Specifications-Based Grading Facilitates Student–Instructor Interactions in a Flipped-Format General Chemistry II Course (Journal Article)

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Abstract: General chemistry II is often a challenging course for first-year STEM students, and many students rely on partial credit to achieve success in the course. However, assigning liberal partial credit to students’ work can also disincentivize developing proficiency with the material. Here, we present an alternative specifications-based grading scheme for a general chemistry II lecture delivered as a flipped class. Students evaluated with a specifications-based grading scheme had higher average end-of-semester grades, with a greater proportion of students receiving A’s and A–’s than the students in the traditional grading scheme. Performance on standardized ACS final exams decreased slightly in courses using specifications-based grading. Additionally, we present the results of end-of-semester surveys, which revealed that students under the specifications-based grading system agreed more with positive statements related to student-instructor interactions, including getting feedback and asking for help. These results suggest that specifications-based grading may lead to more positive outcomes in the course and may encourage students to interact with their instructor more often.