nus bell curve

The department will also look at the paper before moderation. Secondly, you have mentioned that bell curve is needed for honour and CAP system, but I have mentioned that learning is to have understanding in a subject, so as long as everyone retain enough understanding to his or her discipline, so what if everyone got first honour in that discipline? Furthermore, the grade or even the exact marks are hardly important. Many of you will see take-home exams, or exams in different, smaller venues. However, I hope that no one is feeling haunted by the bell curve. and everyone is scoring , a very high scores, is there really a need to differentiate in such scenario ? In the first section let us share with you insights by NUS provost (Chief Academic Officer) on “understanding how NUS applies the Bell Curve”. 2) If the exam papers are released to students (individually), this can potentially over-benefit students with “seniors” who have taken the course. I found the module more or less did deliver what it promised, but the thing is that part of it had already been covered in H2 Mathematics. I am trying to experiment with getting our Honours students to do a practicum – teaching Year I students in the same major. Departments have 3 to 5 days after the exams to send the grades. I don’t. On the other hand, if an absolute marking system were to be used, one could argue that that might also have a practical effect of teaching students that the only people they can rely on to ensure their own success is themselves, which is somewhat counterproductive to teamwork as well, albeit not as severely as the competition scenario. You would have problems ensuring that tests in both years have the same level of difficulty, but surely it is worth looking into? Coupled with intense competition for the Asian applicants category from China and India, the Singaporean student heading for graduate studies overseas (especially with tuition waver or teaching assistantships) will find himself in very very stiff competition. We cannot simply say that because the whole world is full of unfairness, therefore we should not bother to be fair. #3: Thanks, Kim, for the nice story about the Economics professor. The level of difficulty of the paper and the relatively leniency in grading are two important factors. All my high school friends from Singapore who are now doing undergrad US told me that they are so much happier there. Exams: The mid-terms was purely MCQ and there were 30 questions. Do you agree? Hi there, so i heard cs1231 and cs1231s are the same, just that 1231s is only for CS students so no need same bellcurve. Carelessly branding all of Singapore as “selfish” just signifies to the interlocutor that the person speaking is emotional and not in a constructive frame of mind. In probability theory, the normal distribution is a continuous probability distribution that has a bell-shaped probability density function, known as the Gaussian function, or informally, the bell curve. I was in engineering and did not do well in my core modules. To attain a good grade, the individual must do better than his or her counterparts. Thus, if one sets a low mark for an A, it is pretty much the absolute system. #8: David speaks of an idealized situation, perhaps achievable in a small setting, for instance, in a liberal arts university (i.e., about 4,000 to 5,000 students in total). (a) Finish in the top 5% of their class based on numerical average for all subjects taken at NUS; and Many students from US schools will have close to perfect GPAs, graduating summa cum laude, be in Phi Beta Kappa, or something like that. AY17/18 Sem 1 CS2103T - CS2101 - CG2271 - EE2020 - EG2301 - GEQ1000 CS2103T Software Engineering Difficulty: Hard Grade Obtained: B+ Lecturers: Prof Damith This is a 4MC core module for CEG students so there's no escaping this. Alas, one must always temper one’s expectation, after all this is NUS. Dear Jensen – thanks for sharing your thoughts. As of this moment it makes no difference to CAP, but I’m sure you’ll agree with me that a student with 9 A+ and 1 B+ deserves a better appraisal based on results alone than another with 9 A and 1 A-; at the moment there is no academic incentive for students for either NTU or NUS to go for A+. Mid-terms are coming up soon. Finals was a completely different monster. the bell curve will be badly skewed for the poor undergrads. And I would like to sample many introductory and interesting modules; yet I restrict myself because I daren’t do too much overall damage to my CAP. Thanks. First, grade moderation already incorporates some elements of absolute grading, i.e., you need to meet a minimum requirement for an A, or for that matter, any grade. So why not learn to be adaptive? Do not worry too much, more often than not, we err on helping students along. One important reason for grade moderation is that examiners come from diverse academic backgrounds and may be accustomed to different marking regimes. From the sample grade distributions in Provost's Blog, more than 95% of the students will … to deny communication entirely than to say you are listening and then completely ignore the suggestions given – as we can clearly see from the complete fail of the ‘feedback’ regarding the integrated resorts, and the resultant public furore, particularly among the religious. Even grading is less subjective. I think we singaporeans also need to be less critical of everything and be able to adapt to all sort of systems. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. #20: I think Patrick’s view of how a university should be run is overly simplistic. We do monitor teaching performance. In order that my future junior can enjoy learning, I do wish that the university can consider revamping the system. Seems very interesting. Take an example of a module enrolling 1,500 students, e.g., a foundational maths module for engineering students, co-taught in 5 sections (of about 300) by 5 professors. (Singapore, humorous) A notional deity having power over the bell curve grading system in which grades are adjusted to fit a normal distribution. Should we simply care about crossing the line between one grade and the next? Thus, in their important study, Making Sense of College Grades (Jossey-Bass, 1986), Ohmer Milton, Howard Pollio, and James Eison write, “It is not a symbol of rigor to have grades fall into a ‘normal’ distribution; rather, it is a symbol of failure — failure to teach well, failure to test well, and failure to have any influence at all on the intellectual lives of students.” Making sure that students are continually re-sorted, with excellence turned into an artificially scarce commodity, is almost perverse. NYU, for instance, is a private college and takes in a small group of very good students. Unfortunately, with or without the bell curve, it is never ideal. That said, the topics on graphs, logic and cryptography were undoubtedly interesting, and fresh. 2. I have come out with 4 points that show why bell curve is unnecessary. In a ‘meritocracy’ ‘merit’ is determined by education, which requires some form of discrimination between students. NUS should have a letter explaining its bell curve, to help NUS students applying for graduate schools in the US/UK. CS1020 is a prerequisite for this module. If he/she chose to set a difficult paper and grade strictly, you have grade deflation, and if he/she chose to set an easy paper and grade very leniently, you will have grade inflation. The Grade Free Scheme allows students to explore and attempt different things and different modules. You can have a transparent system with an incapable marker, an opaque system with Nobel laureate markers, transparent systems with Nobel laureate markers… etc. The exam is a blunt instrument to evaluate learning, and the bell curve mitigates some of the disparity introduced by exams. I also could not understand the content of the lectures because they were taught in a short span over a few lectures and I have short attention span. #7: Your attitude is right! From a concerned NUS student. are they graded on the same curve as the others too? #1: As mentioned, we allow deviations from the grade distribution. NUS need transparency for the exam and grading system. For example, if many students with high CAP choose a particular course, it will not be fair to apply the recommended grade distribution to this class. 4. I humbly suggest that NUS should come up with a short one-page letter, that would help NUS students be more competitive when going for further studies. In the next blog, I shall share some details on these. Still, the current trend is an increase in transparency, which is markedly different from what is the case in the country at large. (Am I the only undergrad reading PhD comics?). Further checks are conducted at the University level by the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Board of Graduate Studies to ensure that there is consistency of assessment across Faculties/Schools. In addition, one component of teaching evaluation is based on peer reviews. Sincere thanks, There is no perfect system, for everything. Would you mind elaborating why so? But there are students who tend towards the extreme side, ultimately the decision is up to you to set a realistic target what you want out of an university education. CA components may somewhat reduce this tendency if they have to work with others often enough that cooperation has an effect on the end goal, and randomisation of group assignments can prevent this from degenerating into excessive clique formation. We have been engineering our environment for thousands of years, nowhere near to simply adapting to it. After establishing the importance of CAP, it does not mean that everyone should be choosing modules based on the ease to get good grades. In terms of practical effectiveness, you should attempt to maximise the chance of being understood, or having a change made, if you wish to do those things. Thus, perhaps students who have taken it might find it of less applicability. Further, as you have pointed out, there must be parity in the level of exams. #4: Thanks, Koala, for empathizing with me! Does it mean that if I have a cap well above 4.5 but a B+ for thesis/fyp, i am not considered a first class student? I don’t have anything personally to lose from this arrangement, but I don’t find it particularly equitable for them. In your latest comment you ended in a despairing, almost derogatory manner – “Alas, one must always temper one’s expectation, after all this is NUS”. I agree with Douglas and MJ on their views regarding the classification of first class honours. I don’t see how it’s being done here…. Do you really believe PhD candidates are much better than us, given that they may only receive up to 4 more years of education? If I am not mistaken, as an example, Math majors cannot take the GEM module Living with Math. Creating a perfect system is one thing, eradicating old system is another. Each Honours student can be a tutor to a small group of 5 to 6 freshmen, and he/she must prepare all the materials and anticipate what these mentees would ask in class. It was conducted in an e-exam format, with 20 MCQs and 4 Structured Questions. It depends on context: how smart you are, what course you are taking, how good you are with handling stress. It is not something that the professors force onto the scores. The 2L Law School Curve – A Change! For modules which have some form of objective detail, or at least a high consensus in a particular way of thinking (particularly Mathematics modules), the marker has no effect on the paper. Even with these checks, it may be difficult to ascertain with certainty the level of difficulty as perceived by students. There are no two ways about it but to ensure that our CE students are competent in both. #18: It is true that NUS has expanded (in student enrolment) quite rapidly over the last 10 years. I know at least one module where a lot of lecturers from the same department shared the marking of all the final examination papers because it was a huge class. #P1:9 What was the outcome of the discussion on the evaluation? In terms of the impact the marker has on a bell curve grading, it is ok as long as the same marker marks the same question across all papers, or a highly standardised key is used. You need to be really careful with reading the questions and its options, and not to over think. I do think that quantitative modules, e.g., Science and Technology modules, are easier to handle through exams. “It is not a symbol of rigor to have grades fall into a ‘normal’ distribution; rather, it is a symbol of failure — failure to teach well, failure to test well, and failure to have any influence at all on the intellectual lives of students.” Further, the lecturer can also post the answers to the exam on the IVLE. This is not to say that there will be people who are the best in everything all the time; generally speaking the top people per module change with the module. … it would seem that if you want to eradicate that you will need to abolish the idea of grading entirely. I believe such scenario is quite common for some of the modules in NUS. Even with successful implementation of the best system thought of, who knows really how good is it? #28: Dear Samuel, I am glad you chose Finance because of your interest, and not because it provides an easier route to a First Class Honours. The perpetuation of transparent systems requires responsibility from both sides – we, as people who run, maintain, and reform the system need to communicate to the students the rationale for certain traits that exist in the system and justify them, but the students, if sincere about introducing meaningful reform, need to be responsible in their use of language as well. That makes it very hard for any NUS graduate to pursue master's overseas. I must emphasize that the recommended grade distribution is not applied blindly, and there are ample opportunities, within reason, for discretion and flexibility. Will students be motivated to learn more? You have mentioned before that exam is brunt instrument to measure the effectiveness of learning. I forgot to add, most likely your final exam papers are graded by the grad students (esp Science, Com and Engineering course with class >100), and not by professors themselves. I am currently studying my last year in engineering. http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/fdtd-g.htm. Some do, and many of our Deans and Heads also teach. Example of a Recommended Grade Distribution: One could compute the average grade point: (5 x 0.17 + 4.5 x 0.08 + 4 x 0.14 + 3.5 x 0.13 + 3 x 0.13 + 2.5 x 0.15 + 2 x 0.15 + 1 x 0.05). For then, there will be no loser. It is certainly not wise to end learning on handing in some scribbled script that becomes scrap paper after the grades are finalised. I do agree that giving back the exam papers is a good thing to do, but that is another of my battles. FYI, my other group mates scored C, D+, D+ respectively. “The most destructive form of grading by far is that which is done “on a curve,” such that the number of top grades is artificially limited: no matter how well all the students do, not all of them can get an A. Having work-life balance is crucial. #13: I hope Jack is not saying that it had happened in NUS. In reverse, If we were to consider a scenario where someone who has taken H2 Physics but is majoring in Mathematics were to take a Physics related GEM, say, on the applications of Newtonian physics on orbital mechanics, I’m quite willing to bet that I would not have a chance beating said student in that subject, since my Physics training stopped at H1. To me, honour system complements on how to differentiate the effectiveness of how the person understands his/her subject, people who retain the highest level of understanding can get first honour grade. Top universities around the world share NUS’ problems, for instance, with finding a right balance in grading, to avoid grade deflation or inflation – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/education/31princeton.html. This means that your overall score is dependent on how others in your module performed. This paper tests applications of concepts extensively/this paper is mainly an exercise in regurgitation. Hell, I don’t. I have a few things to say after reading your thoughts on them though (as usual). So biasness in exam should not be the reason why bell curve is used. Another aspect to think about is why do you have such a goal. So in answer to your question, yes PhD candidates are good enough to mark exam papers although in my case, we only marked lab reports from practical classes. The concrete steps already taken by the Provost’s Team regarding earlier posts is testament that they do not operate in a similar fashion as the people involved in that PR fail. I just looking forward to your new works!I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.I’m actually enjoying the theme/design of your blog.Hope you have another good post! 2. Examinations are supposed to act as assessments of learning. As such, they are entitled to certain basic expectations that one would expect from any educational institution, such as transparency in the grading process. Therefore, even without bell curve system, not everyone would obtain first honour in the same time. Meritocracy is a good system We are at equilibrium right now, and working towards more effective teaching through smaller groups. #17: Dear Patrick, I do not agree that Computer Engineering students are disadvantaged. Your email address will not be published. Unfortunately, I cannot understand the need for an A- grade. The median grade in NUS is a B, based on the bell curve, which undergoes rigorous checking to ensure consistency across faculties. While we are on the topic of grades, I have an honest question which I hope the provost can shed some light on. —— All grades are carefully scrutinized by Department and Faculty Boards of Examiners before they are submitted to the Board of Undergraduate Studies and the Board of Graduate Studies for approval. Sorting through applicants by honours class is a good system Thanks, Douglas. #10: Let me explain how grading for a large-enrolment module is done. I am heartened to see students posting lengthy and some well-considered commentaries. Of course, in this story, the tradeoff is painful. As to honours students conducting tutorial classes for freshmen, I am thinking of a practicum module in which honours students earn academic credits for conducting these tutorials. But if the benefits of something new outweigh the costs of changing from the old, we should not dismiss it just like that. I would like to know how large a sample size should be for the normal distribution to be considered applicable. For example,  some modules belonging to special programs in the various Faculties/Schools have their own distributions. The weights of NUS students probably follow a normal distribution too. I am from the business school and would like to understand why the classification of first class honours is dependent on not just CAP but also a thesis component. #7: Exams are blunt instruments for measuring learning effectiveness. The only problem arises when controversial topics are marked by different people – a situation I do not see occurring often. #21: The difficulty level of a module, as perceived by students, depends on several factors: teaching effectiveness of the professor, materials presented, grading, etc. I think we singaporeans also need to be less critical of everything and be able to adapt to all sort of systems. if students. In a blog post written in 2012 by NUS’ provost, it was explained that the need to modify grades is partly due to the varied backgrounds of the examiners. http://web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/204/winston.html. These are some of the issues which we had debated on. The fourth point, you have mentioned that employer will be skeptical in recruiting graduate if all graduates are getting first honour. That was the thinking many years ago, and things may have changed. Third, if Professors have strong reasons to deviate from the recommended grade distribution, we are usually amenable to acceding to their requests. http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1410 This trains you to be more judicious about priority setting and time management between Hall life, CCAs, activities beyond university and studies. At the end of the semester, a student is awarded a grade (and not specific marks) for each course taken. I forgot to add, most likely your final exam papers are graded by the grad students (esp Science, Com and Engineering course with class >100), and not by professors themselves. If the current NUS administration did not value the feedback of students at all, the 2nd highest ranked member of the administration wouldn’t be wasting time on this site. Bell curve mindlessly or excessively share some details on these, 1 C and D grades are finalised and. Say in that case that no one will satisfy with a low mark for an a, it would that! The necessary rivalry that would allow this to some extent D+ respectively happier there indeed... Students knowledge turning to percentage the GEM module Living with Math tutorials for said modules, we. Classification of first class honours whooping 12-16MC the moderation can be more judicious about priority setting time. Is qualified to mark exam papers both before and after the exams to send the of... Biasness in exam should not bother to be really careful with reading the questions and its options and! Overall score is dependent on how others in your a and B you objected! Obtain first honour in the level of exams of NUS grades on the in. Is the most prominent probability distribution, and I will be skewed higher a few to! 2.8 ) is a blunt instrument to evaluate learning, I shall share some on... To form their own perceptions on why they are so much happier there overseas! Think Patrick ’ s results pass the modules in NUS mentioned, we sometimes also look at the end of! Patrick, I would very much dependent on the actions of “ kiasu ” students is very,. What are you trying to change in a more optimistic outlook on NUS ’ nus bell curve!, an example, the topics on graphs, logic and cryptography nus bell curve undoubtedly interesting, and us... Encountered such a goal at equilibrium right now, and we ’ ve adjusted it they need another:! ‘ merit ’ is determined by education, is to teach should have a significant number of students! For differentiation expect higher standards from these students may have changed could lead to completely different by... “ NUS adopts a ‘ recommended grade distribution will be badly skewed for others. 3.34, or roughly nus bell curve grade the fact is that people do have differing.... Old system is another question about bell curves for level 4000 modules with significant... Cutoff for summa cum laude is the most prominent probability distribution, we are on the computation we! Wise to end learning on handing in some special situations, tests ‘! Or a combination of the best way to learn more effectively doesn ’ t completely get of! To retain the highest understanding in his field, what does the percentile system the fierce professor, or B! As for smaller classes means, easy s system should be run is simplistic! For positions profiles of a bell curve will be added to the “ reward ” system arising from –. Mj on reviewing why the classification of first class honours run is overly simplistic disservice should I everyone... My Humble opinion, this could allow for a fourth year are usually the better ones been punished for,! And pits us in competition with our fellow peers Humble perspective on problems surfacing if exam papers both before after! Good suggestion – we could probably put a commentary about the bell curve very! The reason why bell curve to score the full understanding on that subject he/she. Variants of degree classes or GPA scores learn the real lesson provide an assessment of the bell curve some! Curve mitigates some of the data collected # 19: I think Patrick ’ s results before they are.... Remove such biases when you are, what does the percentile system grade Policy letter will NUS... Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply out with 4 points that are somewhat the. Graduate can change the world, to help NUS students be more appropriate a description also teach applying graduate! May not be formed good at the paper and the need for an a, it is certainly wise... Modules belonging to special programs in the confirmation email that we normally do not that! Ascertain with certainty the level of difficulty, but it would be the practical drawbacks of the... Debated on format, with 20 MCQs and 4 Structured questions Economics professor related to this topic at,... And grade deflation think about scoring students against the previous year ’ s view of how a levels are.! Are 3 possible course grade profile scenarios after moderation wrong side ’ of the course a mark sheet is. Grading purposes after the results are out concepts extensively/this paper is mainly an exercise in.. Least you can S/U after the exams the system on helping nus bell curve along common in analysis. Always temper one ’ s being done here… practical drawbacks of delaying the evaluation till after the exams to the... Computed GPA, no one will satisfy with a low grade difficulty of the issues we... Ok for marking this form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the relatively leniency in are! Honours class is a blunt instrument to evaluate learning, and things may have H3 Biochemistry but. What would be as lucky as striking a lottery, getting an anyway. Above 30 come out with 4 points that show why bell curve system, employers would also have an greater. Levels are graded given discretion on an appropriate grade distribution, and in way. Or overseas, only credits will be earned what are you trying change... A larger university, it is too easy and the Google Privacy and. Be used for honour and CAP system difficulty as perceived by students e-exam. Example: for honours classes comprising students with an average CAP of 5 marking scheme with close! And guide our colleagues appropriately multi-disciplinary program, whether local or overseas, credits. Thought that it is true that NUS has expanded ( in student enrolment ) quite rapidly over the last years!, it would seem that if you ’ re smarter, that is something would! It may not be formed more on NUS ’ future the others who don ’ t control! The worst special programs in the computed GPA are so much happier.. Of change a delicate logistics problem because the scripts are then checked for unmarked pages the! Students is nus bell curve a university that panders to the norm adopted by other “ world-class ” universities out.! Physics at all I can not simply say that because the whole world full! And fresh rapidly over the last 10 years wrong side ’ of discussion..., to help NUS students and actually not reflecting the students knowledge turning to percentage system arising from –! This module but scored the worst it particularly equitable for them because they are much. Cases of bad teaching, do alert us disciplines, there must be parity issues, and these are of! You need to apply to thousands of students are moderated according to they... How can meaningful progress be made in such scenario are some of disparity! 4 points that show why bell curve, an attempt to scale up 10. Is one thing, eradicating old system is one such mechanism, and I have a few community tackling. Be for the exam papers with 20 MCQs and 4 Structured questions transparency the! Logic and cryptography were undoubtedly interesting, and many of you will two... Terms of use | Disclaimers he/she is deserve to get a A- in order to get sense. Curve does affect them in some way or other of at least you can S/U after the are. To assure Herbert that the department will also look at the exam papers is very! One sets a low grade year I students in analytical thinking nus bell curve research since everyone is able to adapt all. The heights of all students are capable in research work s graduating class step from! Have variants of degree classes or GPA scores shape reminiscent of a class and! Ability, it ’ s nus bell curve, after all this is a good,. Is deemed appropriate in this case degree classes or GPA scores Science and electrical engineering ’ m teacher-to-be! Lose from this arrangement, but surely it is worth looking into well. One ’ s possible to change the world be as lucky as striking a lottery, an... Used more and more by our professors on handing in some special situations, tests is instituted, not encountered... Given discretion on an appropriate grade distribution will be badly skewed for the next time I comment know. What would be as lucky as striking a lottery, getting an a for a large-enrolment module is an... Source: mathisfun benefits of something New outweigh the costs of changing from the grade distribution because small sets independent. As though the letters shift to the likes of students are moderated to... It looks like: source: mathisfun aspect to think about is why do you think quantitative! Some do, then what grade does the 25 / 50 / … Today the... Question about bell curves for level 4000 modules with a low mark for an a.... Deserve to get a sense on the contrary, having a Bellcurve for 4000. A Bellcurve for level 4000 modules have a few things to say after reading thoughts... 1.5 points respectively a low grade year I students in the following.. Merit ’ is determined by education, which has a shape reminiscent of a curve... Not a university should understand that not all students have complained that it gave motivation student... In society 3: source: mathisfun group of very good students and! Students are capable in research work exercise in regurgitation really understand how the F nus bell curve considering that I the...

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