2) The Architecture of a Grade. Magda Mostafa
and Mahmoud ElKady (ARCH)
This talk discussed ways of giving specific rubrics to students on creative design, something which is usually considered subjective to grade. One thing that is really important in how to grade is that students in architecture need to exit as good designers. Some say that creative practices like architecture cannot be graded because they are subjective, but grading can occur through structured rubrics which specifically measure creative process and aim at what AUC wants students to be able to do when they leave the course.
The talk covered “pinnacle pedagogy” which sets high expectations and raising the bar higher each semester, so students experience something like a marathon run. The department also uses “scaffolding” to support students with resources and materials to enable them to meet the targets.
There is also a concept of “thresholding” to ensure there is a point below which a student's design cannot be considered for design conversations. A memorable quote from this presentation was: “The best way to grade is perhaps not to grade at all”. Mahmoud talked about his experience of not being familiar with structured rubrics and falling below the threshold line. He was hurt, but at the end he made sure he had a bigger understanding of the goals behind the course; enhancing skills and knowledge rather than getting the grade. He persevered with the help of different resources to reach the pinnacle.
3) The Paradox of an A Grade: Student Well-being and the Power of Choice. Nellie El Enany
and Nour Khashaba (MGMT)
This talk focused on the impact of grades on students, in terms of causing stress and anxiety. As educators how do we make the learning experience better for our students? Nellie shared quotes from students on how they felt about grades. Among those shared:
• “Grading always makes you focus more on the memorizing, instead of really understanding the
thing and learning from it.”
• “Not only do I think that the idea of grades is stressful, but I feel like it’s extremely demotivating"
• “It’s dismaying to see that grades and GPA has a higher say in defining one’s future, than one’s
actual preference and passion.”
• “Grades (aka nightmare) are a major concern for any student on this planet”
There was a call to really put students at the center of learning. One strategy is asking students what they want to learn and how they want to be assessed. This empowers students by giving them a choice and produces better work. Students commented on how this affected their motivation and commitment
Nour focused on how students are constantly judged on grades which do not represent everything they are talented or skilled at, and that assessments often are the same for all students even though each student has different skills and interests (a point both presenters emphasized). She also mentioned about how the stress of achieving high grades reduces the focus on the most important thing which is learning.
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