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Mastery Grading in a Software Engineering Course

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

COED: Grading Systems

Tagged Division

Computers in Education Division (COED)

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43553

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43553

Download Count

133

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Paper Authors

biography

Carlos Rojas San Jose State University

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Carlos Rojas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at San Jose State University. His current research focus is on applying computational, machine learning, and visualization techniques to the understanding of biological mechanisms and systems. Dr. Rojas received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees from UC Davis where his research focused on computational methods to compare 3D geometric shapes.

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biography

Gina M. Quan San Jose State University

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Gina Quan is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at San Jose State University. She previously earned her Ph.D. in Physics Education Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. She studies student identity, community, and institutional change.

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Abstract

Developing alternative forms of grading and assessment has been an area of ongoing interest in engineering education. Mastery grading is one form of alternative grading which allows students to have multiple attempts to demonstrate their progress toward learning objectives. While mastery grading has been implemented in a variety of contexts, it is less common in undergraduate engineering courses. This paper summarizes a faculty’s first time implementation of mastery grading in an upper division software engineering course and presents a longitudinal study of students’ perspectives toward mastery grading. We review the perspective of the faculty and students. We surveyed students throughout the semester to understand (1) the change in students’ attitude towards mastery grading, (2) if students understood the mechanics of mastery grading and (3) the extent to which students found this system helpful for their learning versus traditional grading. We found that while students initially had a strong negative reaction towards the new grading scheme, over time, they seemed to prefer this grading method. Mastery grading made it possible to adapt to changes as issues arose. We then describe the mastery grading scheme implementation from the perspective of the instructor. Finally, we discuss the implications of this work for research on grading as well as the implications for instructors.

Rojas, C., & Quan, G. M. (2023, June), Mastery Grading in a Software Engineering Course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43553

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