Assessing student work to assign final course letter grades has traditionally depended on points-based grading systems. This approach to grading in the college classroom is not ideal as it places emphasis on the extrinsic motivation of accumulating points rather than the intrinsic motivation of learning and meeting course learning outcomes. Specifications grading represents a new grading system that moves away from a reliance on points and has the potential to make positive changes in student learning. Although specifications grading has been used across numerous disciplines, including STEM disciplines to support student-centered learning, examples of specifications grading often focus on smaller lecture courses. In this talk I will describe how we designed our grading system, how we scaled it in a large lab course series with over 1,000 students enrolled in each course, how student grades were impacted, and how the system was perceived by the instructor, students, and TAs. I will also discuss the specifications grading system I designed and implemented for a summer flipped online organic chemistry lecture course.

To view the recording of this seminar click here.