How to Hold a Vote to Modify Methods of Evaluation

From Supporting Course Resiliency: Best Practices for Teaching Staff

Understand the framework for modifying methods of evaluation

Become familiar with the policy governing grading practices.

Even if the potential modification of methods of evaluation has not been clearly identified to students at the outset of the course, methods can still be changed under the Policy with the consent of the students. If a decision is made to change the methods of evaluation or their relative weights, then the consent of students may be obtained by a vote taken in class or through Quercus or email.

The above video demonstrates how to use Microsoft Forms and Surveys on Quercus to conduct a vote modifying the method of evaluation.

Online or email vote:

• The instructor may change the methods of evaluation or their relative weight with the consent of a simple majority of students who vote (not necessarily of the students enrolled in the course).
• The poll may be created as a “survey” in Quercus (in other words a quiz worth 0%) or it may be conducted via email.
• The vote must be announced ahead of time – students must be given the equivalent of one class meeting’s notice of the proposed changes before they must submit their vote.For example: if a course was originally scheduled to meet Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-4pm, the vote could be announced on Quercus at 2pm on Wednesday and voting could commence at that time. Voting would continue until 4pm on Friday.

In-class vote:

• The instructor may change the methods of evaluation or their relative weight with the consent of at least a simple majority of students attending the class, provided the vote is announced no later than in the previous class.

Please see Supporting Course Resiliency: Best Practices for Teaching Staff for more information