Effect of Mastery-graded Exams on Student Outcomes in Statics and Mechanics of Solids Course

Ritz, Hadas; Dimiduk, Kathryn; Paridon, Andrew van

doi:10.18260/1-2--34496

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…For example, Crough (2017) found that students in a statics course with weaker academic preparation were found to perform better when a partial use of this style of grading was used, with no harm done to students with stronger academic preparation. Ritz et al (2020) found that students exposed to a partial use of mastery learning received higher final exam scores than other students. Both of these studies used grades on traditionally graded final exams completed by both the mastery-and traditionally-graded students as their point of comparison between the groups.…”

Section: Competency Grading In the Literaturementioning

confidence: 92%

Effect of Competency Grading in Statics and Mechanics of Materials Course on Student Grades in Follow-On Course

Davis

EPiC Series in Built Environment

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Competency grading is a non-traditional grading style that focuses on the proficiency of the learner. It has been proven in other studies to be an alternative grading system that works well in technical courses and has a lot of benefits for both the student and the instructor. The results of the data analysis for this study indicate that the mean grade in the follow-on course entitled “Introduction to Concrete and Steel Design” is higher when competency grading is used in the prerequisite course “Statics and Mechanics of Materials” than when traditional grading is used. The competency grading style helped students be more successful in the follow-on course than students taught with a traditional grading style because of changes to both student and instructor behaviors. Lessons learned are also included for faculty interested in considering adopting competency grading in their courses.

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Section: Competency Grading In the Literaturementioning

confidence: 92%

Effect of Competency Grading in Statics and Mechanics of Materials Course on Student Grades in Follow-On Course

Davis

EPiC Series in Built Environment

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“…Ritz et al [12] compared student performance between two sections of a sophomore-level statics and mechanics of material course. The control section had graded homework and two midterm exams graded with generous partial credit.…”

Section: Carpenter and Mccuskermentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of a Retake Policy: Who Benefits?

Jenkins,

Hussein

2023 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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There are a variety of reasons why a student may not perform their best on a summative assessment. Perhaps they weren't adequately prepared, or perhaps they were prepared but succumbed to the stress of the situation. If lower scoring students are given a second chance, such as the opportunity to take a retake test, can they score higher? Does that benefit translate to a change in the percentage of students earning unsatisfactory grades in the course? To examine these questions, student performance in two different courses at Cleveland State University was evaluated. In each course, a retake policy had been implemented.The first course, ESC 201 Statics is an undergraduate course taken by all civil and mechanical engineering students. A retake policy was implemented across three sections of the course, allowing students to take up to two retake tests for any of the six chapter tests. Each chapter test was worth 10% of the final grade. The scores on the retake tests were capped at 80%. The final grades, calculated with and without the retake grades, were compared to quantify the impact on student grades, and the difference in the percentage of students earning D and F grades in the course.The second course, CVE 446-546 Transportation Engineering is a combined undergraduate and graduate introduction to transportation engineering course. The course has two midterm exams and a final exam. Two different implementations were tried over three years, 2020-2022, one allowed students to replace both midterms with a single retake exam, the other allowed students to retake the first of two midterm exams. The scores on the retake exams were compared to the original exam scores to quantify the benefit to the students. For the undergraduate students, the difference in the percentage of students earning D and F grades was determined. There are no D grade in the grading scale for graduate courses, so for graduate students the difference in the percentage of graduate students earning C and F grades was determined.The results indicate that each of the different approaches taken to implement a retake policy in the two different courses positively impacted student success, measured in terms of an increase in letter grade. There was also a reduction in the number of students earning unsatisfactory grades. The results are discussed in terms of the additional workload needed by the instructors to implement the retake policy.

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“…Faculty also experience challenges in applying traditional grading schemes, specifically, deciding how many points to award a problem set that was not fully mastered, and struggle to apply a fair number of points to students' work that is comparable in quality but differs in content mastery. Creating and teaching mastery graded courses in STEM fields requires a fundamental shift in the mental model of instructors regarding what, why, and how to assess course material [14]. Everything from taking a deep dive look at the course's core required content to considering what it means to master content and working to restructure the course necessitates training in the principles of mastery grading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Board 305: HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Commitment to Learning Instilled by Mastery-Based Undergraduate Program (CLIMB-UP)

Verdin,

Krinsky,

Raymond

et al.

2023 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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an MS in Industrial Engineering and PhD in Engineering Education. Dina is a 2016 recipient of the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship and an Honorable Mention for the Ford Foundation Fellowship Program. Her research interest focuses on changing the deficit base perspective of first-generation college students by providing asset-based approaches to understanding this population. Dina is interested in understanding how first-generation college students author their identities as engineers and negotiate their multiple identities in the current culture of engineering. Dina has won several awards including the 2022

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Effect of Mastery-graded Exams on Student Outcomes in Statics and Mechanics of Solids Course

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

Effect of Competency Grading in Statics and Mechanics of Materials Course on Student Grades in Follow-On Course

Effect of Competency Grading in Statics and Mechanics of Materials Course on Student Grades in Follow-On Course

Implementation of a Retake Policy: Who Benefits?

Board 305: HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Commitment to Learning Instilled by Mastery-Based Undergraduate Program (CLIMB-UP)

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