Faculty Resources

Teaching Resources

Tip #2 | Grading with Empathy and Clarity
Summer 2006

It can be maddening for instructors to see students obsess over grades instead of taking the time to produce quality work. Instead of applying critical and creative skills, many students fall into the trap of trying to please their instructors to get good grades. Paradoxically, when students focus on pleasing their teachers at the expense of developing and applying skills, their work—and their grades—suffer.

Here are some ways to help students shift their focus from ‘getting’ to ‘earning’ good grades:

• Remind students that grades do not reflect them “as a person” or their innate abilities. Some really terrific people get poor grades and vice versa. If students perform below their abilities, their grades will reflect their performance, not their potential.
• Demonstrate that grades are a reflection of their work, not your whim or opinion. Develop a grading rubric. Then engage students in the grading process. Ask them to review the criteria outlined in your rubric to assign themselves a grade.
• Be sensitive to how grades can affect students’ lives inside and outside the Academy. When they complain, I will get dismissed from school; My parents will stop the funds; I will lose my scholarship, they are not being irrational. Acknowledge their stress, provide as much written explanation for their grade as possible (Easy Grade Pro printouts, rubrics), and refocus their attention on the goals of your class. Refer students who need extra help to the ARC to strengthen their study skills.
• Clarify that you are using professional standards to evaluate their work. Perseverance, although certainly important, is not enough to earn A’s and B’s. Show students examples of A, B, C, D, and F work to demonstrate your meaning of professional standards. If you want to recognize perseverance in your grades, make a clear distinction between “working skills” and the quality of the work itself. (Rubrics can help with this.)
• Train yourself to de-emphasize grades in the way you talk about assignments. Say, The next project gives you a chance to develop your professional skills, instead of You’ll get an A if you present your work professionally. The more you emphasize grades, the more extrinsic motivation you foster. Studies show that people work harder and enjoy themselves more when they are intrinsically motivated.
• Think twice before offering extra credit to raise a grade. Explain that quantity does not make up for poor quality. Some students look for extra credit opportunities to gain points and raise their grades without attention to raising the quality of their work.

Resources:

» Kohn, A. 1999. From degrading to de-grading. High School Magazine 6(5): 38-43.
» Mulder, D. 2001. My Philosophy of Grading
» On Rubrics