Standards-Based Grading in a Thermodynamics Course

Abstract

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, though it has only recently been used in engineering education. This paper describes how StandardsBased Grading was implemented in a second-semester Thermodynamics course. A total of eleven learning objectives were specified for the course. 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. The learning objectives can be mapped to student outcomes such as those required for accreditation without having to generate a separate set of data outside the normal course grading. Keywords-Engineering education, Accreditation, Engineering students IntroductionThere have been only a very few publications on the use of standards-based education in engineering courses, including one outlining the use of the method in a materials science course [1] one for a fluid mechanics course [2], and one for project design courses [3]. This paper expands on the limited literature by demonstrating how standards-based grading could be used in a thermodynamics course. The motivations for standards-based grading are given by Post [2]. To summarize they are:1. Remove arbitrariness and inconsistency from grading [4] 2. Reduce time in grading 3. Make grading and expectations clear to students 4. Improve students learning and understanding by focusing their efforts on successfully completing big picture tasksThe efficacy of active learning activities [5] and cooperative learning strategies [6][7][8] has been demonstrated convincingly in the literature. So how should grading being iJEP

Frontier: Discipline-Based Education Research to Advance Authentic Learning in Agricultural and Biological Engineering

“…Less extreme grading approaches, such as competency-based, standards-based, or learning objectivebased grading, are based on similar tenets but allow more limited feedback and fewer attempts to demonstrate mastery (Carberry et al, 2019), making these strategies more manageable for most instructors. All of these grading strategies are being investigated in a number of engineering courses, including a first-year introduction to engineering (Diefes-Dux and Ebrahiminejad, 2018), thermodynamics (Post, 2017), and signals and systems (Wierer, 2019). These grading strategies have also been applied to exams (Hylton and Diefes-Dux, 2016) and project-based design (Atwood et al, 2014).…”

Alternative grading practices: An entry point for faculty in competency‐based education

“…A second alternative grading method is standards-based grading (SBG) which is closely related to mastery grading. Although SBG has been used more frequently in undergraduate math and science classes (Beatty, 2013;Elsinger & Lewis, 2019;Lewis, 2019;Post, 2017;Stange, 2018), it has also been applied in other disciplines such as educational leadership (Townsley, 2019;Buckmiller, Peters, & Kruse, 2017) and music (Duker, Gawboy, Hughes, & Shaffer, 2015). Students ideally progress until each topic is mastered; however, this is not often a required component of SBG (Stange, 2018).…”

“…When implementing SBG, faculty should be ready to proactively help students understand how the reassessment process works in order to increase buy-in (Elsinger & Lewis, 2019). Because students are much more familiar with points-based grading systems, they may express feelings of discomfort in their first exposure to alternative grading systems such as SBG (Post, 2017).…”

Standards-Based Specifications Grading in Thermodynamics

“…Standards-based grading is being used more frequently in engineering courses [1], [2]. Clear, measurable standards or learning outcomes are required for this system.…”