Instructional reforms of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses
in higher education have primarily focused on instructors' teaching practices. While this area …

Specifications grading is an alternative grading system that has been used with increasing
frequency in higher education. Since first introduced by Linda Nilson in 2014, more than 90 …

This paper describes the creation of a second quarter of a two-quarter sequence of
argument-driven inquiry general chemistry laboratories. The course contains four projects …

Specifications Grading was implemented in a multisection upper-level analytical chemistry
laboratory, the first reported for a full lab course redesign in the discipline or in an upper …

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 …

Specifications (specs) grading systems use a “checklist” approach to assessing students that
asks them to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in course content, often coupled with …

Specifications-based grading is an alternative grading scheme that emphasizes student
proficiency of learning objectives. Course grades are determined by the number of …

Introducing bioinformatics-focused concepts and skills in a biology classroom is difficult,
especially in introductory biology classrooms. Course-based Undergraduate Research …

This chapter describes the assessment tools and pedagogical approaches currently
available to assess the essential components of a CURE. The authors discuss a general …

Background and purpose Specifications grading is a mastery-based grading approach to
unlock student potential and empower students to focus on learning goals while receiving …