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Section: July 1998

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QUESTION: How can I help students better understand what my course grades mean?

Faculty and students often hold different views about course grades.¹ Research findings reveal, for example, that some---but not all---students view the pursuit of course grades as their primary motivational focus, while other students focus their energies more on the pursuit of learning and educational development.²

It's not surprising, given these realities, that individual or group discussions about grades commonly heighten frustration rather than promote mutual understanding.

One helpful way to begin a dialogue about course grades is to define the course grade as "the end product of the specific evaluative procedure employed in a designated course." Let students know that there is no single "best or correct" way to evaluative student learning.

You can tell them that the evaluative procedures used in your course reflect your best judgment---but you recognize that other faculty and students may differ in their approach.

Finally, describe how you use your own evaluative procedures, accurately and consistently for all students, to ensure fairness.

---James Eison, director, Center for Teaching Enhancement, University of South Florida.

Endnotes
¹ Janzow and Eison, 1990. 93-102
² Milton, Pollio, and Eison, 1986.

References
Milton, O., Pollio, H., and Eison, J. Making Sense of College Grades. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1986.
Janzow, F., and Eison, J. "Grades: Their Influence on Students and Faculty." In The Changing Face of College Teaching, edited by M. Svinicki. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, No. 42. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.

This NEA Higher Education Advocate column addresses the instructional challenges that face faculty throughout higher ed.
Have other ideas on explaining grades or other evaluative procedures to students? You can contribute your insights to a new electronic NEA resource for college and university faculty. Just send your comments, for posting on the NEA Web page, to: jeison@helios.acomp.usf.edu or mail to:
James Eison, Center for Teaching Enhancement, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Ave, SVC 1088, Tampa,FL 33620. Or Fax: 813-974-5620.

You can also post your insights on our "Thriving in Academe" discussion board.