During the PGCert I have been thinking about different ways of assessing and their benefits; during one session we spoke in depth about Crits and their importance/relevance. These conversations tapped into a distant memory I had completely forgotten about, where I took part in a research project in 2021 within UAL called ‘Experiences of Pass / Fail in First Year courses’. At the time it was my first-year teaching and the unit I was teaching on was a pass/fail unit. I thought it would be interesting to review my initial thoughts as a new lecturer and compare that against the results of the report, and my thoughts now as a lecturer with 3 years’ experience.
Below is an excerpt from the interview questions I was asked and my answers:
”What were your personal experiences of pass/fail as a tutor?
Benefits – it’s much quicker and easier to write feedback as you don’t have to think about specific grade bands. Able to write feedback more freely in terms of language as usually using overly positive or critical language would directly link to a grade or their interpretation of what grade they think should have. If you write words like excellent/fantastic for sections but overall grade is C it can be confusing. Concentration can be on uplifting and giving constructive feedback. Easier to mark holistically.
Drawbacks – it makes it very difficult to fail students or point out to students what grade level they are currently sitting at. Pass encompasses what would be D- and A+ students.
What were the experiences of your students of pass/fail assessment?
Benefits – removes the pressure of attaining a grade and allows them to be more free and experimental knowing that they aren’t going to be graded. Perhaps less afraid to make mistakes? Won’t have one part of their work dragging their grade down.
Drawbacks – without explicitly telling them it’s hard for them to understand what grade they are sitting at. Usually that grade gives them a good indication of where they are in terms of the level of their work. Although it eases them into the university without having the pressure of grades it can feel detrimental when they enter YR2 and it’s a bit of a shock – especially when grades from YR2 can be used towards their final graduating mark.
Any other experiences of pass/fail assessment you would like to share?
I guess it’s a double-edged sword, the university experience and knowledge you can gain from experimenting and making mistakes without being graded feels like a weight off your shoulders. When being graded, even if it results in a 2:2 or 2:1 can be more useful and enriching than following tickbox exercises trying to achieve the highest possible grade. However we do use those tick boxes to grade.
I think it would be more beneficial to include grading after the first introductory project but instil in students that grades aren’t everything; people are going to be looking at your work and not the little piece of paper with a number on it. If they experiment and push themselves, they are more than likely to achieve the grade they want.”
After reading through the results of the ‘Report on Pass/Fail for the QSG (Quality Strategy Group), Nov 21’ it’s interesting to see that many of the points I made were highlighted in the overall findings of the report. A key point I hadn’t raised was how the pass/fail assessment in the context of the pandemic helped with their wellbeing, with reduced access to resources not being able to impact their grade.
Since the report, the first unit of the first year course I teach on has been changed from pass/fail back to graded. With this change I can tell that the feedback I write, although focussed on their learning and written to improve their performance with encouraging feed forward, an element of the feedback and word count is used up justifying or explaining the grade given.
References
Dwyer, Katharine. Report on Pass-Fail grading experience for QSG, Nov 2021 Access Link – https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/7880fb95-bf1d-4506-a049-d782dcb35827