Mastery Grading - Robert Talbert, Ph.D.

Checking in with the system at mid-semester

My students did a Mid-Semester Interview on Teaching recently and taught me some things about our mastery grading system.

Grading

Moving on from rigor

If "rigor" is a meaningless term then what should we be using? What are we really talking about?

Grading

Finding common ground with grading systems

We've seen the differences. Now what are the similarities? (Repost from Grading for Growth)

Mastery Grading

Specifications grading and "help"

Can students in a specs grading setting do work without help? Do we care?

Grading

Words, numbers, or nothing?

A classic study finds some eye-opening effects of different feedback on learning.

Teaching

Building Fall 2021: Discrete Structures

A work-in-progress report on my Fall 2021 classes, one month before launch.

Academia

Ungrading: A 3x3x3 reflection

Ungrading is gaining traction in K12 and higher education. Here's what I learned from a recent edited volume on this concept.

Academia

Entering the feedback loop: My origin story with alternative grading

Sometimes all it takes to get started with a new idea is just to start and then follow through.

Education

Rebooting the final exam

Traditional final exams are so pre-pandemic. Here are some ideas for what to do instead.

Academia

Building Modern Algebra: The grading system

In this post in a series on building my Modern Algebra course, I get into the grading system and the role of mastery grading.

Mastery Grading

4+1 Interview with Linda Nilson

A throwback post, in which we interview Linda Nilson about her then-new book on specifications grading.

Mastery Grading

Building Calculus: The grading system

This week, we come back to my calculus course in progress and examine the mastery grading system for student work.

Mastery Grading

Mastery grading and academic honesty

The problem of academic honesty in online courses may have nothing to do with being online -- it may have much more to do with how we grade.

4+1 Interview

4+1 Interview: Kate Owens

Kate Owens of the College of Charleston talks about mastery grading, innovative teaching in a historic institution, and more.

Mastery Grading

Traditional grading: The great demotivator

A new study presents sobering facts about the negative effects of traditional grading on college students' motivation.

Mastery Grading

Specifications grading: We may have a winner

In January 2015, I launched my first attempt at specifications grading. This semester, I think I finally have something that works.

Mastery Grading

What causes grade inflation, and what might fix it

There is a growing sense that something is wrong with grades in higher education, and it affords opportunity to raise awareness about alternatives like standards based and specifications grading

Teaching

A farewell to deadlines

I decided to handle deadlines on student work in specifications grading by... eliminating them.

Mastery Grading

Specs grading with the EMRF rubric, part 2

Some real-life case studies on using the EMRF rubric in grading student work.

Mastery Grading

Specifications grading with the EMRF rubric

A useful rubric for implementing specifications and other forms of mastery grading.

Mastery Grading

Beginning with the grade in mind

Here's a first-day-of-class activity that gets students thinking about grades in a proactive way.