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Maybe you aren't everyone. There are already a number of colleges and universities that don't use grades, and many have been around for a half century or more a
by thelettere 5y ago
Maybe you aren't everyone. There are already a number of colleges and universities that don't use grades, and many have been around for a half century or more and are among the most prestigious liberal arts institutions in the country.
But maybe you're right and it's all a sham.
- WalterBright 5y ago> Maybe you aren't everyone. I didn't say "all students". > a number of colleges and universities that don't use grades An example of a prestigious university that doesn't use grades would help your case.
- LaMarseillaise 5y agoIt was implicit in your statement: > Without pressure from grades, [students] won't do the work of learning. If it were qualified with ‘many’ students, there would be no such confusion. Your comment, as-is, is trivially falsified by the example of any auto-didact.
- WalterBright 5y agoThat's not how the English language works. The reason the adjective "all" exists is strong evidence that when one says students (plural) one is not saying "all" students. If one meant "all" students, one would say "all students", "students without exception", "100% of students", "every student", etc.
- lkschubert8 5y agoThere is one mentioned in the top comment, St. John's.
- CrazyStat 5y agoReed College is another famous example, and Brown University allowed students to take all classes as pass/fail.
- WalterBright 5y ago> Brown University allowed students to take all classes as pass/fail Meaning they're still taking exams. "The goal of the Reed education is that students learn and demonstrate rigor" https://www.reed.edu/about-reed/history.html https://www.reed.edu/about-reed/history.html Demonstrate rigor sounds like tests. "Among the requirements for the major are successful performance on a junior qualifying examination, completion of a yearlong senior thesis based on original research or artistic expression, and a successful oral defense of the thesis before an interdisciplinary faculty board." Testing is definitely done.
- CrazyStat 5y agoI was answering a question about grades, not tests. Also "demonstrate rigor" absolutely does not imply tests. In my undergrad (math) the level of rigor of tests was uniformly (and necessarily) much lower than homework and other assignments without the same time pressure. I would expect the same to be true in many other fields.
- WalterBright 5y agoPass/fail is still a grade, albeit a binary one. Caltech had pass/fail for freshman, and still most everyone felt the pressure at the end of the semester with the final exam looming, and worked hard to pass it. > Also "demonstrate rigor" absolutely does not imply tests. Sure it does.
- CrazyStat 5y agoNo it doesn't.
- WalterBright 5y agoThere are many St John colleges. Please be more specific.
- lkschubert8 5y agoHere's a link https://www.sjc.edu/ https://www.sjc.edu/.