Re: Grading policies committee launches student survey to help draft new grading policies
The Ad Hoc Committee on Grading Practices and Assessment is grateful that The Dartmouth published an article highlighting our undergraduate survey. We wish to follow up with a few key points.
Unlike similar initiatives at peer institutions, our committee is independent of the College administration and was constituted solely as an initiative of faculty governance. We approach our work not in response to external political pressures, but as professors from across the institution who care deeply about our students’ educational experiences.
As explained in The Dartmouth’s article, the student survey is meant to reveal “what students see as the most important purposes (if any) of assigning grades, what criteria students think grades should ideally reflect and what role (if any) grade expectations play in shaping students’ decisions about what courses to take or majors to pursue.” A key phrase in this quote is “if any.” The committee approaches its work with open minds; we have no preconceptions.
In that spirit, we are actively collecting data to inform any recommendations we make to the Arts and Sciences faculty. In addition to the survey, we have organized conversations, focus groups and workshops with faculty, staff and students. We urge students to attend an upcoming grading design workshop on Oct. 26, the goal of which is to prompt generative discussion about grading practices and their intended purposes — an email invite is forthcoming. Additionally, on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, the committee will staff a table at Novack Cafe so students can share their thoughts directly.
We cannot stress enough that our recommendations will be informed by the values of our community. So, please: Fill out the survey, visit us in Novack and sign up for the workshop. This is truly your opportunity to help shape the future of grading and assessment at Dartmouth.
Sincerely,
Laura Edmondson, Department of African and African American Studies (committee co-chair)
Zane Thayer, Department of Anthropology (committee co-chair)
Wendy Epps, Department of Chemistry
Aden Evens, Department of English and Creative Writing
Jeff Friedman, Department of Government
Bob Hawley, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Rafe Steinhauer, Department of Engineering
Andrea Tarnowski, Department of French and Italian Studies
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
