Grades have become ubiquitous in the college teaching and learning environment, but how did we get here? Join us for an informal journal club to learn more about the history of the traditional grading system (e.g. A-F course grade scale) and review a synthesis of the literature on how grades have been shown to affect student learning. We will dive into the Schinske and Tanner 2017 article “Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently)” and discuss their proposed strategies for enhancing teaching and learning, particularly for more equitable outcomes. In so doing, we invite participants to envision what the future of grading could look like at UC Berkeley.
At the end of this session, you will:
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Investigate the history of grading in higher education.
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Discuss how grades affect student learning experiences.
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Examine grading as a mechanism for exacerbating inequities and reinforcing biases.
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Identify strategies to mitigate the shortcomings of traditional grading practices.
Everyone in the UC Berkeley instructional community is welcome to join the chat! This event is hosted by Research, Teaching, and Learning (RTL) and the College of Engineering EMPOWER Program and is one of a three-part series focused on Equitable Grading Strategies. Please consider also enrolling in the other two events: Perspectives on Equitable Grading-Faculty Coffee Chat and Putting Equitable Grading into Practice - Assignment Clinic.
This hybrid event will be held in person in 117 Dwinelle Hall (Academic Innovation Studio) and also on Zoom. Please RSVP to get the Zoom invite.
Lunch will be available for in-person participants. We kindly request that you register no later than 3 days in advance if you're attending in person, to help us arrange catering. In-person participants please arrive promptly at 11:30 AM for lunch.
This journal club will then run for 60 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes reserved for informal networking.
➡️ Register for this event here!⬅️
***Registration for this session will close two hours before the session for remote participants***
Unable to join us for this event? Check the RTL events calendar for future offerings of this workshop. Receive customized assistance by emailing teaching@berkeley.edu, or by scheduling a consultation.