Online class grading???

[gingersmom]

I am brand new to online classes.

 

My daughter is taking an online class and these are her grades-

 

100

100

100

100

100

100

92

91

76

 

The site automatically calculates your average and it says she has a 64.17. :confused:

 

Can someone explain this to me? The 76 was a homework assignment which carries less weight and the other scores were homework/quizzes/test.

 

My daughter explained to me that when she was in public/private school they started with 100 and your grade went down from there. She said this class is starting with your grade at 0.

 

Does this make any sense?

[Pamela H in Texas]

Yes, classes often do that. So there are going to be so many points available in the term. She's earned 64.17% of them so far. She will have the opportunity to add to that. I was going to do the math for you, but if the grades are weighted also, without knowing the weights, I can't do it based on the information provided.

 

So just for example. Say there was a possible of 2200 points. 1411 would be about about 64.17. But with several weeks of the term left, she's going to turn in more work so say she turns in four 100s, a 92 and a 82, her score would now be 90.2%. I'm hoping this makes some sense.

 

The instructor probably gave her a syllabus which would outline the assignments and how many points each is worth. Additionally, he probably gave a legend so she knew that when she got X points, she'd have an A, Y points a B, etc.

Edited October 20, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[Laura in CA]

My kids have taken online classes and it was very disconcerting mid-term to see such a low "final" grade from so many good marks ... I looked at the grade list and it was taking into account the zeros listed for upcoming assignments. I was flabbergasted -- pretty unsophisticated software :glare:

Heck, *I* could have written a program that took into account only completed assignments ... The only explanation I can think of is that it's easier for the teacher to replace zeros with an actual grade, and it handles missing and late assignments better ... ??

 

If it's any consolation, the opposite method can also be a bit dismaying ... My older son asked to return to ps for 10th grade, and the school sends an email every day (!) with his current grade in each class ... His "grades" have steadily dropped from all 100s to more normal 95s, 91s, 89 ...

 

~Laura

[Teachin'Mine]

I wouldn't like to see grading done that way either. Maybe part of it is to make sure that the student stays with the class and completes. There may be some who, after a few months, want to drop out, and just make a printout of the page showing their accumulated grade for the class and call it done. This way, in order to get a decent grade, you have to complete the class. I agree that it's better than starting from 100 and going down. :tongue_smilie:

[gingersmom]

I am going to email the teacher and ask her about their grading. Its a bit disconcerting to see you have a D average after getting six 100's.

 

My daughter is convinced she is never going to get an A (or even a B) in the class at this rate. She is not very far into the class so hopefully her grade will start inching upwards more quickly.

[Teachin'Mine]

Explain to your daughter that it has nothing to do with her grade. She can average her grades to get a rough idea of her actual grade, or weigh them to get a more accurate grade. Good math practice. :)

[Brigid in NC]

I am going to email the teacher and ask her about their grading. Its a bit disconcerting to see you have a D average after getting six 100's.

 

:iagree:

We've been through grading that is discouraging and not representative of the level of work. I would definitely contact the instructor and ask about this.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Ginger,

 

I guess we didn't explain well since you're still upset about it. I'm sorry about that. This is really VERY common and something she is going to encounter many times. Though I think it's okay to suggest the instructor considers changing it and listing reasons, it is what it is.

 

However, YOU should probably not be the one emailing about this. Your daughter needs to learn to speak up for herself, advocate for herself, or decide to drop it for herself. It is REALLY important that we let our kiddos grow up and handle what they can handle for themselves. She's a high schooler, not a young child. She can handle this :)

Edited October 20, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[G5052]

I use an electronic gradebook for both my online and classroom courses at the local community college, and I disable the average column because it indeed makes it look like most students are failing. I assign a lot of homework of varying weights and have just two tests and a large project, so doing well on a lighter-weight homework with 100% is very, very different than scoring 100% on the mid-term. An average is not useful. Some of the tools let you do a weighted average, but I find that scares students as well.

 

I hear stories every semster about professors who really don't understand the online tools and/or who don't provide the right information online, so be prepared for some disconnects anytime course material is put out there. We have a long, long way to go that way...