Re: UU & Grading

[Anatoly Volynets <av@total-knowledge.com>]

I'm not sure I quite understand the problem yet.

On 04/04/2011 05:09 PM, Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh wrote:
> The way I see things, under no conditions same UMO can be completed 
> twice.

By student? Why not? (Exercicio) Repeticio est mater studiorum.
Actually, I never attached any importance to grading. There is,
probably, something we can use it for, but I barely understand it, frankly.

> 
> Now suppose problem P is included in both courses C1 and C2. Let's 
> say P is auto-graded (for example, it's a simple multiple-choice 
> problem). For the sake of simplicity, let's say both C1 and C2 use 
> 100-grade system. However, C1 assigns weight of 20 to P, and C2 
> weight of 10. Student signs up for two separate classes, e.g. to 
> default ones for C1 and C2. Now he solves P while studying C1, and 
> thus his grade for solving it becomes 20. What happens next, when he
>  goes to study C2?

The student will just get 10 for P within C1. Works for me.

> 
> And what happens if the problem is the kind which requires grading
> by teacher?

My first thought: it cannot be the same teacher, for one. But even if he
is--it's his problem, not ours.

> 
> Of course, as you suggest, we could record the solution student 
> provided, and then derive grades for each class separately, but 
> something in my gut tells me it's not the right thing to do
> (although it might actually be yesterdays bean soup talking).

Why? We never considered it important. It is for some teachers and
students, especially if they put and study some official courses in UU,
but let grading be their toys. If we need to provide tools to
attach grades to UMOs, let's provide these tools--on per class basis--I
believe this is what any teacher would agree with.

> 
> I guess I was hoping for some more radically different view on what 
> grading (or rather evaluation) could be in UU. One purpose of
> grading I can see, is to let someone know that specific student did
> well enough in specific course, without examining his actual
> activities during that course in detail. Another possible application
> of this functionality, is to set up competitive environment among
> students. Any others?
> 

Generally (and specifically for UU, as I see it), grading can work to
motivate (or discourage) studies. But again--if a teacher needs it--it
his business to use it.

> To that end: 1. What does it mean to "complete" an UMO which is not a
> problem or test? What functionality for grading should we allow in 
> these cases?

I don't know how to approach it. Teachers cam create tests on topics,
etc: sets of
questions, problems, exercises? The 'Test' (I don't remember whether it
is an UMO, or not) is presented in UU specs.


 2. What functionality can we provide to allow evaluating
> graders themselves? IOW, if I'm a potential employer, and am looking
>  at someone's UU grade in a CS course, what is there to tell me that
>  the grade itself is worth something?

I don't remember whether such thing as "UU grade" was ever discussed.
There supposed to be different courses and different classes. They must
develop their own reputation via communication and statistic. UU as an
environment could provide.


 3. How do we prevent a student
>  from acquiring access to author's view of UMO (especially a 
> problem), for example by registering a separate account and creating 
> his own course, which would include said UMO?

Well, probably, grading and open licensing-sharing do not comply
perfectly. If we up to provide grading then teacher must do it, and no
one, but authorized persons  should have access to the grade property of
an UMO. But I still think, a grade cannot be UMO own property, but
something gained within a class and non existent beyond any class.

> 
> On 04/04/11 12:53, Anatoly Volynets wrote:
>> 
>> Anatoly Volynets, President total-knowledge.com 
>> culturedialogue.org
>> 
>> On 03/28/2011 06:41 PM, Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh wrote:
>>> There are few problems with the concept of grading in the shared
>>>  UMO model.
>>> 
>>> 1. Same UMO (e.g. problem) may have different value based on
>>> what course it is studied under.
>> Thus a grade of a UMO cannot be its own property, but must be 
>> associated somehow with the course it included into and be assigned
>> by the teacher of the class. This has to work for all UMOs tought,
>> including top level ones, which are not included in any other UMOs
>> by this teacher.
>> 
>>> 2. Same student may encounter same UMO through two different 
>>> courses.
>> I think that's OK, the above idea (1) will do for me.
>> 
>>> I'd like suggestions on how to handle this situation. Another 
>>> thing that is unclear to me, is what options for grading to 
>>> provide for the grouping UMOs - Courses, topics, and tests.
>> See p.1
>> 
> 
>