>We are in the process of putting together a developmental mathematics
>course ...
>Please provide your thoughts, comments and philosophies with regard to
>pass/fail versus graded courses at the developmental level.
Here's the experience at my institution. We currently have:
* pass-fail (S/R) grading for two mastery-based basic math courses,
* pass-fail for elementary algebra and basic math/elementary algebra
courses (not mastery-based), and
* traditional grading (A-F) in an intermediate algebra/trig course.
Since all these courses are no-credit, their grades do not impact
on student GPA, whether the system is S/R or A-F.
The intermediate algebra/trig course used to carry 3 credits (the
course meets 6 hours per week for a semester) with A-F grading. We
withdrew the credit several years ago, initially adopting a pass-fail
grading system that was in place for a couple of semesters. Then we
decided to revert to A-F grading even with no credit. The Department
thinks that this is more motivating for students, and gives everyone a
clearer idea if a student is ready for the next course (Precalculus).
Geoffrey Akst
Mathematics Department
Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
(v) 212/346-8530
(f) 212/346-8550
(e) akst@idt.net
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