Submitting Campus

Prescott

Department

Aerospace Engineering

Document Type

Article

Publication/Presentation Date

6-15-2014

Abstract/Description

Standards based grading is a formal assessment mechanism that tests for student achievement of specified learning objectives, or standards. Standards-Based-Grading has been gaining in popularity in K-12 education, and also has been seeing increased use in higher education. With increased pressure from ABET to measure achievement of student outcomes, Standards-Based Grading provides a method to do that within the traditional course setting without having to generate a separate set of data outside the normal course grading. This paper describes how Standards-Based Grading was implemented in a junior-level fluid mechanics course that included both lecture and laboratory components. A total of nine learning objectives were specified for the course. These learning objectives are: calculate fluid thrust forces, calculate aerodynamic forces, solve pipe flow problems, select a pump for a system, select a flowmeter for a system, write a computer program to solve transient fluids problems, write a professional quality lab report, acquire and analyze laboratory data, and be a valuable member of team that successfully completes a project. The learning objectives can be mapped to ABET student outcomes. In this implementation of Standards-Based Grading, all assessments are done on a pass-fail basis. That is to say, there is no partial credit given. Once a student passes an assessment, usually given in the form of a quiz, on a given learning objective, it is assumed the student has mastered that concept and is not tested on it again. Students are allowed to re-test on particular objectives if they do not pass them on the first try. The final exam serves as a last chance for students to pass any objectives they did not complete earlier in the semester. Student achievement of the learning objectives is compared to that in previous semesters where a traditional grading scheme was used, and grade distributions are also compared.

DOI

10.18260/1-2--23032

Publisher

American Society for Engineering Education

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Paper Number

8417

Number of Pages

11

Additional Information

Dr. Scott was not affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.

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