UCB grading system
- Thread starter jomama
- Start date
Bits aside...
Yes. Notes are enough.
If (and I do believe this is a huge, unproven, no evidence of an "if") there is a grading system, it would mean nothing to me. "Oh, I got a B minus in game. I better bone up on that. But I got an A in organic openings! Great!" Meaningless.
If they have some sort of internal system so that teachers can easily and quickly see what individual students need focus on, sure. Great. Whatever. If they opened those up, all if does is become something for people to compare and complain about. "Fuck Teacher BlahBlah! He just doesn't like me. That's why I got a C plus." "I'm going to take Teacher NahNah. He is an easy grader."
Am I curious about the notes in my file? Sure I'm curious. But it is for their internal use. I'd much rather the teachers feel free to be frank in my file than have them worry about my feelings. As long as I get feedback and notes then I'm happy.
Yes. Notes are enough.
If (and I do believe this is a huge, unproven, no evidence of an "if") there is a grading system, it would mean nothing to me. "Oh, I got a B minus in game. I better bone up on that. But I got an A in organic openings! Great!" Meaningless.
If they have some sort of internal system so that teachers can easily and quickly see what individual students need focus on, sure. Great. Whatever. If they opened those up, all if does is become something for people to compare and complain about. "Fuck Teacher BlahBlah! He just doesn't like me. That's why I got a C plus." "I'm going to take Teacher NahNah. He is an easy grader."
Am I curious about the notes in my file? Sure I'm curious. But it is for their internal use. I'd much rather the teachers feel free to be frank in my file than have them worry about my feelings. As long as I get feedback and notes then I'm happy.
If anything I think the notes on peoples files would be good to show teachers how you are progressing as an improviser. If they see that you have gotten the same note for 3 levels of classes and are still doing the same thing they may assume that you cannot or won't be able to fix that.
My guess it's a log on progression of improv understanding.
My guess it's a log on progression of improv understanding.
Unless you are taking from the same teacher, how are they really to know how you have improved or deprove (?)? It's subjective. Add in having classes with people of different skills and abilities... I know that my style suits certain teachers better than others. I play better with certain people than others.
If there are certain things you feel you need to work on, tell the teacher at the beginning of class (nicely). Then at the end of class ask them if you feel you have improved.
If there are certain things you feel you need to work on, tell the teacher at the beginning of class (nicely). Then at the end of class ask them if you feel you have improved.
Honestly--no, I don't care, because again, being graded on an a/b/c/d/f scale is just as meaningless as being graded on a Benjamin Moore paint color scale. Great, I'm a C improviser. Wonderful. That still does nothing to make me become a better improviser, which is really what taking improv classes is all about. Notes and personal feedback DO help me get better, so I'm completey content with them.
The idea that there are "extra notes" floating about that could help me, but aren't expressed through class notes is something that I have a very hard time believing. UCB teachers tell me when I suck, so I've never really felt that they're holding back in any way.
The idea that there are "extra notes" floating about that could help me, but aren't expressed through class notes is something that I have a very hard time believing. UCB teachers tell me when I suck, so I've never really felt that they're holding back in any way.
(again for arguments sake)
so you're a C improvisor. that means that you're middle of the road, not ready for a harold team. eh? that's the assumption i'm making. BUT ALSO, how long have you been doing it? i think that may come into play too. if you're brand new, i think there's a lot of discovers, ups and downs, things to explore and yeah...who cares about the grades. but maybe for those who have been in the system for over 2 or 3 year, maybe they're at a point of "why am i not getting into 600s?" or stuff like that.
right?
again and again. I AGREE!! the teachers there DO NOT HOLD BACK ON NOTES. which i'm guessing you're saying that it would be redundant to see their comments.
so you're a C improvisor. that means that you're middle of the road, not ready for a harold team. eh? that's the assumption i'm making. BUT ALSO, how long have you been doing it? i think that may come into play too. if you're brand new, i think there's a lot of discovers, ups and downs, things to explore and yeah...who cares about the grades. but maybe for those who have been in the system for over 2 or 3 year, maybe they're at a point of "why am i not getting into 600s?" or stuff like that.
right?
again and again. I AGREE!! the teachers there DO NOT HOLD BACK ON NOTES. which i'm guessing you're saying that it would be redundant to see their comments.
Honestly, I pretty much know where I stand as an improviser, and feedback is always appreciated. And the last thing I would want is the pressure of a report card with letter grades issued at the end. Maybe I'm just too old for that. I don't know. I tend to take improv classes for enjoyment and perhaps the chance to perform. And for the babes, but that's another story. If the school wishes to use an internal system to help identify and rank folks to promote to all-performance classes and teams, and evaluate where people belong in the (now-huge) training program, well that's reasonable.
My two cents. And here's a puppy for Hal.
My two cents. And here's a puppy for Hal.
Again, I feel like the answers are laid out pretty clearly in the Evaluation and Failures section of the UCB Training Center Course Catalog. It's pass/fail and you get an e-mail from the instructor defining which areas you need to work on in order to progress to the next level. Right?
- Achilles O(*_*)O
- Achilles O(*_*)O
I don't care either way when it comes to grades, and I don't know what it would mean to get a B in improv. I can understand that among a few dozen instructors a system of letter grades might be an important shorthand, but among a few hundred students letter grades could lead to a lot of confusion.
Assigning a grade -- or at least making them public -- would put instructors at risk of being forced into negotiations with students, who might argue about why they deserved an A minus instead of a B plus and what they could do for extra credit. Anyone who's gone to high school, college or seen "Election" can probably understand this.
What I have valued more is the feedback from my instructors, many of whom give out their personal email addresses -- at great risk of being invited to a thousand improv shows and being challenged to a million games of Scrabulous. I've saved the emails I received from my instructors, and refer back to them all the time when I need a reminder of what I need to work on, where I used to be, and how far I've progressed.
I had a writing professor who gave out pass/fail grades. When a student asked why he didn't give out letter grades the professor replied, "Because I can only judge your writing against your writing; this isn't a math class." He explained that any quantifiable system - grading for good punctuation or grammar, for example - would reward by-the-numbers writing and inadvertently punish, or at least discourage experimentation. I think the same holds true in improv.
Think about the few things that really make a person "fail" a class: not attending at least two shows at the theater, showing up late frequently, and missing too many classes. Everything else is subjective. Everyone is given equal opportunity to improve and move forward, and no one is denied entry into the next level without an explanation. (If you're told to re-take 401 or some other class, it's usually accompanied by a reason why.)
All in all, there's simply no system that I can imagine (stars, numbers, Del Close skulls) that would be as helpful as the personalized feedback already on offer from the school.
Assigning a grade -- or at least making them public -- would put instructors at risk of being forced into negotiations with students, who might argue about why they deserved an A minus instead of a B plus and what they could do for extra credit. Anyone who's gone to high school, college or seen "Election" can probably understand this.
What I have valued more is the feedback from my instructors, many of whom give out their personal email addresses -- at great risk of being invited to a thousand improv shows and being challenged to a million games of Scrabulous. I've saved the emails I received from my instructors, and refer back to them all the time when I need a reminder of what I need to work on, where I used to be, and how far I've progressed.
I had a writing professor who gave out pass/fail grades. When a student asked why he didn't give out letter grades the professor replied, "Because I can only judge your writing against your writing; this isn't a math class." He explained that any quantifiable system - grading for good punctuation or grammar, for example - would reward by-the-numbers writing and inadvertently punish, or at least discourage experimentation. I think the same holds true in improv.
Think about the few things that really make a person "fail" a class: not attending at least two shows at the theater, showing up late frequently, and missing too many classes. Everything else is subjective. Everyone is given equal opportunity to improve and move forward, and no one is denied entry into the next level without an explanation. (If you're told to re-take 401 or some other class, it's usually accompanied by a reason why.)
All in all, there's simply no system that I can imagine (stars, numbers, Del Close skulls) that would be as helpful as the personalized feedback already on offer from the school.
Look, I'd be careful in talking about this openly. The UCB theater has dossiers on all of us three inches thick -- pretending that's not the case is just one of those little fictions we have to tell ourselves to keep it all together day in, and day out. Start asking too many questions about this sort of thing and . . . well, all I'll say is, you might want to stay off the phone for a while, and make sure you change cabs whenever you go somewhere -- just to be safe.
i'm very surprised that so many people don't care if they're getting graded and were unaware of it. of the people that i talked about in person about this, they're pretty pissed. they pay $350 (or whatever) a class, don't get into certain classes, don't get onto teams, and have been in the system a very long time. no, i'm not talking about "just me." i'm not pissed, i'm more confused why they didn't tell us about it. i'm fine with it being an internal thing, but it's still judging and writing about me. you know? it's just a little weird.
i could say that it's speculation but it's really not.
a teacher told us in class that we're getting graded. maybe that teacher did mean pass/fail, but that's not how it came across. i also did hear from a reliable source that there are comments about each student, on top of grades.
this is not meant to be a shit-storm, just clarification.
i could say that it's speculation but it's really not.
a teacher told us in class that we're getting graded. maybe that teacher did mean pass/fail, but that's not how it came across. i also did hear from a reliable source that there are comments about each student, on top of grades.
this is not meant to be a shit-storm, just clarification.
