Leniency and Reliability - Faculty Grading Behaviors in the Pandemic Era

Session Abstract: This session will examine faculty grading styles during the implementation of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) policies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on Millet’s (2018) methodology to quantify grading reliability and leniency, we use institutional data that distinguish between instructor-assigned grades and final posted grades affected by pandemic-era policies. One policy in particular is the transition to what have been perceived as more student-favored grading policies like S/U. We will specifically focus on two questions:
-How did the transition to an S/U policy impact grading leniency and reliability at the individual instructor level?
-How did grading styles change during the S/U policy period?
The results of our analysis shed some light on faculty grading practices and how institutional policy may impact how faculty approach grading. The objective of the session is to open a dialog about grading practices and the impact of institutional policy on those grading practices.

Keywords: Grading Leniency; Grading Reliability; Grading Behaviors; Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading