Shifting to Specifications Grading: Two Design Cases
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This document discusses specifications grading through two design cases - an undergraduate and graduate course. It describes what specifications grading is, how assignments are graded pass/fail against competencies, and how students are given tokens to revise work. For the undergraduate course, examples of skills checks, blog posts, and a PowerPoint assignment are provided, along with the token system. The graduate course overview outlines weekly discussions, papers, and a research bibliography assignment, along with its token system. Lessons learned focused on increased student confidence and engagement through clear expectations and more feedback than determining grades.
Shifting to Specifications Grading: Two Design Cases
- 1. Shifting to Specifications Grading: Two Design Cases Vanessa P. Dennen Lauren M. Bagdy Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies Florida State University TCC 2020
- 2. Let’s Get Acquainted! Tell us: • Who do you teach? • Do you teach online and/or face-to-face? • What are your grading gripes?
- 3. What is Specifications Grading? • A form of competency-based learning ("specs") • Assignments graded on a pass/fail basis • Competencies fully met or not fully met • Competencies met ≠ perfect • Final letter grade corresponds to competencies demonstrated
- 4. Got Tokens? • Students are afforded assignment tokens to: • Revise or redo assignments • Submit assignments late • Drop low grades • Waive assignments (typically low-point, participation assignments)
- 5. Why Specifications Grading? • Assessments align with learning outcomes • Requires clear expectations • Promotes mastery learning • Increases student control • Simplifies the grading process
- 7. Undergraduate Course Overview • Applied educational technology course designed for preservice teachers • Learning objectives: • Software skills • Design skills • Technology integration knowledge • Multi-section course • Face-to-face and online sections • Meets the university’s computer competency requirement
- 8. Undergraduate Course Assignment Overview • Skill Checks: Graded pass/fail • (80% of skills correct to pass) • Blog posts: Graded pass/fail • Graded in class activities (GICA): Graded pass/fail • Assignments: Graded high pass/pass/fail • Independent learning projects: Graded pass/fail • Study pool participation: Grade based on study pool credits earned • Final project: Graded out of 20 points
- 9. Undergraduate Course Tokens • 2 late assignment tokens • 3 assignment revision/redo tokens • 1 waived blog post token • 1 waived graded in-class activity token
- 10. Undergraduate Assignment Example • Assignment: PowerPoint for Information Dissemination • Point Value: High Pass (5 points), Pass (3.5 points) and Fail (0 points) • Deliverables: • PowerPoint presentation • PowerPoint show
- 11. Undergraduate Assignment Example Pass Specifications (3.5 points): • A title slide including the topic & your name • At least 6 content slides presenting instructional material • A closing slide that summarizes the important points and states the conclusion • At least 4 images/graphics • At least 3 different slide layouts used throughout the presentation • At least 1 traditional bulleted list • Animations on at least 2 slides • Slide design adheres to the Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity principles • Slides have few spelling or grammar errors • Narration on PowerPoint show is clear and easy to hear (quality audio recording) • TOTAL SLIDES: 8
- 12. Undergraduate Assignment Example High Pass Specifications (5 points): Meets ALL the criteria for PASS in addition to the following criteria: • At least 10 content slides presenting instructional material • At least 6 images/graphics, including an original graphic created using SmartArt • Add 1 slide layout to the existing Slide Master, name it 'Your_Name', and use this slide layout for at least 1 slide • At least 4 different slide layouts used throughout the presentation, including the slide layout you created • Slide number appears on all slides • File is set up so handouts will print with 'Your_Name' in the footer. • PowerPoint presentation file includes speaker notes for each slide indicating what the presenter will be doing and saying while the slide is projected. • Slides are free of spelling and grammar issues • Narration on PowerPoint Show is scripted and well organized • TOTAL SLIDES: 12
- 13. Graduate Course Overview • Seminar focused on research trends • Learning objectives: • Characterize fields and subfields of research in instructional systems • Discuss key issues in different areas of instructional systems research • Identify research gaps and opportunities in different areas of instructional systems • Synthesize research findings across topics • Propose research concepts that are situated in existing research • Delivered on campus and online
- 14. Graduate Course Assignment Overview • Weekly discussions (9 @ 3% each) • Weekly papers (6 @ 5% each) • Search/Annotated Bibliography • Final Paper • Final Presentation • Portfolio
- 15. Graduate Course Tokens • Students started the course with 3 tokens • Tokens could be exchanged for: • A chance to resubmit an assignment that doesn’t meet specifications • A missed week of discussion • Permission to submit an assignment up to 3 days late
- 16. Graduate Course Assignment Example Research Conversation Search and Annotated Bibliography Sample Specifications: • Search approach is systematic and planned • Documentation of search captures and reports information about number and type of hits from various sources; looks more broadly than just journals when appropriate • Accurate characterization of research in two topical area (identification of authors, themes, research designs, journals, etc.) • Accurate APA formatting for in-text citations and references • Accurate identification of empirical research articles / peer-reviewed publications
- 17. Practical Issue: The Gradebook Assignments • Some graded with points (rubric for versions) • Some graded complete/incomplete • All get discursive feedback • If it isn't satisfactory, return to student Tokens • Set up as ungraded quizzes • Students determine when to use / specify use
- 18. Lessons Learned • Clear assignment expectations = Increased student confidence • Students submitted strong work no matter which version they completed • Students engaged in greater self-regulation • Instructors spent less time determining grades and more time providing feedback • Students read and attended to feedback • Instructors experienced less “grade grubbing”
- 19. Lessons Learned Some undergraduate students • Struggled to adjust to specifications grading on a conceptual level • Tried to negotiate for higher grades without making revisions As with all course designs, adjustment may be needed after initial implementation.
- 20. Audience Discussion How can you apply specifications grading to your course assignments? Handouts: Specs Grading Planning Guide Course Level – https://bit.ly/SGPG_CL Specs Grading Planning Guide Assignment Level – https://bit.ly/SGPG_AL
- 21. Thanks for joining us! Any questions? Vanessa Dennen – vdennen@fsu.edu - @vdennen Lauren Bagdy – Lbagdy@fsu.edu - @laurenbagdy