From this weekend's News & Observer, an in-depth look at Cathy Davidson, the Duke professor who has turned grading on its ear.
Davidson, 60, is a tenured professor with two distinguished professorships and a long history of scholarship. Over the years, she has taught traditional literature courses and bristled just a bit when she gave out traditional letter grades.
Last year, she tried something new. In an interdisciplinary course about technology, communication and the Internet, she decided to let students grade themselves. Gasp!
Some skeptics furrowed their brows at this clear repudiation of the long-held academic grading tradition. But Davidson swears it works. Her students worked both harder and in different ways knowing they'd be evaluated not by a professor but by their peers.
