Student Evaluation

Evaluating Academic Progress

Grades

The Gutenberg College faculty recognize grades as blunt instruments for evaluating a student’s achievement. What students learn in class is always complex and multifaceted. Sometimes a student will learn important skills or lessons having nothing to do with the content of the course. Nevertheless, the tutor must assess the student’s work with a grade for the quarter. Grades, however imperfect, are the universally recognized measure of a student’s progress and are necessary for students who wish to attend graduate or professional school or to transfer to another college. Therefore, letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F) based on the student’s work for the course will be awarded at the end of every quarter in each course. The grading system is based on a 4.0 scale, and it may be qualified by a "+" or "–" worth 0.3 grade points. A minimum grade point average of 2.3 is required for graduation.

If a student withdraws from a course before the third from the last Monday of the quarter, his transcript will show a 'W'. Otherwise, a grade will be given for the course. (See “Last day to withdraw from classes” on the Academic Calendar.)

A student may ask to see his transcript, which is kept in the student’s file in the business office. If a student finds an error in the record, he should notify the college. A student may write a rebuttal (not to exceed 500 words) of any information in his file, and this statement will be included in the student’s file.

Oral Evaluations

For the purpose of communicating student progress, Gutenberg College relies on what the faculty consider a better, more valuable, form of evaluation than grades. Students meet individually with tutors for oral evaluations at the beginning of the winter and spring quarters of the first and second years. The tutors and student discuss the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and progress. A goal of these meetings is to help the tutors and the student arrive at specific suggestions for improving the student’s progress. During the last two years, meetings with tutors are arranged based on the needs of the student.

Quarterly Exams/Evaluation

Years 1 & 2. During the first two years, exams are given at the end of each quarter to measure a student’s progress. At the end of the spring quarter of the second year, a portion of the second-year qualifying exams (see below) focuses on the spring quarter’s material and thus serves as the basis for the spring-quarter grade. The purpose of the exams is to help the students evaluate their progress and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Years 3 & 4. There is some basis for evaluation in every course for all four years. In the third and fourth years, however, German is the only course for which students take in-class exams. Progress in other courses is measured by term papers, term projects, or end-of-term assignments.

Second-Year Qualifying Exams

At the end of the second year, students take exams that they must pass in order to qualify for advancement to the final two years of the program. The exams, designed to determine the student’s mastery level of basic learning skills and necessary background material, cover the content of all their courses during the first two years. A written math exam focuses on the student’s ability to think mathematically and problem solve. An oral science exam focuses on the nature of science. A Greek exam consists of translating a selection and defending it orally before a panel of tutors. An oral Western Civilization exam gives students ample opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned; administered individually to students by a panel of tutors, the exam consists of a wide range of questions covering the whole scope of history.

Senior Thesis

The best measure of a student’s mastery of skills is his ability to use those skills. Therefore, in order to graduate from Gutenberg College, each student is required to write a senior thesis. The thesis is written under the guidance of a tutor and must be defended before a panel of tutors. To help students complete this project on time, a schedule of deadlines that students must meet is outlined in the Student Handbook. Copies of all senior theses are maintained in the college library.

Diligence Grades

Along with an academic letter grade, students receive diligence grades for each course. Letter grades are awarded on the traditional basis of academic scholarship; diligence grades are Gutenberg College’s way of assessing effort. Diligence grades are posted on the quarterly report card, but they do not appear on the student’s transcript. Gutenberg College uses the following grade schedule: 5–outstanding; 4–average; 3–wanting; 2–poor; 1–negligent. College uses the diligence grades to adjust its need-based grants to students. (See Gutenberg Grant in the Business Affairs section.)