Looking for an Entry Point into Alternative Grading?

By Rebecca Swanson, Aram Bingham, Megan Sanders and Carter Moulton

Instructors across higher education have increasingly begun to rethink assessment and grading, moving away from the limitations of traditional points-based grading and high-stakes exams. Given the array of benefits alternative grading systems can provide to students and instructors, we wanted to try such a system but were daunted by the implementation, until we learned about mastery-based testing (MBT). MBT keeps most aspects of the course the same (such as homework and engagement points) but replaces a traditional high-stakes exam structure with one in which students have multiple attempts to demonstrate proficiency with course learning outcomes. As part of this process, students can engage in feedback loops, learn from their mistakes, and fail in early attempts without penalty.

Our primary challenge with implementation was determining appropriate outcomes and developing a course schedule that allowed for more frequent assessments. After working out a few other technical details (as described in this web resource), we started using MBT and have not looked back since. After several semesters implementing MBT in high-enrollment undergraduate math courses, we believe that this system delivers the benefits of alternative grading while also minimizing the startup costs and risks associated with redesigning keystone courses in the curriculum. This article details the first semester of implementing MBT in three sections of a linear algebra course and reports on the experience and performance of a student cohort that was also new to alternative grading. The largely positive student experience, in combination with our experience that MBT supported more positive student-teacher interactions and made grading feel like a better use of time, has convinced us that these methodologies are worthwhile. As more students and instructors become familiar with systems like MBT, we see few reasons to return to “traditional grading.”

Read the TLI article here.