As you likely know by now, this course will be using a "labour-based grading agreement" (also called “contract grading”). Contract grading is an alternative to traditional grading systems like the ones you're probably already familiar with, where you get either a percent grade (ie. 79%), a letter grade (ie. B or B+), or a GPA (ie. McMaster's 12 point system, or other schools' 4.0 or 4.3 systems). In contract grading, and in this class, instead of being given a final grade based on how "good" your submitted assignments are, your final grade will be based on the labour (work) you put into the course. In practice, this means that you will receive full marks (up to a B+) for all assignments you complete satisfactorily. Assignments will not be given marks individually. Instead, you will receive a grade at the end of term based on how many satisfactory assignments you submitted, how many extra assignments you submitted, and how often you missed class or tutorial or submitted work late. Keep reading for more information on how contract grading will work in this course.
In my experience teaching and marking, grades don't often reflect the amount of work or learning a student puts into completing their assignments, nor do they necessarily reflect the student's comprehension of the material. Although it isn't perfect, using contract grading feels like a way to try and create a more caring classroom, one that promotes learning and exploration, rather than discouraging it. Won't it be easier for all of us in the classroom—me as the instructor, you as the students, and the TAs—to speak freely, to discuss and debate, to challenge one another and grow together, if the threat of grades aren't hanging over us all?
By using contract grading in this course, I am attempting to create a better learning environment for our course by changing its grading ecology. Contract grading aims to disrupt the traditional balance of power in the classroom, where the instructor (and to a lesser extent, TAs and markers) have full control over students' grades, and the most important knowledge and expertise is imagined to be held by the instructional team. Instead, by using this system, I am hoping to foster a more equitable classroom where everyone's knowledge is understood as valuable.
Finally, I think a course on environment (like this one!) is a particularly good opportunity to try this kind of paradigmatic shift. In this class we're going to be talking a lot about ways to create better futures for life on this planet, and by trying out this new grading system, I hope that this can be an opportunity for us to all learn to work together for a better common future—even a small scale future, like the grade outcomes in a single course. 🙂
You can find more information about why some instructors prefer contract grading at the end of this page (or jump ahead by clicking here). But I'm sure you're also wondering how it works! So here's a quick summary:
Essentially, the reason this method is called often "contract grading" is because it figures the syllabus as a contract between the student (you) and the instructor (me, Marika), where the student produces a certain amount of work in exchange for an agreed-upon grade. For example, in this course, you might agree to submitting all baseline assignments, with no more than 1 delayed assignment and 1 late assignment, and missing no more than 3 lectures and 3 tutorials (more on this below). In exchange, you will receive a grade of B+ for this course overall (ie. you will receive a B+ on your transcript). If you would like a higher grade, you would agree to submitting additional assignments; if you are okay with a lower grade, you can submit fewer assignments. This means that, unlike in the traditional grading systems that you're probably used to where your grades are in the hands of the instructors, TAs, and/or markers, in this course, your grades are up to you.
Students that complete all standard assignments satisfactorily in this course, without missing too much class or tutorial time, will receive a grade of B+ (79%). In practice, this means that to receive a B+ (or better), you must submit all assignments to a satisfactory standard (to learn more about what a "satisfactory standard" means, keep reading or click here). One (1) of these assignments can be delayed (submitted within 24 hours of the due date), and one (1) can be late (submitted with 7 days of deadline), but no more. To receive a B+ (or better), you also cannot miss more than 3 lectures and 3 tutorials. The thinking behind these numbers is that the course content is valuable and that the work being asked of you is useful for you to complete, and that receiving top marks (B+ and above) means that you've completed most of the work in the course.
If your assignments are delayed or late more often, or you miss more lectures or tutorials, or you do not submit some assignments entirely, your grade will be lowered from the B+ (79%) baseline by a certain amount, as you can see here:
Please note that delays and lates are not cumulative; if you submit an assignment 3 days after the deadline, for example, it will count as 0 delays and 1 late.
The only exception to these rules is that you will not pass the course if you do not submit more than half of the required assignments (3 or more).
A very good question! To improve upon the standard B+ in this course, you will have to complete extra assignments. These extra assignments will be assignments that provide a material benefit for either the rest of the class or for the world around us. Each extra assignment you complete will improve your grade by 3.5%. For example: