Okay, I guess today is the day I talk in a bit more detail about grading and professors' expectations of students as this semester starts to enter its home stretch. Specifically, what I'm doing and what I think best practices should be.
I've said before that professors should be lightening the load dramatically in the current transition to online—cut back dramatically on work, roll back deadlines, let your students know that they should always prioritize their safety and personal obligations over your class.
I've also talked before about the fact that I think my students' struggles are generally none of my business, and that I don't want to reward those who are comfortable with sharing or punish those who aren't.
This past month students have told me about horrific things—deaths of family members from the virus, working long hours in dangerous conditions, medical emergencies that spiraled out of control in the lockdown. But I know others have similar stories they haven't told me.
So how have I handled the situation? (I've talked about this a fair amount in bits and pieces, but I wanted to bring it all together in one thread, and fill in the gaps.)
I began by slowing way down, and throwing all my prior plans in the trash. We spent a couple of weeks just getting back up to speed, establishing the classes online, reconnecting with each other, building up different mechanisms for communication and interaction.
Once we reestablished contact, I made it clear that no assignment would be mandatory for the rest of the semester. Students could do what they could, when they could, in as much depth as they could, and they shouldn't try to do more than that.
(I know that this isn't a model that would work in every situation, or that every professor would be comfortable with, so please don't reply with "here's why I didn't do that." I'm not telling you what I think you should do. I don't know you or your students or your class.)
As far as semester grades go, I know some folks are just giving everyone A's, but I'm an adjunct and frankly I was nervous about repercussions from that. (And was personally ambivalent about it for reasons specific to my students' circumstances.) So I didn't go that route.
What I did do was tell my students that the base grade for my courses this semester was going to be a B. You stick with it, you complete the class, you cross the finish line with me, and you get at least a B. Period.
I didn't want anyone freaking out about their ability to make the grade, or stressing about my class if something prevented them from participating for a while. I wanted everyone to feel like my class was doable whatever happened, that they were going to get through it intact.
Have to miss class for a couple of weeks because of screwed up shifts at your job? Still have the B. Can't sleep for a week because you think your kid might have caught the virus? Here for you when you get back. Need to just not think about academics for a while? It's fine. B.
Beyond the B baseline, all grading in each of my courses is now cumulative. You do something, it boosts your grade. Do it well, it boosts it more. But if you screw it up, or don't do it, it doesn't drag you down. There's literally nowhere to go but up.
And most of my students ARE hanging in, despite everything they're going through. And some who got lost in the shuffle with the transition to online are coming back, even now.
I got an email from a student just a few days ago saying he'd heard about my B policy from another student—he hadn't had internet access for a while, so hadn't seen the announcement. He'd assumed he'd missed too much to pass, but wanted to come back. He's back.
One thing about these policies, though: I have to explain them over and over, in a bunch of different ways, because students are so wary about there being a catch, or think they must have misunderstood.
I say "you'll get credit for attending whichever classes you attend, even if you can't attend some of them," and I hear back "will I be penalized if I miss one because I have to work?"
They're really nervous and stressed. Because we're all really nervous and stressed. This is brand-new territory for us profs, and we've spent our lives in academia. A lot of my students have no frame of reference for a semester like this. None at all.
Oh, and one thing I've said a bunch is that if any of them really needs a grade higher than a B—for transferring to another college, or to protect their financial aid, or just because their GPA is a big deal to them—they should reach out and let me know so we can work together.
Another thing profs can do: Explain your college's policies to your students. Our system has a post-hoc Credit/No Credit option for the first time this semester, and the students have gotten emails about it, but I've still walked them through it. It helps a lot.
Oh, and one last thing I'm doing: No final exam. (No exams at all, but very much no final.) Any assessment that requires ongoing engagement throughout the semester is going to penalize students who lose a couple of weeks due to personal circumstances.
And you can say "I'll grade on a curve" or "You'll be able to make it up" or "I'm going to be generous," but the stress will still be there—and often, it'll be the most conscientious students who are stressing the most.
Anyway, I apologize for preaching, and I know that there's no one-size-fits-all answer, but that's what I'm doing.
