This article presents selected aspects of a large study on the use of e-learning tools in support of assignment assessment, which was comprised of a substantial literature review, an investigation into electronic tools, and interviews with 90 academics at New Zealand tertiary institutions. The article makes two main contributions. Based on the…

This investigation documents an intervention that successfully counteracted a grade inflation trend at a small, Catholic, liberal arts university in the eastern United States. The intervention produced a significant drop in grades awarded by full-time faculty, but not by adjunct faculty who were not yet included in the intervention. Institutional…

Throughout classrooms in the United States there appears to have been a general watering down of academic standards. The percentages of "A" and "B" grades have risen, and at some schools, the percentage of grades of "C" or lower has plummeted. Numerous scholarly articles about grade inflation discuss the extent,…

There is a limited literature on academic failure in higher education despite the fact that failure is a common experience among undergraduates. Student and course characteristics were examined in relation to proportions of fail grades assigned in a Faculty of Arts. Concerns had been expressed that combinations of two grades, F (failure to reach a…

High enrollments, conflicting student work schedules, and the sheer convenience of once-a-week classes are pushing many colleges to schedule evening courses. Held from 6 to 9 pm or 7 to 10 pm, these classes are typically packed, sometimes with more than 150 students in a large lecture theater. How can faculty effectively teach, control, or even…

Article discusses recent study by the Academic Long Range Planning Committee of the College of St. Catherine, in which questionnaires were sent to admissions offices of 143 graduate schools in the U.S. in an attempt to measure their attitudes towards nongraded transcripts. Reaction was generally unfavorable. (JB)

A study compared freshman medical student achievement and satisfaction under two grading schemes: a four-level grading plan (honors, high pass, pass, fail) with two examinations, and pass-fail with weekly quizzes. Under the latter system, students continued to perform well and reported greater satisfaction. (MSE)

Objective grading of student teachers by recording what is taking place in class on a chart. (JS)

In certain colleges, mid-semester Deficiency Reports were issued on the assumption that marginal students (those with a D or F after nine weeks of class) should be alerted to the danger of failure. In spring 1969, a study was made to see if those who received the reports made better final grades than those who did not. Of those judged in danger at…

The author reports that over long periods of a semester or more, evaluation has repeatedly been shown to increase the intensity of student effort and level of achievement. Evaluative procedures which have been presumed to be punitive seem to be reward-oriented when the scale is perceived in terms of different degrees of success. Other relatively…

Makes six suggestions designed to encourage the idea of writing as a process and discourage the over-marking of student papers. (DD)