Dogan,
You were correct when you said that your question is "universal." I
think all instructors wrestle with the issue of the grading
distribution. Before I answer your question, I have a question for
you: What are your reasons for seeking a grade distribution that
conforms to the normal curve? Design a challenging course, and
naturally the course grades should distinguish the higher from the lower
performers.
My advice for you would be to design your courses to be challenging, yet
suitable for the types of students that you enroll at your university.
But when it comes to assigning course grades, why don't you just use a
percentage system? Compute students' grades as the percentage of the
total possible points that they have earned. In that way, each student
receives a grade based only on what he/she has done. If you "grade on a
curve," then students may feel like they are "trying to hit a moving
target." I think that such a system may lead to diminished motivation
in your students.
Dr. Barbara Watters
Mercyhurst College
Erie, PA 16546 USA
Dogan Kokdemir wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> The problem is universal and related not only to psychology lectures
> but also to others:
>
> I have a problem in grading students; that is, most of the students
> (if not all) study for taking "A"s "B"s .. etc. and most of them are
> ready for getting "C" if you gurantee that nobody wants them to do
> things for the lecture.
>
> More importantly, I believed that there are unneglible amount of
> students with very high motivation and effort. Unfortunately, I am not
> sure that by concentrating on "bad" students I loose the contact with
> "good" students or not. In other words, I want "good" students to get
> "A"s and "B"s and want "bad" students to get "F"s. ... And the
> question:
>
> Does it sound good for you that I will give "A" and "A-" for the
> (let's say) top %5 of the students wherease give "F" and "D"s for the
> last %5 regardless of their actual score on the lecture. I know this
> curve mechanism can be stresfull for most of the students but I wonder
> by this method I could discriminate "bad"s from "good"s.
>
> Thank your for your comments.
>
> Dogan Kokdemir, M.Sc.
> Baskent University
> Ankara - Turkey
