In article <e242jr01sv@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Lee <REM0VElbspamtrap@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>Herman Rubin said:
>>In article <e1umqj0olt@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Lee <REM0VElbspamtrap@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>>>KenG said:
>>>>While zeros may seem far on surface
>>>>(no work = no credit), it mathematically pulls grades down 2 1/2 times
>>>>more than a 60, a common F.
>>>The fallacy in that statement has been pointed out to you before.
>>>An "F" is not scored as 60 points.
>>It depends how the scoring is done.
>>>The number of points actually earned is recorded, and if it is less
than 60 (or
>>>some other threshold) then the equivalent letter grade for that
assignment is an
>>>"F".
>>Most teachers compute their grades by averaging out the
>>weighted numerical scores for the various parts of the
>>course. I consider this to be the awarding of "Brownie
>>points", not the *****sment of what the student understands
>>and can do with the facts and the understanding in the
>>future, in particular the distant future.
>If a parent complains about little Billy's final grade, you
>would be better off being able to show the scores of the
>assignments that sup****t the grade, than just trying to
>impress them with whatever credentials you believe you have
>to sup****t your subjective appraisal.
Final grades should be given on evidence of knowledge and
understanding, not on the ability to regurgitate or to
write fiction ad nauseam. I am not objecting to a good
*****sment, but I am objecting to counting papers handed in
and carrying out of routine assignments. I am worried
about complaints that little Billy did all the work, handed
in all the assignment, and still gets a poor grade, as well
as the person who does not need to do any of the work to
understand it better than the teacher.
An ideal examination on a course would be to see if the
material can be applied to novel situations some years
after the end of the course. Anyone who assumes that
memorization and regurgitation and routine work is an
indication of that is ignorant or stupid.
This was told me by a casual friend (we met as
undergraduates) who was a colleague of mine in a different
area. A student came in complaining about his B in a
graduate course. The friend pulled out his final exam, and
at one point said about a particular problem, "You got the
first part right; how would you proceed from there?"
Whereupon the student said, "But the course was over two
weeks ago; I've forgotten that."
This is, alas, NOT atypical.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
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