At the university, there is a view that grade points are called the "hard currency" that circulates on campus. Many students are chasing it and "complaining" about it.
Starting from the spring semester of 2022, the School of Life Sciences of Peking University (hereinafter referred to as the "School of Biological Sciences"), which was once famous for its top students, has sounded the clarion call for reform to some major core courses and major elective courses: abolishing the grade point assessment and adopting the "Broad Line Grading System" (ABCD) for performance evaluation. More than a year later, an article in the Peking University newspaper recording the cancellation of grade points by the School of Biological Sciences was discovered by netizens, which sparked heated discussions in social ** for a while.
The abolition of grade points and the adoption of a grading system for grade assessment are not the first of their kind in the School of Biological Sciences of Peking University. As early as 2015, Tsinghua University and other universities attracted attention to the reform of the grading system, and Tsinghua University subsequently adjusted the evaluation method of the grading system. In the past 10 years, the exploration of student talent evaluation methods has never stopped. In 2020, the "Overall Plan for Deepening the Reform of Educational Evaluation in the New Era" was released, which became the first programmatic document on the reform of the educational evaluation system in New China.
Under the background of the era of education power, the reform of the academic evaluation system of the School of Biological Sciences of Peking University has more significance worthy of consideration.
Cancel the grade point" landing.
The reform measures of the Peking University School of Biological Sciences to cancel the grade point kicked off in the spring of 2022.
In the spring semester of this year, the School of Biological Sciences began to pilot the graded grade assessment method in some courses, which was chosen by the instructors and was open to undergraduate students after the class of 2020 (inclusive).
According to the previous experience of other colleges and universities, the School of Biological Sciences adopts the "rough line grading system", and students' grades can be evaluated in five ways: A (85-100 points) excellent, B (75-84.).9) good, c (65-749 points) pass, d (60-649 points) basically passed, f (<60) failed. The overall assessment of grades replaces grade points with an excellent rate (a%, the proportion of courses with a grade) and a merit rate (ab, the proportion of courses with grades A and B). For a single course, the excellent rate should not exceed 40% in principle, and the failure rate should not exceed 5% in principle.
The first step of exploration was taken with extra care. In May 2021, the School of Biological Sciences distributed a questionnaire to the students of the 2019 and 2020 grades entitled "Questionnaire on the Trial Grading System of Achievement Assessment". In December of that year, the School of Biological Sciences issued a second questionnaire to the 2020 and 2021 students.
The second questionnaire received feedback from 177 respondents. 92.94% of the students surveyed said that "it is necessary to take certain measures to avoid the score theory of undergraduates and reduce the tendency of students to roll in". 88.Eighteen percent of the students surveyed would like to try out the grading system, and more than half of the undergraduate students surveyed would like to try out a non-100-point system in the required courses to assess their grades, replacing their grade points with excellent and excellent grades.
This came as a surprise to the leaders and teachers of the School of Biological Sciences. Tang Ping, deputy secretary of the party committee of the Academy of Biological Sciences, said: "The support rate is higher than we expected. ”
A student from the School of Biological Sciences left a message in the questionnaire: The students are involuted to a large extent because they do not know what the path they want to develop in the future requires of them, so if there are more clear prescribed indicators or more personalized development plans, it may be more suitable for the development of students in our college.
The student's confusion coincided with the original intention of the School of Biological Sciences.
In 2020, at an internal discussion at Peking University, some professors were worried that students only focused on scores and neglected the cultivation of their own comprehensive qualities. This idea resonated with Wang Shiqiang, who was then vice president of the Academy of Biological Sciences. After teaching for many years, he found that this group of top students who entered the university still had a deep-rooted thinking of high scores, took scores too seriously, and fell into a "digital cage".
Wang Shiqiang proposed in the discussion: Is it possible to pilot the possibility of canceling grade points in a small area?At that time, President Gong Qihuang, who was in charge of the teaching work of Peking University, was very supportive and especially encouraged the School of Biological Sciences to do a pilot project. ”
As a result, the joint meeting of the party and government of the Academy of Biological Sciences discussed the issue of academic evaluation reform many times, and formulated a specific plan on the basis of extensive research.
In the spring semester of 2022, a total of 12 courses in the School of Biological Sciences have applied to participate in the trial grading systemIn the fall semester of 2022, another 16 courses applied to participate in the trial.
At the Fourth Symposium on Educational Work Collaboration of the School of Biological Sciences, the teachers discussed a question: "Is it a bit rough to divide the four grades of ABCD?".”
Wang Shiqiang recalled: "The consensus is that if a student is recognized as excellent if he or she scores 85 or more, then it is not appropriate to make a new distinction. I hope that outstanding students will save time to choose some interdisciplinary courses, listen to master lectures, and participate in some social practice, scientific research practice, and club activities. ”
Twist the thinking of fractions.
In the experimental course of plant biology, He Xinqiang, director of the Experimental Teaching Center of the Academy of Biological Sciences, repeatedly emphasized: "It is not allowed to copy the existing principles and methods in the textbooks" and "it is not allowed to modify or supplement the experimental records after class". He will also "ruthlessly" give low marks to students who have beautifully painted plant structures in the experiment report but are obviously "drawing scoops according to gourds".
In the past, under the baton of grade point evaluation, some students would adopt the technique of "ingratiation" in strategy. For example, in order to improve the score, supplement the records that should be completed in the experiment;Originally, the teacher asked for one or two pages of experimental reports, and some first-year students would write more than a dozen pages of reports, and even perfectly draw the plant structure and even cells in the textbook in order to decorate it as a "high-score report".
In the class, some students who can score about 90 points will repeat the experiment in order to pursue a higher score, in order to pursue a "prettier" report card. But in He Xinqiang's view, the more valuable way is to go to the laboratory, to the research group, to try more challenging experiments.
We want to see students not only do experiments, but also have their own thoughts and ideas, if you just follow the textbooks and handouts to imitate, it is not your own understanding. He Xinqiang believes that this way of "currying favor" for grades needs to be reversed. Students waste too much time doing "superficial work" and sacrifice a lot of time that could be used to observe and think, "it's putting the cart before the horse."
Before the implementation of the grading system, He Xinqiang had a headache that after the course, several students would often come to the office to "intercede", hoping to find out the test papers, reports and other documents in an attempt to increase two points. "Students can't be score-oriented. He said that the baton does not produce top-notch talent.
As one of the first batch of teachers to try out the grading system, He Xinqiang repeatedly emphasized to students: "You must see your understanding of phenomena. ”
In the era of "grades are king", some students rely on high scores to get all the way to higher education. However, the test-taking mentality is deeply ingrained, and the thinking of this type of students is gradually solidified, with the score and grade ranking as the baton, which may even stifle their desire to explore themselves and the future.
From primary school to university, one or two points are crucial for them to go on to higher education, and the pursuit of high scores can be achieved by brushing questions mechanically. After entering the campus with a high-score test-taking mindset, the biggest problem for college students is that they don't know why they are studying and don't know how to analyze problems. The inertial thinking in the brain still thinks about the 'cheats' of the exam and the 'routines' of brushing the questions, which makes them 'short-circuit' in the logic of analyzing and solving problems, which hinders the guidance and cultivation of innovative thinking. What worries Wang Shiqiang is that some college students who have lost their "customs clearance cheats" are not used to discovering and analyzing problems, not used to solving problems without standard answers, and not used to critical thinking.
Adjust the evaluation system.
This reform cannot be carried out alone in a "vacuum". The new academic evaluation system needs to balance the needs of student awards, studying abroad, research security, and employment.
In the reform of the scholarship system, Tang Ping led the team to adjust the process of scholarship selection: breaking the previous way of selecting scholarships according to the score ranking, taking students' grades as one of the factors to consider, incorporating scientific research practice, social welfare, community organizations and other contents into different categories of scholarship evaluation, and allowing students to report and defend to the expert group, guiding students to focus on the cultivation of comprehensive abilities such as improving quality, without "worrying about the scores".
From the final list of scholarship winners, students also saw obvious changes: students with high GPA rankings may not receive scholarships, while students with all-round development or outstanding achievements in a certain area will be encouraged to come out on top.
This reform requires teachers to spend time and energy to communicate with students, understand the growth characteristics of students, and evaluate students' learning ability and comprehensive quality. Tang Ping said.
Cai Qingyuan, a 2020 undergraduate student of the School of Biological Sciences, is facing the problem of applying abroad. Since the middle school entrance examination, his weekends have basically been reserved for homework, and after entering the university, he does not want to become the "king of papers" anymore, hoping to jump out of the "cage" of grade points. He also has his own concerns about supporting the reform of academic evaluation: "I don't know whether the grading system will be recognized for sending graded transcripts to foreign universities, and I am not sure how other units will view the graded grades in the future." In his opinion, when teachers do not understand students' scientific research ability, grades are a very important quantitative reference indicator.
Students' concerns are not unfounded. In the case of the abolition of grade points and the implementation of the grading system in the School of Biological Sciences, will the imperfection of the system affect the development opportunities of students?
Song Yan, associate dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, received questions from undergraduate students who plan to apply for further study abroad this year about their English transcripts. In order to ensure an accurate understanding of the academic evaluation criteria of the School of Biological Sciences by universities at home and abroad, the School of Biological Sciences will attach a description of the relevant grading system to the transcript, and stamp the official seal of the college, informing the other party that they can call and communicate if they have any questions. Song Yan mentioned that there have been no calls from the school yet.
In the selection of students, in addition to academic performance, most well-known universities at home and abroad pay more attention to students' scientific research and innovation ability, persistent curiosity, perseverance and teamwork spirit. In Song Yan's view, the reform of the hierarchical system just reminds students to pay attention to the cultivation of comprehensive abilities and humanistic heritage such as scientific research, communication, writing, and speeches on the basis of achieving certain grades in coursework, so that they can go far in the future.
Rediscover yourself.
Many students who have grown up under the baton of grade points may not know how to find themselves, think about their inner passions, and find the mission and direction of development.
Liu Deying, former party secretary of the Academy of Biological Sciences, once communicated with a student. This student scored above 90 points in all of his classes and had a grade point average of 40。In the office, Liu Deying asked the student: "Why do you want to take the 40？This question stunned the students who thought they could be praised.
Scores alienated some students. In Liu Deying's view, this is a very sad thing.
In the classroom, Liu Deying also found a similar problem: when the teacher assigns homework, if the student is clearly told to be within 1,000 words, the student will immediately implement the instruction after receiving it. But if the teacher doesn't have any requirements for the number of words in the homework, the student will be anxious at this time.
In his opinion, this is closely related to fractional thinking. "Peking University aims to cultivate top-notch innovative talents. Be sure to ask students to think about what kind of person they want to become. Liu Deying said: "The more students with good grades, the more we must emphasize this point." ”
During the trial evaluation of the grading system, Liu Deying was one of the first teachers to sign up to participate in the reform. He believes that it is necessary to blur the rules and directions brought by fractions, and let students find them for themselves.
In the tide of the times of a strong country in education, education should cultivate innovative, compound and application-oriented talents, and more importantly, cultivate top-notch innovative talents who play an important role in national rejuvenation, economic construction, social development and scientific and technological progress. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed: "Persist in educating people for the party and the country, comprehensively improve the quality of independent training of talents, strive to create top-notch innovative talents, and gather talents from all over the world to use them." ”
Being on the track of academic evaluation reform, after entering the graded evaluation course since her sophomore year, Cai Shangxuan, a 2020 undergraduate student majoring in biological sciences in the School of Biological Sciences, obviously felt that the people around her were relieved. In the past, in order to get high scores, many students would pick out details in the experiment report, make up the number of words, stay up all night during the final exam week, and even repeat the practice questions several times, even if most people think that this kind of thing is not meaningful.
After the trial grading system, she and her group members presented a failed experiment in class and summarized the experience of improper anesthesia that led to the death of experimental rabbits. At the end of the lesson, the teacher gave the team an A. She can clearly feel that the teacher values the thinking and progress of the master in the course.
Classmates don't know each other's scores, and the atmosphere of "grade points are king" is gradually fading. After achieving excellent grades, she found that some of her classmates chose to go out for internships, some chose to do scientific research, and some went to clubs to practice dance. "People seem to know more and more what they want. The Academy is debunking the habitual thinking of 'heroes by scores' and encouraging us to discover ourselves. She said.
Wang Yunrui, a 2021 undergraduate student in the field of bioscience and cytogenetics in the School of Biological Sciences, fought all the way out of the competition. During his preparatory studies at Peking University, he and his classmates had not completely departed from the test-taking thinking of the college entrance examination. In the class, some students took more than 20 credits in a semester, and he thought that he was far from being so much: "I only took a dozen credits, and I almost finished my major courses." After the trial grading of the grade system, Wang Yunrui began to pay attention to what she had learned and what abilities she could improve without knowing the specific ranking. "Having more time to do interesting research gives us more freedom. He said.
In the online controversy over the abolition of the grade point reform by the School of Biological Sciences, many netizens are discussing the question: is such an academic evaluation reform suitable for more institutions?
Wang Shiqiang believes that the measures for academic evaluation reform should indeed be adapted to local conditions, "if you think that the 'rough line' academic evaluation method is suitable for the development of its discipline, it can be tried." He argues that whether it takes a hierarchical or a percentage system, it is a form in itself. The real core of the reform lies in calling for the return of the original intention of education.
He said: "Universities should cultivate high-quality talents with a sense of family and country and innovative ability. ”
China Youth Daily, China Youth Network Intern Reporter Yang Jie Reporter Yuan Chunlin **China Youth Daily.
*: China Youth Daily.