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Use of Computers | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
[new] Homework is "thrown out"??? (none / 0) (#2)
by keludwick on Wed Jan 04, 2006 at 03:50:51 PM PDT

Why in the world would homework be "thrown out" after it's graded? To hide from students (and/or the more general public) that the grading is done by untrained undergraduates? To withhold feedback from students, thus academically crippling them and making them less likely to pass through "filter" courses? This sounds shady, to say the least, if your description is accurate. Either use collected homework for feedback, or don't collect it at all.

Providing zero feedback and assigning grades which -- from the student's point of view, certainly -- must seem entirely arbitrary. Wow. It sounds to me like your institution is doing its very best to alienate most of the students in its mathematics classes. Trust me, that is not done everywhere; I would hope that what you're describe is very rare.

As a side note - why not assign homework using the WebCT quiz feature? WebCT is a terrific tool for providing immediate feedback to students. And with homework, security is much less of an issue than it is on tests, so you can provide all the feedback you like. This would be far more beneficial to students than the (for all practical purposes) arbitrary grades they're given now.



Use of Computers | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
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