Wait, I get to choose my final grade?
This year, for the first time in my life, I was able to have a say in the final grade I achieved. In the Spring and the summer, I participated in two classes that allowed us, the students, the ability to give ourselves a final grade for the class. This was new territory for me because it has usually been my lecturer’s final decision on my grade. This is a concept that is mentioned in the article Case for grades. Going through this process, of having a say in my grade, and having to defend it, was difficult. It was difficult because I didn’t know where to start, how to be successful, or even what it was supposed to look like. Yet, it has been done, and I noticed a few things that I would like to talk about.
The first thing I noticed was my disbelief. I couldn’t believe it was real and in all honesty, I thought we were part of a semester long prank. Even though we had our 2nd years who told us about the experience, I still couldn’t believe it. Lecturers were trusting us to make informed decisions about our learning experiences and final grades? In graduate school? To say that this required some adjustment would be an understatement. Though, I slowly bought into this idea because it allowed me to hold myself accountable for my own learning, which I appreciated.
In order to avoid coming off as biased I will also try to look at the process from two different perspectives. Two perspectives that are negative and positive in order to provide an overall perspective that is more balanced. One small negative I noticed was related to accountability. What was hard to digest and to come terms with was the fact that I had to defend why I thought I deserved a certain grade. I found it weird to defend why the mountains of homework that I completed, countless times I participated in class were not enough evidence. In addition, it felt as if I had to prove that I did in fact do the required readings. It made me question why homework was given at all. I would have understood it if the course went further and made homework optional from day one, but it was not. (Now that I think about it, wouldn’t that be great? ) I will admit and say that I am probably being nitpicky in my attempt to provide a balanced perspective. But can we truly be reflective and mindful human beings if we don’t consider all possible perspectives?
Now, on to the positives! I appreciated the fact that I had some say in the grade I received. I was now at the grading table and had a voice. I could now describe the number of hours I put into the course that are always invisible to my classmates and lecturers. The countless social interactions I canceled in the pursuit of knowledge and genuine interest in the class could be described in full detail and hopefully acknowledged and rewarded. I could also detail the academic struggles I went through and connect them to my personal learning styles. Essentially, I was able to provide much needed invisible context that professors don’t have access to on a daily basis. Professors and educators, only have visible access to us in the classroom, and they don’t often see the struggles we go through to complete their assignments and learning endeavors. Having this opportunity to describe that gives us a voice and some power in what grade we deserve.
Despite the positives of this strategy, it is not enough. In the classes I took part in, we had a say in the grade we got, but I don’t know how much say. There wasn’t feedback as to how much my voice mattered or weighed in the final decision. The defense was mostly written and done at the end of the course which is why I am not sure whether it helped or not. One way to improve this, is to have a one on one conversation with the lecturer after the written defense is submitted. Almost like defending your thesis but hopefully in a much friendlier context and less stressful conditions. This conversation will provide both parties to hear each other out, and both agree on a final grade. I do recognize that this will be time consuming, but it is in the students best interest to do so. Isn’t that what education should really be about?