Scheme: Specifications Grading in Web Development
Contents
Scheme: Specifications Grading in Web Development¶
Syllabi:
Web Design and Programming Syllabus (i.e., front-end web dev)
Dynamic Web Design and Programming Syllabus (i.e., back-end and full-stack web dev)
These courses use a specifications grading scheme and assesses assignments on complete/incomplete basis.
Instructor Process¶
I used a backwards-design to design assignments and outlined all the requirements necessary to complete each assignment. Each assignment was evaluated as either complet or incomplete and the only way to complete any given assignment was by meeting ALL requirements. Final course grades were based on the percentage of completed assignments, with a minimum of 60% being required to pass with a D.
System basics¶
Students had to meet all the requirements of:
90% or more assignments to earn an A
80% or more assignments to earn a B
70% or more assignments to earn a C
60% or more assignments to earn a D
Completing and submitting a final project was also a required part of passing the course. Final projects didn’t count towards a student’s final grade, though an exemplar final project could earn a student a + designation (i.e., a B+ instead of a B). There was an additional opportunity to gain a + designation described in the syllabus, as well as a way to earn a “freebie” (replace a mising or incomplete assignment).
Equity and learning focus¶
Final course grades were not based on averaging performance across assignments meaning students could have bad weeks that wouldn’t hurt their final grade.
Students had the agency to choose which and how many assignments to complete.
Other applied strategies for equity¶
Assignment resubmissions were allowed and encouraged throughout the semester. Some topics take longer than others to click, sometimes students have only a limited amount of time to devote to an assignment but can return to it later.
Soft deadlines and hard deadlines allowed students to self-pace while having an outline of where they should be at with their assignment completion.
Open-ended final projects to allow students to apply course topics to their own interests.