I was sharing an observation with our Dean, Dr. Hawkins, and he suggested it
might add to this discussion on TBL grade inflation.
At California Northstate College of Pharmacy (CNCP), course grades are
weighted: 70% Individual Scores, 30% Team Scores
Individual and team weights are further broken down into RATs, exams,
assignments, applications, etc. I understand many other programs use a
50/50 weighting.
Most instructors here also have noticed course grades are typically boosted
once the team scores are added in, but not uniformly across all students.
The larger grade boosts are seen with the weaker students, with small or no
boost for the stronger students.
This relationship is inherent in the overall course grade calculation.
Overall Grade = 0.7 Individual Score + 0.3 Team Score
Rearranged, Overall Grade = Individual score + 0.3 x “delta”
--where 0.3 is the team weighting for CNCP (0.5 at some programs)
--where “delta” is the Team Score less the Individual Score
Theoretically, a “61%” student with a 90% team score at CNCP:
61 + 0.3 x (90-61) = 70% (traditional D --> C)
And a “50%” student with a 90% team score in a 50/50 TBL program:
50 + 0.5 x (90-50) = 70% (traditional F --> C)
The boost is far less for the high B student unless the team score is nearly
perfect:
An “88%” student with a 92% team score at CNCP:
88 + 0.3 x (92-88) = 89% (no major grade change)
We do see less C’s and D’s as the “delta” is large for the weaker students.
We do not see many more A’s as the “delta” is typically small for the high
B students and out of reach for everyone below high B.
In my recent therapeutics course (N=84), the students with individual scores
<70% had a boost of +5-6% after team scores were factored in, 70-80% had
+1-5%, 80-90% had a -1 to +4% boost, >90% had a 0-1% boost.
One of the results of this trend is that both individual and team scores,
rather than just overall course grade, are reviewed when my colleagues and I
consider academic alert, tutoring needs, and remediation.
Will Ofstad, Pharm.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences
Office: (916) 503-1841
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California Northstate College of Pharmacy
www.californiacollegeofpharmacy.org
10811 International Drive
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
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