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Pedagogical analysis demonstrates mastery-based grading frameworks in computing education, suggesting that flexible pacing enhances student equity and achievement.
"A's for All (as time and interest allow)" is a position that says it is increasingly possible to aim for a world in which students can achieve any grade (level of mastery) that they are willing to work for, even if some students take longer than others or require more practice to get there. Achieving this goal would have profound effects on fairness, equity, and participation in computing, to say nothing of student learning outcomes. We describe what this goal would entail, why it is worth pursuing, what the mechanism and policy requirements are for making progress, and why now is a good time to do it. We give specific and actionable recommendations, many based on our own experience so far, that our colleagues who are excited about the approach can put into immediate practice, and address a number of concerns and objections that our proposal may raise. Importantly, our proposed approach is not all-or-nothing, but all-or-something: there are many things instructors can do within existing policy frameworks and course constraints to move their course experience in this direction.
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Garcia et al. (2023) studied this question.
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