Some things you just can’t measure
For the past two weeks I’ve been visiting employers to check on how students are progressing at their Field Placement internships.
As an educator speaking to potential employers I want to know:
What I’ve learned in recent visits (and many in the past few years) is that most supervisors spend little time answering these questions. We spend the bulk of our meeting discussing observations like these:
“We’re really impressed at how hard she works; she’s willing to pitch in on just about any project.”
or
“We love that he takes initiative. Once he’s finished a project, he’s asking what else he can do to help out.”
or
“I‘m impressed that she’s not afraid to speak up during our Monday morning brainstorm. She fits in; everyone likes her.”
Internship supervisors judge attitude, not aptitude. As educators, we spend most of our time evaluating and grading assignments that measure aptitude. Awarding grades for attitude is often discouraged. Too subjective. And, pragmatically, they’re too hard to defend if you face a grade appeal.
For example, let’s say you want to include this learning objective in your course outline: Students will demonstrate the ability to cooperate in team settings during a variety of in-class problem-solving situations involving their peers, and you decide to award 10 percent of the student’s grade for demonstrating this quality.
For a learning outcome that will stand up to scrutiny, you must define what you mean by “cooperate.” Then you must ensure students understand the “defined standard,” or benchmark, they’ll try to achieve. Then, you’d have to observe and record all instances of cooperation, to this defined standard. (You might be doing all of this for a class of 40 or more.)
To calculate the grade, you’ll devise a mathematical formula to arrive at a letter grade. You’ll probably use a simple formula, like, if a student exhibited cooperation, to a defined standard, in eight out of 10 in-class problem-solving situations with peers, he or she would earn eight out of 10, or an A grade.
However, a student might challenge your assessment. He might suggest various levels of cooperation exist and his in-class instances of cooperation should be rated higher than his neighbour’s. Or that he might tell you he would have co-operated more often if only the room wasn’t so noisy, or the professor had spoken more clearly, or the course outline had provided better examples. If only, if only, if only…..
Educators operate within a ridiculous system of evaluation. So unrealistic. That’s not how the world works. My dream course evaluation would more accurately reflect the work of work our students interns navigate. It would award one third of a student’s grade for technical competency and two-thirds would evaluate a student’s:
1. ability to consistently meet stated deadlines
2. ability to show up most of the time and to genuinely contribute
3. efforts to get along with classmates, faculty and front office support staff
4. ability to “roll with the punches” and quit blaming others for lack of success
5. genunine desire to learn
6. amount of curiosity and creativity
7. emotional maturity, especially when dealing with criticism from classmates and faculty.
Educators, students and employers: what do you want measured? And, how can these measures be taken within traditional academic courses?
This is really interesting, Christine, and a perspective I’ve never heard from a teacher. I think your ideas for grading are smart, but (as you’ve noted) unrealistic. Students go to college or university expecting to be evaluated a certain way. There are “alternative” schools for those who want a different kind if education.
Traditional grading systems are good for naturally quiet people like me : ) But, I am constantly becoming comfortable being more vocal.
I guess I’ll be seeing you at Veritas soon!
Rayanne Langdon — April 26, 2008 @ 12:16 pm
I agree with Rayanne that this a refreshing view on evaluation.
It’s ironic how often we here employers and universities asking to send “well-rounded” students only to have them to over-emphasis their academic achievements.
I know from my own group work this year that those who feel they have contributed the ‘least’ have done the ‘most’. They are the ones that include all group members equally, they continuously boost morale when nothing is going right and take time to know their co-workers creating a sense of community.
All these are valuable traits and highly prized in the workplace. My only regret is that these students don’t receive the same validation that their academic counterparts receive for a job well done.
Keep up the great insights!
Brett — May 2, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
Thank you for your thoughtful insight Christine.
As a senior in college, with plans to graduate next winter, this blog was reassuring to me. I will be looking for an internship for next fall, and do not feel quite prepared. It’s nice to hear that companies are looking for hardworking and self motivated interns. My classes have prepared me to a certain extent, but I feel that there is only so much a student can learn in the classroom.
I hope that an internship will set the foundation for a successful career. A positive attitude is something I already possess…aptitude is something I hope to gain!
Thanks again for your interesting thoughts!
Regina — May 6, 2008 @ 8:05 am
Agreed. There is only so much you can learn in a classroom. However, it’s a job to work with students who arrive with “the goods”: optimism, strong work ethic, flexibility, and maturity. So, it’s easier for them to roll with the punches. Also, a large part of life is managing one’s expectations. You’re bound to be let down if you believe any program or course is going to give you all you need.
Christine Smith — May 9, 2008 @ 10:00 am