An A or Your Life!
This paper focuses on the issue of assessments, i.e. requirements and grading, in an American university. It addresses the following questions: What are the main features of assessments in the English department at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA)? Are there any factors that put pressure on p...
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| Language: | English |
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2021-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/angles/3517 |
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| author | Claire Tardieu |
| author_facet | Claire Tardieu |
| author_sort | Claire Tardieu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on the issue of assessments, i.e. requirements and grading, in an American university. It addresses the following questions: What are the main features of assessments in the English department at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA)? Are there any factors that put pressure on professors and force them to raise grades? Methodologically, we first analyzed the online descriptions of all the English courses offered during the 2019 Spring semester. This quantitative analysis highlights the main features of assessments in the context of this university and makes it possible to confront them with the issues of reliability and fairness (McMillan 1999). Then, we conducted a qualitative analysis of six interviews of professors who explained how they evaluate and grade their students. This second type of data analysis allows us to discuss the issue of validity (Cronbach & Meehl 1955; McMillan 1999), as well as that of fair grading. To what extent do the interviewees feel forced to raise grades and why? Is the firearm issue in Texas a relevant factor? Finally, a case study focuses on an upper-division course of English Romantic Poetry given by the present researcher to a class of 26 undergraduate students (of all levels: freshmen and seniors) majoring in English or other subjects, which investigates the possibility of formatting a valid course that generates higher grades. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70d33ca0d3104187a2b6191fc9b4c9f5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2274-2042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | SAES |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Angles |
| spelling | doaj-art-70d33ca0d3104187a2b6191fc9b4c9f52025-08-20T02:26:38ZengSAESAngles2274-20422021-02-011210.4000/angles.3517An A or Your Life!Claire TardieuThis paper focuses on the issue of assessments, i.e. requirements and grading, in an American university. It addresses the following questions: What are the main features of assessments in the English department at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA)? Are there any factors that put pressure on professors and force them to raise grades? Methodologically, we first analyzed the online descriptions of all the English courses offered during the 2019 Spring semester. This quantitative analysis highlights the main features of assessments in the context of this university and makes it possible to confront them with the issues of reliability and fairness (McMillan 1999). Then, we conducted a qualitative analysis of six interviews of professors who explained how they evaluate and grade their students. This second type of data analysis allows us to discuss the issue of validity (Cronbach & Meehl 1955; McMillan 1999), as well as that of fair grading. To what extent do the interviewees feel forced to raise grades and why? Is the firearm issue in Texas a relevant factor? Finally, a case study focuses on an upper-division course of English Romantic Poetry given by the present researcher to a class of 26 undergraduate students (of all levels: freshmen and seniors) majoring in English or other subjects, which investigates the possibility of formatting a valid course that generates higher grades.https://journals.openedition.org/angles/3517educationhumanitiesuniversityassessmentAmerican higher educationrequirements |
| spellingShingle | Claire Tardieu An A or Your Life! Angles education humanities university assessment American higher education requirements |
| title | An A or Your Life! |
| title_full | An A or Your Life! |
| title_fullStr | An A or Your Life! |
| title_full_unstemmed | An A or Your Life! |
| title_short | An A or Your Life! |
| title_sort | a or your life |
| topic | education humanities university assessment American higher education requirements |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/angles/3517 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT clairetardieu anaoryourlife AT clairetardieu aoryourlife |