Hi The last few years I have been having students do small out-of-class exercises that they simply e-mail me a brief description and thoughts. They supplement topics taught in class, are not marked except for having been completed, and are fair game for test questions. Most students do well on the 10% of their final mark, but generally it has not been enough to overly inflate grades. Here are examples (xact##.pdf files) from my culture and psychology class. I've done the same for attention and memory using on-line demonstrations and experiments.
www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark/teach/3050/ I find these helpful as well in that I do not always feel compelled to "fill" up the class time if a natural break occurs towards the end of class. And in condensed format classes (e.g., spring, summer) or once-a-week evening classes, this can be especially appreciated when class meetings tend to be longer. I haven't used clickers in class, but some faculty here include these responses as part of participation. I'm not as concerned as Carol about "gimme" points, since evidence of exposure to the material in some extra-class way should I think also be reflected in some learning having occurred. Similarly, I usually include at least a few "gimme" questions on tests, such that if students have attended to lecture and/or read the text, they will almost certainly get the question correct. James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [email protected] >>> Carol DeVolder <[email protected]> 16-Jan-11 11:07:00 AM >>> Dear TIPSters, I know this has been discussed previously (repeatedly), but I wonder if you might answer a question for me. What is your favorite mechanism of evaluating student learning other than an exam? In other words, do you assign a paper? A project? What else? The thing that prompted my question is something I read from a presentation by Ike Shibley, _23 Practical Strategies to Help New Faculty Thrive_, summarized by Mary Bart and disseminated on our campus by our Center for Teaching Excellence i9n other words, that's as far as my reference citation can go). In the presentation Shibley recommends having multiple means of assessment, including "high stakes" assessments such as exams, and "low stakes" assessments such as participation points. Personally, I see the low stakes assessments such as participation points as "gimme" points and I don't like to reward students just for showing up. On the other hand, I'm willing to be open about other means and would like to mix things up a bit. So that is the basis for my question--what is your ideal mix of "grading opportunities" for students? Thanks, Carol -- Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 563-333-6482 This e-mail might be confidential, so please don't share it. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=7934 or send a blank email to leave-7934-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7939 or send a blank email to leave-7939-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
