[tips] Re: Maximizing reliability of class assessments while minimizing grading

[Robert Wildblood]

I was a TA for Jim Linden at Purdue U many years ago and he did some research on this (for his own use, and not for publication, although in those days I think he could have published without a blessing from the IRB).  His conclusion was that In a course where 4 examinations were given, the average of those two exams had a pretty high correlation with the final grade in the course.  I don't remember what r was, since it was nearly 40 years ago, but I look at my grades each semester and remember that finding.  Maybe it is time to get permission to do the research. On 5 May2006, at 11:59 AM, Rick Froman wrote: Here is an end-of-semester question for you (while we are all buried under a pile of paper). When I look at my grade spreadsheets at the end of the semester, I am struck by the extent to which there seems to be a great deal of consistency in grades across various assignments within individuals. It seems as if it would make little difference if I gave five quizzes or 10 (except for the fact that, since I don't weight assignments, the 10 quizzes will count for twice as much toward the total as the five quizzes would). I have a number of classes with a fairly high load of assignments (written, multiple choice and online) and I am interested in retaining a high reliability for grading purposes (more items generally means greater reliability). However, for my sanity and the sanity of my students and efficiency in grading, I would like to minimize the number of assignments I give without losing reliability. This applies mainly to purely summative assignments. The number of formative assignments (for which summative credit is only given to encourage students to complete them) will need to be determined by the amount of practice required to learn the concept well. Rick Dr. Bob Wildblood Lecturer in Psychology Indiana University Kokomo 2300 S Washington St PO Box 9003 Kokomo, IN 46904-9003 765-455-9483 [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Too many good docs are getting out of the business.  Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country." George W. Bush.  Poplar Bluff, Missouri; September 6, 2004. "I am mindful of the difference between the executive branch.  I assured all four of these leaders that I know the difference, and that difference is, they pass the laws and I execute them. George W. Bush.  Washington, D.C.; December 18, 2000 "I'm the master of low expectations." George W. Bush.  Aboard Air Force One; June 4, 2003 "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin, 1775 "We are what we pretend to be, so we better be careful what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english