New Study.com Grading Policy

[topdog98]

I can see where the addition of 33% credit from the quizzes can be a good thing.

If I am understanding and figuring correctly, if you average 80% on the quizzes, then you would need a 65% on the final to pass the course instead of 70%. If you averaged 90% on the quizzes, then you would need a 60% on the final to pass the course. If you scored 100% on the quizzes, then you would need a 55% on the final to pass the course.

I can actually even see where the paper could be a good thing for some people. For example, the Advanced Operations Management (upper level) course requires an 800-1200 word essay (33%) and quizzes (33%). If you averaged a 90% on the quizzes and the paper, you would only need a 30% on the final to pass the course instead of 70%.

An 800 word essay for me is not a roadblock, especially for upper level credit, but it could be for some.

[jsd]

Hi jsd,

Thank you for your questions! The quizzes are unproctored and can be retaken, just like before. The only difference is that now, we are able to incorporate this into the overall course grade and award credit for the work that was done.

Also, I thought I'd mention that only a few of our courses (mainly our 300-level courses) require students to complete papers and additional assignments. The majority of our ACE-recommended courses do not require these additional assignments.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions!

Thanks, this is helpful. As long as the projects don't become the norm, just becoming another Straighterline, then this is a good change.

[Study.com]

Hello!

We wanted to clarify a few things about the new Study.com grading policy. We made this change in response to feedback we got from students who disliked the final exam being the only component of the course grade. We believe that this change is ultimately beneficial because it takes into account the work students complete throughout the course and no longer puts all the emphasis on the final exam.

Our original message may have been a little unclear and I want to make sure the requirements for the courses are clear to everyone.

• Only a few of our courses (mainly our 300-level courses) require students to complete papers and additional assignments. The majority of our ACE-recommended courses do NOT require these additional assignments, and we have not added any additional assignments to previously recommended courses.
  
• The quizzes are still unproctored and can be retaken, just like before. As topdog98 mentioned, receiving 100% on the quizzes means you would need a 55% or higher on the final in order to pass the course.
  
• We are currently updating our course syllabi to reflect this new grading policy. For an example of an updated course syllabus, please take a look at Business 108: Business Ethics. If any assignments other than the quizzes and final exam are required, this will be indicated in the course syllabus.
  

Hopefully you’ll find that our new grading policy puts less stress on the final exam and better emphasizes your overall course learning experience. To reiterate, going forward 33% of your overall course grade comes from the quizzes that you complete throughout the course and 67% of the grade comes from the final exam.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you!

[jsd]

Thanks for the clarification.

Clearly, this is a huge benefit to newer students. 55% (assuiming aced quizzes) on the final is beyond generous.

I was not aware that a handful of courses already included assignments beyond the exam. I'm glad there are not plans to expand on that. Thanks for the clarification.

[omnk522]

Will this apply to courses I have already started? I actually kind of like the new grading system!

[bjcheung77]

Interesting how this has come into play, this seems so much more like Penn Foster but the opposite in regards to the final exam.
Penn Foster is 33% for the proctored/non proctored final and 67% for the assignments/discussions/exams or projects and reports.
FWIW, I guess it's better having a 33% chance at a higher grade than basing everything on one final...
IMO, If the final was worth less, I would like that as I'll be less intimidated in doing the final exam...

[jsd]

IMO, If the final was worth less, I would like that as I'll be less intimidated in doing the final exam...

You can now fail the Study.com final exam with 55% and still pass the course. It'd be unreasonable to give more leeway. It's crazy as it is.

[Study.com]

Will this apply to courses I have already started? I actually kind of like the new grading system!

Yes! This grading policy applies to courses you've already started.

[topdog98]

I think this is a good move. It is similar to other options we have and actually not as generous as some. According to their material, there are many DSST exams that you can pass with 55% or less correct. I suspect the same may be true for CLEPs, and this doesn't include taking maybe a hundred quizzes or more and scoring 100%. Some of the SL exams, you can pass the course with 0% on the final.

[managerman]

Great move Study.com, glad to see your participation in this forum!