CS 501: TA Training Seminar

Neeraj Kumarcs.ucsb.edu/∼leadta

CS 501: TA Training SeminarGrading Student Work

Neeraj Kumarcs.ucsb.edu/∼leadta

Plan for Today

Plan for Today

Grading Goals

Plan for Today

Grading Goals

Being Fair and Consistent

Plan for Today

Grading Goals

Making Grading E�cient

Being Fair and Consistent

Plan for Today

Grading Goals

Making Grading E�cient

Being Fair and Consistent

In-Class Example

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

Feedback to students on their learningFeedback to instructors on their student’s learning

What Purpose do Grades Serve?

As an evaluation of student work;

As a means of communicating to students, parents, graduate schools,professional schools, and future employers about a student’s performancein college and potential for further success;

As a source of motivation to students for continued learning and improve-ment;

As a means of organizing a lesson, a unit, or a semester in that gradesmark transitions in a course and bring closure to it.

Feedback to students on their learningFeedback to instructors on their student’s learning

“ It is important that grades accurately re�ect the qualityof student work and that student work is graded fairly.”

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Make super sure that the assignment description is clear!Identify all possible confusions and get rid of them – saves time in long run

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Make super sure that the assignment description is clear!Identify all possible confusions and get rid of them – saves time in long run

Develop a Grading Rubric

In addition to being fair and consistent, a clear grading policy helps studentsunderstand how their work is graded.

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Make super sure that the assignment description is clear!Identify all possible confusions and get rid of them – saves time in long run

Develop a Grading Rubric

– For the work that is most signi�cant to you and/or will carry the most weight, identify what is most important toyou. Clarity? Creativity? Rigor? Thoroughness? Precision? Demonstration of knowledge?

– Transform the characteristics you’ve identi�ed into grading criteria for the work most signi�cant to you –Create buckets: Excellent work > Very good > Fair to good > Poor > Unacceptable work.

In addition to being fair and consistent, a clear grading policy helps studentsunderstand how their work is graded.

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Make super sure that the assignment description is clear!Identify all possible confusions and get rid of them – saves time in long run

Develop a Grading Rubric

– For the work that is most signi�cant to you and/or will carry the most weight, identify what is most important toyou. Clarity? Creativity? Rigor? Thoroughness? Precision? Demonstration of knowledge?

– Transform the characteristics you’ve identi�ed into grading criteria for the work most signi�cant to you –Create buckets: Excellent work > Very good > Fair to good > Poor > Unacceptable work.

In addition to being fair and consistent, a clear grading policy helps studentsunderstand how their work is graded.

As far as possible, ensure one person grades one problem for all students– Whenever possible, multiple TAs should grade together (at least the exams)

Ensuring Fairness and Consistency

Make super sure that the assignment description is clear!Identify all possible confusions and get rid of them – saves time in long run

Develop a Grading Rubric

– For the work that is most signi�cant to you and/or will carry the most weight, identify what is most important toyou. Clarity? Creativity? Rigor? Thoroughness? Precision? Demonstration of knowledge?

– Transform the characteristics you’ve identi�ed into grading criteria for the work most signi�cant to you –Create buckets: Excellent work > Very good > Fair to good > Poor > Unacceptable work.

In addition to being fair and consistent, a clear grading policy helps studentsunderstand how their work is graded.

As far as possible, ensure one person grades one problem for all students

Verify your grading policy with the course instructor

– Whenever possible, multiple TAs should grade together (at least the exams)

Leaving Feedback

Leaving Feedback

Taking points o� without explanation?

*Meme based on a protest rally in Canada

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

If you are not sure, invite student to o�ce hours and have them explain

Leaving Feedback

Use your comments to teach rather than to justify your grade, focusing onwhat you would most like students to address in future work.

Link your comments and feedback to the goals for an assignment.

Avoid over-commenting or “picking apart” student’s work.

Ask questions that will guide further inquiry by students rather than provideanswers for them.

If you are not sure, invite student to o�ce hours and have them explain

Leave feedback in a color di�erent from student’s writing (preferably red)

Tips on E�cient Grading

Clear assignment description⇒ Faster Grading

Tips on E�cient Grading

Clear assignment description⇒ Faster Grading

– Maintain a grading schedule and stick to it. Don’t procrastinate!

Tips on E�cient Grading

Clear assignment description⇒ Faster Grading

– Maintain a grading schedule and stick to it. Don’t procrastinate!

– Simplify your grading rubric – not way too many buckets

Tips on E�cient Grading

Clear assignment description⇒ Faster Grading

– Maintain a grading schedule and stick to it. Don’t procrastinate!

– Simplify your grading rubric – not way too many buckets

– Ask for solutions that are easy to parse (e.g solution sketch instead of code)

Tips on E�cient Grading

Clear assignment description⇒ Faster Grading

– Maintain a grading schedule and stick to it. Don’t procrastinate!

– Simplify your grading rubric – not way too many buckets

– Ask for solutions that are easy to parse (e.g solution sketch instead of code)

– Automate grading code submissions (TBD next week)

In-Class Grading Exercise

Problem v1: Give an algorithm to reverse a linked list.

In-Class Grading Exercise

Problem v1: Give an algorithm to reverse a linked list.See any issues with this?

In-Class Grading Exercise

Problem v1: Give an algorithm to reverse a linked list.See any issues with this?

– Is this a singly linked list?

– What is the input?

– How should we write our algorithm?

– Can we use library functions?

– Can we use another list?

– Are dinosours really extinct? Student questions on piazza!!

In-Class Grading Exercise

Problem v1: Give an algorithm to reverse a linked list.See any issues with this?

– Is this a singly linked list?

– What is the input?

– How should we write our algorithm?

– Can we use library functions?

– Can we use another list?

– Are dinosours really extinct? Student questions on piazza!!

Problem v1.1 Given the pointer to the �rst node (head) of a singly linked list L,give a linear time algorithm (as pseudocode) to reverse L using O(1) extra space.For exmaple:a → b → c → NULL (head points to a)c → b → a → NULL (head points to c)

In-class Grading Exercise

Grade the two submissions for problem v1.1 in the handed out papers

Create a grading rubric

Identify buckets (Excellent, Good, Poor, Unacceptable, etc)

Identify points for each bucket

Leave comments!

Grading Checklist