2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Students and faculty often have differing views about the fundamental reason that students should learn the material presented in university courses. Generally speaking, faculty believe in the material's innate value, while students see it as preparation for a career. Both parties agree learning the material is valuable. However, classes are not frequently constructed to reward learning. Rather, they reward chasing points and earning grades, often at the expense of actual learning. This process doubly disadvantages students, especially when college grades are uncorrelated with future success. They have insufficiently learned critical skills and knowledge while being misled about their chances of future success. By changing how we assess students, we can more explicitly tie outcomes to learning objectives, reduce faculty grading time, reduce student stress, and return a focus to learning while maintaining rigorous academic standards. This change is not just a theoretical concept but a practical step that faculty can take to improve the learning environment. One form of assessment in this vein is specifications (or "specs") grading. In specs grading, all assignments are graded pass/fail according to a rubric closely coupled to the course's learning objectives. Opportunities exist for students to rework assignments, including reflecting on how they missed the mark the first time, with the reflection process cementing the learned (or relearned) material. Bundling assignments throughout the semester provides a mechanism to assign a student's final grade. This paper describes the process of implementing specifications grading in a medium-sized, junior-level computer engineering course, including the difficulties, mistakes, and successes encountered. Student evaluations are presented, showing a high level of satisfaction with the grading scheme and reinforcing how a reprieve from chasing points has allowed them to focus on the course material. Grade distributions from traditional points-based grading are compared with the outcomes from specs grading to show how academic standards have not been relaxed. Recommendations for faculty members interested in experimenting with specs grading are presented.