I'm Depressed, Not a Good Start

[jch]

I'm in an ASU EA course right now (FSE100) that has gone off the rails. Grading for a major project is broken, and the TA decided to "solve" the problem by giving everyone zeros on part of it with a vague comment. There also was absolutely no communication to us about it. Predictably, this resulted in many angry people. The discussion boards have broken out in revolt. The poor TA is belatedly trying to clean up their mess, but they still don't understand why everyone is upset. I'm abandoning the course, as this is far too much drama and effort for a two credit class that I don't need.

That sounds horrific. When you say broken grading, do you mean students can't submit assignments through the system? And so they received zeros? Eesh. I had been thinking about taking that course next time it's on offer, although 15 weeks of work and 425USD for 2 credits isn't super appealing. But if students can't even submit work, I'll definitely be spending my money elsewhere.

The ASU EA courses with a lot of writing can be iffy. Many of their offerings just use automatically graded quizzes, cerego flashcards, word-count-based yellowdig discussions, and multiple choice exams. All of those are automatically handled by the computer, and the staff will quickly fix things if a bug arises. I'd highly recommend any of the courses set up like that.

The problems seem to increase as more writing assignments are added. First, there is a persistent unfixed bug with the ASU EA edX platform related to assignments requiring uploading a file. Sometimes the uploaded file is lost between selecting it and submitting. The system will then proceed with submitting the empty submission, which the student can't fix. Of course, the student then receives a zero for that item. When asked about it (often), the engineering course staff blame the students, even though this is a glaring technical bug. Because I always carefully check my submitted file after uploading, I've never been caught by this particular issue.
Next is the poor grading. These TAs aren't given enough money/time to complete their work, and consequently do a poor job. Twice this term, the grader completely missed a paragraph of my submission and gave me a zero for something I did. The FSE150 grader was apologetic about it and quickly fixed it, while the FSE100 TA did so begrudgingly. Even when grades are provided, the feedback is often lacking. ASU EA is structured with minimal interaction between students and staff. Often, this results in a lack of direction and expectations for the assignments.
Third is the rubric setup. This is what went awry in FSE100. The rubric programmed into edX for a major project wasn't the same as what was provided to us. To "resolve" the discrepancy, the TA gave everyone a zero for a section of the rubric with a vague comment. After many people responded incredulously to this, the TA then stated to us that it was fine because we might be okay without those points. This didn't go over well.
Fourth is a logic issue in the gradebook impacting courses with written assignments. Like all gradebooks, it assumes a zero when an item is past due. Unlike most sane gradebooks, it still assumes a zero when a submission is awaiting a staff grade. Combine this with grading that's a week or two behind, and it always seems that you're going to fail the class. Many students have asked about this over the years, but it's never been fixed.

Don't get me wrong, ASU EA is still one of the better sources out there for graded RA credits. They do have some faults that I've documented above, but don't let those deter you. The great part about their system is that you only pay the $400 after you pass. If a class goes off the rails, it's no problem to simply abandon it.

I do not recommend taking FSE100 for ASU credit. It is far too much time, work, and effort for just two credits. However, the materials do appear to be a PLA gold mine. They cover numerous areas of engineering during the course. Following along with the notes and assignments in your own way could get you mostly done with several PLA portfolios. This is something I'm planning to do with the work I've completed.