a student about this just yesterday.  She had quite a bit to say, especially when comparing the differences she sees in the value of an A, or a C, between the US academic system and that of China, where she was raised.  I don't know if she would feel comfortable speaking about this in front of a group of faculty, but I'm sure I can find a student that would. 

After writing that I realize that perhaps you meant something else by 'grade expectations'?  Regardless, maybe it's relevant?

Thanks,
Julie

--
Julie Licata, DMA
Assistant Professor of Music
State University of New York
College at Oneonta

Office: (607) 436-3441
Cell: (607) 434-3337

On Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 7:14 AM, Greenberg, James ([log in to unmask]) <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

TBers,

I was thinking about asking you to bring a student with you to the next TB (I’ll buy them coffee or whatever) and having a discussion with them about grade expectations.   Vanderbilt University just did something like this (see http://is.gd/L6euPp ) and the outcomes looked useful.  What do you think?

Mr. James B. Greenberg
Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
Milne Library
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820

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