Development of the Systematic Grading Procedure
Year: 2011
Editor: Kovacevic, Ahmed, Ion, William, McMahon, Chris, Buck, Lyndon and Hogarth, Peter
Author: Berglund, Anders; Tretten, Phillip
Series: E&PDE
Section: Pedagogy
Page(s): 293-298
Abstract
In Design education there is a challenge in grading students when the task is based upon the student’s ability to show applied knowledge. Thus the grading criteria needs to be and is most often subjectively focused. As previous research has shown these types of assessments can vary between teachers, thus, increasing the chance for varied and possibly improper scores. Much has to do with the level of experience and knowledge a particular teacher has and the individual differences to which parameters make a good picture or animation. The Systematic Grading Procedure (SGP) is a method in which the assignment is broken down and the assessment areas are graded depending upon the task. Each assessment area is then weighed together into a final grade. The SGP has been used six times in four different courses. The final grade results have not varied from before the SGP was implemented to after implementation. However, the consistency and the grading background for each rating has benefited both the teachers and the students, with the greatest benefit being the feedback the students receive. All students who received feedback through SGP think it is an excellent tool as it is easier to understand the assessment criteria underlying the grade. Previously the results have been only evaluated subjectively. Whether the spread of grades becomes smaller when different examiners uses the SPG is also not known. There is little research done on the outcome of SGP used in 3D Art. The aim of this paper is to validate the SGP as a grading method for teachers in 3D-modeling and 3D-visualisation and further develop the SGP as an assessment tool for lesser experienced teachers. Three groups used the SGP method to judge student work. The groups were 5 people in each, experienced university teachers with 3D-modelling and 3D-visualisation background, experienced university teachers with no 3D-modelling and 3D-visualisation background, and individuals with no university teaching experience and no 3D-modelling and 3D-visualisation background. The test is divided in two parts, a baseline and experiment part. In the baseline part each person graded 10 images with the same theme without using the SGP, and the second part, the experiment; each person graded another 10 images with the same theme using the SGP. The preliminary results showed that the experienced university teachers with 3D-modeling and 3D-visualisation background graded with greater variation, more than expected. The data will be analyzed more deeply to determine whether the other groups made similar assessments and how the groups differ. If the groups' assessments differ can perhaps conclusions be drawn about the novice's ability to make more accurate assessments when using the SGP.
Keywords: Systematic Grading Procedure, SGP, assessment method, grading method