It sounds like a student's dream come true-a class with no grades.
But that's the reality of Professor Lyn Stallings' math classes. Stallings has created a curriculum for her courses based on the use of formative assessment, whereby students and professors engage in open dialogue focused on how students think and the importance or value of the material being taught.
Stallings and fellow professor Michelle Egan of the School of International Service, met with other faculty members Wednesday to discuss ways teachers can academically engage students who may be struggling, instead of merely failing them.
"I don't care whether a student can solve 30 different math problems," Stallings said. "I would rather that they be able to solve five math problems and explain their answers in depth."
Stallings said she uses different types of formative assessment including rubrics, explanations of thought processes and a portfolio of a student's work, to measure students' understanding of a concept and to track their progress throughout the course of the semester.
"I saw that when I was teaching in Louisiana, and I used traditional assessments, students only looked at how many points they got on a test," she said. "They didn't look at what they were getting wrong."
Stallings now uses tests that call upon certain skills, but doesn't grade the tests per se. marking only problems when the student has made a serious error or has completely failed to grasp the concept.
Stallings then makes her students review their papers and explain their errors and they must correct those mistakes by showing they have mastered the skill.
A student may show mastery by getting a similar problem correct on a later assessment, or by demonstrating in class or in Stallings' office hours that they understand the concept.
Asked whether this results in grade inflation, Stallings responded that in reality, she gives fewer A's to students than some of her colleagues.
Egan, who teaches SIS classes that focus on writing and analyzing arguments, said that she tries to engage students from different backgrounds and gauge their abilities. She said she builds review sessions into her syllabus by providing "self-test" questions that a student can use to see if they understand the readings for each class.
Egan added that she does not simply fail a student who does badly on the midterm. Instead, she writes, "Please See Me" on their paper, and engages them in a discussion to get to the root of the problem. She said this allows students to get special help or individualized attention before it is too late in the semester.
Egan makes use of classroom simulations and group projects as different methods of gauging students' understanding of a topic or issue. She will specifically engage timid or hesitant students, or those who do not regularly attend class, by giving them big roles in the simulation of a European court case, for example. She also holds live, interactive discussions online to force her students to approach issues from different viewpoints.
"If you put the building blocks there, through class work, midterms, and simulations, the cumulative final exam doesn't seem as daunting," she said.
Egan said she is often able to engage and excite students, even in classes as large as 25 or 35. She added that some students will fail because they did not do their assignments, but those who are actively engaged and show effort will rarely fail.
