Grading...

Last year I started grading differently. Instead of breaking things down into categories like tests, quizzes, and homework, I focused more on skills. What skills did I want my students to master? I have put a lot of thought into this skills-based assessment approach -- I read a bunch of resources and worked out the process with my colleagues.

How would you feel if your classes were ruled by this principle: It doesn't matter when you learn it, so long as you learn it?

Or, what if you convinced me that you mastered a skill before the Final Exam, then you were exempt from that portion of the Final Exam? That's exactly what one class at MIT decided to do.

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