140 - Beyond Labels: Specifications, Standards and Designing Better Grading - with Adriana Streifer

About this episode

The episode discusses the intersection of specifications grading, course design, and institutional culture in higher education with Dr. Adriana Streifer.

Sharona and Boz are joined by Dr. Adriana Streifer, Associate Professor and Associate Director at the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence, to explore how specifications grading, course design, and institutional culture intersect with the broader movement to rethink grading in higher education. Adriana shares how her early experiences teaching writing led her to question the fairness and meaning of traditional grading and ultimately adopt specifications grading as a way to better represent the complex, process-based nature of learning. The conversation dives into the practical differences between specifications and standards-based grading, lessons learned from facilitating the Alternative Grading Institute, and how instructors can assess their readiness for grading innovation in light of institutional constraints and professional risk. Along the way, the discussion examines the difference between procedural and conceptual rigor, the ways grading systems shape pedagogy, and how identity and institutional culture influence the pushback instructors may experience when they change grading practices. The conversation wraps up with a look toward the future: designing…

People in this episode

Hosts: Sharona Krinsky, Robert Bosley

Guest: Dr. Adriana Streifer

Topics covered

• specifications grading
• course design
• grading innovation
• higher education
• pedagogy
• institutional culture

Keywords

• grading
• education
• specifications
• standards
• pedagogy
• institutional culture
• assessment
• learning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Virginia, Center for Teaching Excellence, Alternative Grading Institute

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