Hi Tipsters:
Statistics (and any math for that matter) is not one of my strong points but
doesn't the normal curve phenomenon apply to large numbers of people?
JL Edwards
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Barbara Watters <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Dogan Kokdemir <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: Discussion List TIPS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thursday, December 02, 1999 8:22 AM
Subject: Re: Grading & Motivation
>Dogan,
>You were correct when you said that your question is "universal." I
>think all instructors wrestle with the issue of the grading
>distribution. Before I answer your question, I have a question for
>you: What are your reasons for seeking a grade distribution that
>conforms to the normal curve? Design a challenging course, and
>naturally the course grades should distinguish the higher from the lower
>performers.
>
>My advice for you would be to design your courses to be challenging, yet
>suitable for the types of students that you enroll at your university.
>But when it comes to assigning course grades, why don't you just use a
>percentage system? Compute students' grades as the percentage of the
>total possible points that they have earned. In that way, each student
>receives a grade based only on what he/she has done. If you "grade on a
>curve," then students may feel like they are "trying to hit a moving
>target." I think that such a system may lead to diminished motivation
>in your students.
>
>Dr. Barbara Watters
>Mercyhurst College
>Erie, PA 16546 USA
>
>Dogan Kokdemir wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> The problem is universal and related not only to psychology lectures
>> but also to others:
>>
>> I have a problem in grading students; that is, most of the students
>> (if not all) study for taking "A"s "B"s .. etc. and most of them are
>> ready for getting "C" if you gurantee that nobody wants them to do
>> things for the lecture.
>>
>> More importantly, I believed that there are unneglible amount of
>> students with very high motivation and effort. Unfortunately, I am not
>> sure that by concentrating on "bad" students I loose the contact with
>> "good" students or not. In other words, I want "good" students to get
>> "A"s and "B"s and want "bad" students to get "F"s. ... And the
>> question:
>>
>> Does it sound good for you that I will give "A" and "A-" for the
>> (let's say) top %5 of the students wherease give "F" and "D"s for the
>> last %5 regardless of their actual score on the lecture. I know this
>> curve mechanism can be stresfull for most of the students but I wonder
>> by this method I could discriminate "bad"s from "good"s.
>>
>> Thank your for your comments.
>>
>> Dogan Kokdemir, M.Sc.
>> Baskent University
>> Ankara - Turkey
>
