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From: sukenick@ccnysci.UUCP (SYG)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.math,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Posting grades (Was Re: Student and Course Integrity)
Message-ID: <1108@ccnysci.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 88 15:26:38 GMT
References: <5129@bsu-cs.UUCP> <4302@teklds.CAE.TEK.COM> <6125@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <864@atux01.UUCP> <1081@l.cc.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: sukenick@ccnysci.UUCP (SYG)
Organization: City College Of New York
Lines: 23

>I look for understanding what is to be done, and I will frequently give full
>credit for the last part of a problem if it is done correctly using the 
>erroneous results of the first part; that is the hardest situation for giving
>partial credit.  I always tell the students to put down all their work, and
>sometimes I even do not give credit for the right answer if obtained by the
>wrong method.

right! (at least, I agree! :-))

In the chemistry exams that I make up, whenever possible, I do not
allow calculators and tell the students that I do not want the
numerical answer - I want them to show all work and set up the final 
form of problem.  Hopefully, on the college level, the students should 
know how to add, subtract, multiply,  divide even if it is with the aid
of a calculator (wishful thinking ? :-) ).  The material being learned
is how to solve the problem, not elementary math.  This method
of giving exams has many advantages including eliminating some
possibilities of cheating (eg: by storing material in programmable
calculators, stickers ON the calculator back (I kid you not!) and the
problems with passing around of calculators), not penalizing students
without calculators, goofs in calculations, and perhaps some added time
that would have otherwise been spent doing the calculations (well, the
students probably would not agree with this point :-)).