Grading always occurs in a social context. We’ll examine a study that measured how weight bias manifested when scoring writing samples. Work from overweight students was scored lower in some categories, but teachers believed bias was far less of an issue than their scoring revealed.
Later, we unpack research on the impact of subtle changes in prompting on participant success in a simple logic puzzle. The results show the importance of crafting assignments and assessments with a few essential elements.
Finally, we read commentary from an expert on helping research impact policy.
- First Segment – 01:42 – Weight Bias in Grading
- Second Segment – 25:51 – Impact of Prompting on Student Success
- Third Segment – 38:47 – Connecting Research and Policy
Cover image by Shane Clements.
Primary Citations
Finn, K. E., Seymour, C. M., & Phillips, A. E. (2019). Weight bias and grading among middle and high school teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology.
Macchi, L., Caravona, L., Poli, F., Bagassi, M., & Franchella, M. A. (2020). Speak your mind and I will make it right: the case of “selection task”. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 1-15.
Conaway, C. (2019). Maximizing research use in the world we actually live In: Relationships, organizations, and interpretation. Education Finance and Policy, 1-10.
Supplemental Citations
- Little Women (2019)
- “Let’s Talk about Race” (Chris Buck)
- #Ableism (Center for Disability Rights)
- Creating and Using Rubrics (Eberly Center – Carnegie Mellon University)
- Blind Grading (Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning – Yale)
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- Handbook on Test Development (Testing & Evaluation Services – University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Craft an Assignment Prompt (Faculty Innovation Center – University of Texas at Austin)
Featured Beverage
We drink Brandy Land, a spiced imperial stout from Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City, MO.