Course memo (kurs-PM)

LH216V Develop the Learning by Using Grading Criteria, 1.5 credits

March-June 2021

The aim is that you after the course should be able to design outcomes based criterion-referenced grading criteria and assessment that can be immediately used in your own courses.

Intended learning outcomes (at the same time grading criteria) for LH216V (linked to the assessments)

To pass the course, the course participant should be able to

  • account for how intended learning outcomes, grading criteria, and assessment fit together (assessed in assignment 2)
  • formulate outcomes based criterion-referenced grading criteria for a course (assessed in assignment 2)
  • suggest how elements of the examination should be designed so that they assess the student according to the grading criteria (assessed in assignment 2)
  • review critically and reflect on ones own and others' grading criteria (assessed in assignment 1 (others') and 2 (own))
  • describe how to combine assessments to determine a final grade and reflect on which effects this can result in (assessed in assignment 2)
  • reflect on how the grading criteria can be used in your own teaching (assessed in assignment 2).

Teachers

  • Viggo Kann, 80% EECS Computer Science and 20% ITM Learning, course coordinator, teacher and examiner
  • Emma Lundkvist, Uppsala University Pharmaceutical Biosciences, teacher
  • Hans Havtun, ITM Energy Technology, teacher
  • Veine Haglund, CL student, teaching assistant
  • Anna-Karin Högfeldt, ITM Learning, coach on design of assessment

Schedule: meetings

There will be three meetings in the course. There are preparations to be done before each meeting. A chronological view of all deadlines and meetings can be found under Syllabus/Kursöversikt.

Language

The main language of the course is English. However, in group discussions it is allowed to speak other languages as long as all in the group understand. The terminology will be given in both Swedish and English, and you are allowed to write your assignments in either Swedish or English. We recommend that you use the same language in your assignments as the course you are writing your grading criteria for is using.

Coaching on design of assessment

Anna-Karin Högfeldt, educational developer at ITM Learning, will offer individual/group coaching on design of assessment to course participants of LH216V during this course offering. If you would like to make use of this offer, mail Anna-Karin akhog@kth.se to book a time for a meeting.

Summative assessment

There are three mandatory assessments in the course. It is important that you submit the assignments before the stated deadline in order for the course to work. Please contact the course coordinator if you need to submit a hand-in late.

  • Assignment 1a (ILOs and draft of new grading critieria), submitted before 21 April 2021 at 19:00 in Canvas.
  • Assignment 1b (feedback to peers), submitted before 26 April 2021 at 19:00 in Canvas.
  • Assignment 2 (final version of grading criteria etc), submitted before 31 May 2021 at 19:00 in Canvas.
    Assessment (with respect to the six grading criteria above) and constructive feedback on your assignment 2 will be given by the teachers before meeting 3.
    A submission fulfilling all criteria will pass. A submission not fulfilling any criterion will fail. A submission fulfilling at least one but not all criteria will receive Fx, and could be completed (submitting a new version in Canvas) within three weeks (29 June 2021). A new version that is fulfilling all criteria will pass. A new version fulfilling all criteria except one or two may be completed one more time (latest 13 August 2021). Otherwise the submission will be failed.

Reading list and examples of grading criteria

Note that grade descriptors or grading rubrics sometimes are used instead of grading criteria i the texts below.

Key concepts in Swedish and English

As in every course, there are several concepts that you should be aware of. There is a list of the key concepts of this course, with terms both in Swedish and English. Between meeting 1 and 2, we recommend that you take a formative concept understanding quiz.

Course evaluation and course analysis

By the end of meeting 1, a mini-evaluation will be carried out. At the end of the third meeting, we will evaluate the course together, which will constitute the course meeting of the course (as required by the KTH regulations for course evaluation and course analysis). After the third meeting, there will be an ordinary Learning Experience Questionnaire (LEQ).

After the course, the course coordinator will write a course analysis, that will be published on the official course web page in the course catalog.

Changes from previous English course offering

  • The Canvas course room has got a new structure, based on a student survey. 
  • In meeting 1, we will point out more clearly that written exams graded using points and grade thresholds expressed by points should not be used, and explain why this is not in agreement with the KTH regulations.
  • In meeting 2, relevant parts of the new KTH guideline on course syllabus, grading system and examination will be presented. The different deadlines for changing the ILOs and the grading criteria will be emphasized.

Advice from participants from the previous English course offering

  • See to that you reserve the time needed to really reflect on the course content. There is a lot to learn here.
  • Prepare your ILOs in advance of this course.
  • It is important to take this course. It is quite short and important.
  • Start working on improving the ILOs right away, and ask for help if you get stuck. I left much of the work until last minute, and then I found that I didn't have a chance to discuss before submitting - and I would have loved to do that to improve my course even more already within the course!
  • Think deeply about the final assignment because it won't be trivial to come up with.
  • Keep track of deadlines.