Problems Caused by Grade Inflation

(stat.columbia.edu)

4 points | by Tomte4 hours ago

1 comments

  • aDyslecticCrow3 hours ago
    I think we should be extremely cautious about over-complicating grading systems.

    From my own experience with university, academic grades and credits are really prone to [Goodhart's law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law). The primary purpose of schooling is learning. From my own experience at university, complicated grading criteria or too much emphasis on grades push students to make *grades* the purpose rather than the *subject*.

    With some examples of exams and the teacher's material, loads of courses can be gamed by "overfitting" on the material rather than learning it. In some of the most valuable courses I've ever done, I dismissed grades altogether and aimed to have fun and understand the subject. Sometimes this correlates with the grade, but all too often, it does not.

    I feel like this article tries to solve a hiring issue by over-complicating grades even further, and I see this as quite destructive. Hiring is difficult, but the problem doean't lie in the grading system, it lies in hiring just being difficult on its own.