Instructional Technology
Conference 2005
Proposal #35
Title: Assessment of Comparative Value of High Stakes versus Low Stakes Grading and Demonstration of a Customized Excel Spreadsheet Designed to Integrate and Automatically Calculate High and Low Stakes Grades
Name: Jeff Hoyer, Ph.D.
Audience Level: All
Audience: The presentation may be of a general interest, but would be of most value to faculty.
Length: 1 Hour
Abstract:
Use of high and low stakes grading adds variety to a student’s educational experience. However, most grading programs do not allow for integration of both approaches into a single grading system. The author demonstrates the use of a customized Excel spreadsheet he has developed which allows integration of both percentage and points grading and which auto generates the resulting grade as a running total so feedback on grade point average can be given at any point.
Description:
This presentation takes place in a lecture and demonstration format. During the first part of the lecture, the author presents an overview of high and low stakes grading as it appears in the literature. He compares and contrasts the approaches and highlights both the weaknesses and strengths of both approaches. Included are categorical examples of activities that would qualify in each category and how research suggests students with varying learning styles will respond to each approach. The author then bridges this general description and overview into a discussion of problems associated with the grading of these approaches and the difficulties encountered with integrating them into a coherent grading scheme. He illustrates ways in which low stakes grading enhances the high stakes component and how this approach often stimulates and motivates students in applying and strengthening divergent thinking. He discusses how the high stakes component can serve as a foundational basis upon which to use low stakes approaches to enhance deductive reasoning and application of skills acquired.
During the demonstration portion of the presentation, the author demonstrates use of a customized Excel spreadsheet he has developed which uses both high stakes and low stakes activities and which integrates the percentage and points grading schemes for the varying approaches into a system that automatically generates running averages seamlessly. Use of the system eliminates grade averaging that is commonly done at midterm and final points of the semester, since the spreadsheet calculates the grades whenever a new assignment is entered. Use of this approach enhances the teacher’s ability to provide ongoing feedback at any point during the learning process and also saves the teacher time doing grade averaging that can be better spent enhancing the student’s learning experiences.
Session Type: Lecture / Presentation
Contact information/affiliation:
Jeff Hoyer, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor, Communications
Public Relations Sequence
University of Tennessee at Martin
305 Gooch Hall
Martin, TN. 38238
Phone (work): 901/587-7547
Phone (Home) 731-514-3197
E-Mail: jhoyer@utm.edu
Equipment: The presenter would need a computer with a CD ROM. He would also like to have connection to the internet for demonstration purposes. Additionally, he would need projection equipment compatible with the computer to display on a projection screen what was being shown on the computer monitor.