Standards-Based Grading in a Fluid Mechanics Course

Abstract

Standards based grading is a formal assessment mechanism that tests for student achievement of specified learning objectives, or standards. Standards-Based-Grading has been gaining in popularity in K-12 education, and also has been seeing increased use in higher education. With increased pressure from ABET to measure achievement of student outcomes, Standards-Based Grading provides a method to do that within the traditional course setting without having to generate a separate set of data outside the normal course grading. This paper describes how Standards-Based Grading was implemented in a junior-level fluid mechanics course that included both lecture and laboratory components. A total of nine learning objectives were specified for the course. These learning objectives are: calculate fluid thrust forces, calculate aerodynamic forces, solve pipe flow problems, select a pump for a system, select a flowmeter for a system, write a computer program to solve transient fluids problems, write a professional quality lab report, acquire and analyze laboratory data, and be a valuable member of team that successfully completes a project. The learning objectives can be mapped to ABET student outcomes. In this implementation of Standards-Based Grading, all assessments are done on a pass-fail basis. That is to say, there is no partial credit given. Once a student passes an assessment, usually given in the form of a quiz, on a given learning objective, it is assumed the student has mastered that concept and is not tested on it again. Students are allowed to re-test on particular objectives if they do not pass them on the first try. The final exam serves as a last chance for students to pass any objectives they did not complete earlier in the semester. Student achievement of the learning objectives is compared to that in previous semesters where a traditional grading scheme was used, and grade distributions are also compared.

A Mastery-based Learning Model for an Upper-level Vibration Analysis Course

“…The presented MBL approach, provides a more unified course structure, with all students progressing through topics together. Other MBL structures often feature self-paced learning modules [6,10,11,12]. In courses like the one here, with tiered content -each topic building directly on the previous -setting up an assessment plan separating proficiency and mastery skills sets fosters improved student mastery of core principles across the entire sequence of topics.…”

“…MBL courses are become more widespread in engineering curricula [7,8,4]. Specifically, in Mechanical Engineering, an increase in the usage of this assessment structure is emerging [9,6,10,11,12]. In this assessment environment, students do master key skills at significantly higher rates [9,10,6].…”

A B or not a B? A Proposed Framework for Discussing Grade Aggregation in Standards-Based Assessment

“…The simplicity of the approach cannot be understated, but neither can student perceptions that such an approach is harsh and unforgiving (e.g. [12]). Proper distribution of assessment opportunities and open dialogue with students may mitigate the negative perceptions and potential negative impacts on student grades.…”

“…[4] Post utilized standards-based assessment in a fluid mechanics course and corresponding lab and later in a thermodynamics course, giving students multiple opportunities to pass each objective and assessing each instance on a pure binary scale. [12,13] Hylton examined the use of standardsbased grading in a first-year engineering course, with emphasis on its applications to traditional written exams, while Marbouti used a standards-based grading system as the basis for a predictive model for first-year engineering student success. [14,15] The full impact of a standards-based system on student learning are the subject of ongoing discussion and research.…”

Standards-Based Grading Derived Data to Monitor Grading and Student Learning

“…The perspective of the three criteria taken from the students' side is also very important but not addressed in this paper. With regards to the first criteria, researchers have looked at students' perspectives of standards-based grading (and similar) systems as compared to traditional grading systems [3] - [6]. This collection of work has essentially gotten at issues related to fairness.…”