Grading by experience points: An example from computer ethics

In most of education, courses are graded based on percentages-a certain percentage is required for each letter grade. Students often see this as a negative, in which they can only lose points, not gain points, and put their class average at risk with each new assignment. This contrasts with the world of online gaming, where they gain “experience points” from each new activity, and their score monotonically increases toward a desired goal. In Fall 2012, the lead author switched to grading by experience points in his Ethics in Computing class. Students earned points for a variety of activities, mainly performing ethical analyses of various issues related to computing, and participating in debates on ethics-related topics. The students appreciated the ability to earn extra points by performing extra activities. But they were less likely to complete analyses after signing up to do them than were students in a traditionally-graded class. At semester´s end, the number of peer reviews increased, as students strove to top off their point total. The grade distribution was bimodal, with clusters at both ends (A+ and F). Students´ greatest concern was rapid grading turnaround, so they would know where they stood in the class at all times.