<p>How do you get beyond the subjective nature of grading in art/design studios? I kept hearing from faculty & tour guides at design schools that "grades aren't important". In fact, I know in one of my d's classes, they did not periodically give grades along the way -- although plenty of "critiques". Everyone's work is critiqued, so students have no clue how they are doing, or if they are not doing well, how to improve. They are simply surprised at the end.</p>
<p>My d. was bemoaning the grades received on a recent graphics project. In one instance, three students in the class of about 35 turned in VERY similar designs, with equal craft. One received a 93. One received a 78. One received a 62! (My d. was in the middle). Since the projects were so similar in both approach and quality, it could not be argued that one student understood the problem, and another did not. She is mature enough to know quality. She readily acknowledges student work that is good. She is also fair when criticizing her own work, and admits when something is not very good. She was just totally confused by the grading, and I had no answers other than it is a "crap shoot", and very subjective in design curriculums. </p>
<p>I agree that in design careers, no one grades your work (except critics). You either please the client or not. And often you will please one and not the other. Your work is marketable, or not. One can argue that's the nature of the business, so get used to it. I typically don't accept the status quo, so instead I'm looking for better approaches. If grades are not important, why must they be given at all? Why haven't such classes moved to a pass/fail system? How can you improve, if you don't really know how, and are not given positive steps to do so? Are you simply doomed to failure, if someone doesn't like your work? Shouldn't the nature of design courses be to help you to improve?</p>
<p>From what my daughter tells me, little things can make big differences in grades. They look at creativity, how straight were the lines, how neat was the project, what is the overall impression, how well did they adhere to the project requirements, etc. Grading a design by itself may be hard. However, if you have a number of other projects to compare them to then it does become a bit easier as noted to me by my designer/wife. </p>
<p>This is no different than what goes on in other subjects such as physics. There usually is a curve, and your grade is dependent on how other students performed. I guess it isn't that different in design.</p>
<p>well, a lot of professors also grade on student improvement. </p>
<p>so, if the kid who got a 93 was not doing very well and then pulled this concept out, and your daughter has done better work before, and the 62 was slacking on this project compared to others - that might be the reasoning for the different grades.</p>
<p>Grading should not be a problem if the grading criteria are clearly explained and defined on the assignment description. Feedback should also specifically address these points. IMO, if the professor cannot clearly explain the rationale for the grade, then the prof. is doing a tremendous disservice to the student. Every design project can be deconstructed to its semantic and syntactic values. In many ways, assessing graphic design is a lot like grading writing. It is a visual language.</p>
<p>I ask because I frequently see first and second year students complain about these things, and when I see the work that they describe as having very little difference, I see big differences. Many lower year students simply have not developed the visual nuance to see the differences. </p>
<p>Another thing that is frequently graded on is response to critiques and development/process of a project. Take the following instance as an example: two students turn in work that is of precisely the same quality and on the same conceptual level. However in critiques student A landed on his concept early and did not develop it very much over the course of the problem (his final result looked very much like his first concept), and he seemed to disregard suggestions presented in critique. Student B explored several different options and was receptive to critique. I would give student B a higher grade, no question. I think most instructors would.</p>
<p>Kjofkw, Very probable that the school your daughter is attending hasn't been keeping up with some fairly serious and widespread developments in collegiate assessment, outcomes and etc. Art programs as a whole are notorious for fuzzy standards, but its a condition which cannot last too much longer-simply because the end result (employability) is so poor.
As noted in design courses the work can be assessed within how well it uses the concepts and design theory, and on standard of execution. So deriving a grade and a clear standard of assesment isn't impossible. It sounds like the instrucotor might be a little too ambiguous in his or her assessment.
There is a tendancy for some schools to base their philosophies on old derivative art philosophies which state there can be nothing but an individual interpretation of artwork. But that stuff is a generation out, and quite irrelevent.
Grades being important or unimportant...a major dilemma. Grade inflation is a major problem in most collegiate programs, and art programs are scarcely unaffected. But some standard of record and assesment is needed. The concept that grades do not matter, only leads to an attitude that they will not matter later. Problem therein, is that students are not in colleges to 'do art', that can be done anywhere and certainly without paying high tuitions. So obviously at some point, clear grading credibility is needed, because eventually the student will leave the wonderful (and fantasy) world of the art school and have to deal with those who will likely view the students credibility from a transcript as much as a portfolio. Especially since, art students often do end up working in other fields.</p>
<p>Atana, My daughter is in the design school at University of Cincinnati. She NEVER got the impression that grades didn't count. In fact, geting good grades are vital in determining the quality of coops, scholarships and for many other benefits. Also, geting an A or even an A- requires really good work. In fact, even B+ requires very good work.</p>
<p>As for emloyability, students in design have a much better chance for employment than with fine arts. Kids with strong coops have an even better opportunity due the experience that they have gleaned.</p>
<p>Good that the University of C is keeping the standards up. it seems the schools that kjofkw has been visiting have not been necessarily to that same standard.
As far as employability, it is somewhat better in design rather than fine arts. In part because the better design schools have the agencies coming down on them to ensure students know design theory and partially because much of current design is done in digital media. So those who do learn it have an easier time going into associated fields. However, both are very competitive...
However, compared to other fields, the collegiate arts was as a whole (both fine arts and design) have not been quite as pressured to meet assessment and outcome standards as the sciences, law and etc. Vexing because although there are good schools as you noted with UC, there should be an expectation of higher standards throughout the discipline.
Incidentally I started as a designer, went into fine arts and academia. So do have some concerns about the inconstant standards in my field.</p>
<p>A follow up to the former discussion, and new question:</p>
<p>Final grades were posted recently. I could tell my d. was very surprised and disappointed this semester in her main studio course (not the graphics course previously mentioned). She had an "A" at midterm. She had numerous crits throughout the semester, and for the most part, they seemed very positive, and the professor seemed to like her work. She received a "B" as her final grade. No warning, no explanation, no opportunity for discussion (the year has ended). Unlike many courses with final exams, she cannot even point to a blown test as logical explanation. She was just surprised (and obviously disappointed). A "B" is by no means any type of failure. This was just another one of those design classes where the feedback was inconsistent with the final grade. The critiques were good, the one and only grade (midterm) was good, and then out of the blue (in her eyes), it was dropped. </p>
<p>Question: Is it valid to ask the professor via email "why"? I agree she does not want to appear to be grade-grubbing. At the same time, as originally asked regarding another design course, how the heck are these students supposed to learn and grow, if the feedback is so arbitrary, non-existent, or changed unknown to the student? I thought she should politely explain to the professor that she is not asking for a grade change, but that she was surprised at the drop, and that she would like to learn from some feedback as to why it occurred. Others feel it is water under the bridge and that only harm will come of such a request (the teacher will probably complain about the student to fellow teachers, and reputations will be affected for future courses). Others think perhaps it is a simple mistake. My ultimate reason for suggesting she ask is twofold. First, I think that is the only way she will understand, and learn from the system. Second, if indeed, grading is that arbitrary, I feel the professors need to explain the process, and in doing so perhaps understand their own system a little better. But challenges, no matter how polite, are usually not well received.</p>
<p>I don't know how to advise her -- if at all ;-)</p>
<p>It's <em>totally</em> fine for her to email the professor to ask 'why?' Just have her take the turn of asking how she could improve in the future, since she hadn't realized throughout the semester that there was so much room for improvement in her work. This will most likely prompt the professor to check the grade book to make sure it was the right grade, and give your daughter an opportunity to get some constructive feedback.</p>
<p>This is actually a common phenomenon in lower-level classes though. Many time students who excel early let that "A" go to their head, and don't push themselves to develop further. Not that they aren't working hard, but they may not be taking as many risks and trying as many new things because they think that what they've been doing is already great. I know some professors who specifically give lower grades than they really mean on the first few assignments to guard against that sort of thing and make sure everyone keeps working to improve.</p>