“How to Crowdsource Grading” explained how Cathy Davidson, a professor at Duke University, threw out the traditional method of grading. Instead, she has applied a new point system where her commentary and the students’ peer reviews serve as way to convey a student’s progress, goals, ambitions, and contributions to the class. Cathy Davidson like most my rhetoric professors have similarly incorporated this system into their classes. So what are the advantages or disadvantages?
Advantages:
From my experience I have found that students are extremely critical about the amount, level, value, worth, quality and success of my paper. Peer to peer evaluations can be a means of raising the bar by exposing students to the exceptionally good papers and the absolutely terrible papers. And as a result, you learn how to critically analyze other papers and see how you can improve your paper.
Disadvantages:
Peer to peer grading can be disadvantageous to large classes because a professor would have a hard time keeping track of the progress of students. Also, students might swindle the system which would go against the “good faith system.” For example, “halavais” commented that in her class there were two “gangs” that “reached an agreement that they would vote up each others’ work…and non-members work down…in order to increase their own grade in the class favorably. This would definitely defeat the purpose of constructive learning through peer review. Thus, a professor would be able to have more control over student interactions in a smaller class setting.
Now lets take it up a notch:
I propose that students only grade each paper through peer reviews of a rough draft and final draft. In addition, a student will present a case to the professor and the peer reviewer as to what grade they think they deserve and why they deserve that grade for each paper. A good case will be supported by examples of how their writing has improved, how their drafts have improved, etc. Then the professor will assess whether the student’s case is valid and deserving of the grade they think they should deserve.
Do you think this system would work? If you had a choice how would you change the traditional system of grading?
Cathy Davidson, Dr. Batt, Dr. Davis, and other professors have successfully proved that there are so many ways to incorporate peer review based classes into a grading system, and that there are so many other possibilities.
I think that is a great modification of Davidson's plan regarding crowdsourcing grading. It eliminates completely a lot of the issues that would arise if the grading was left completely in the hands of the students while maintaining the peer review element that makes crowdsourcing such an innovative and potentially effective idea.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a say in how I was graded, I would want it to be based on personal improvement rather than how much you grasp and can regurgitate concepts. If a student didn't get something at one point, they would have a chance to redeem themselves later if they proved that they understood the concept at a later date.