Why an end-of-the alphabet last name could skew your grades

A study finds an unintended consequence of computerized grade books

by Jill Barshay

Hechinger Report

October 7, 2024

In the article "Why an End-of-the Alphabet Last Name Could Skew Your Grades" (October 7, 2024), Jill Barshay explores the unintended consequences of alphabetical grading in digital learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that students with surnames toward the end of the alphabet (U-Z) consistently receive slightly lower grades compared to those with surnames at the beginning of the alphabet (A-E), revealing a subtle yet significant bias in grading practices.

Over the past decade, colleges and universities have increasingly adopted LMS platforms to streamline grading and assignment submission processes. These platforms automatically sort student submissions alphabetically by default, prompting instructors to grade students in that order. This system has led to a pattern where students with last names beginning with letters near the end of the alphabet are more likely to receive lower grades. The University of Michigan study, which analyzed over 30 million grades in Canvas, found that U-Z surnames were penalized by about 0.6 points on a 100-point scale, a seemingly small difference that can accumulate to the point of affecting final grades.

The researchers suggest that instructors may experience fatigue or become more critical as they progress through grading large numbers of assignments. Consequently, students at the bottom of the alphabetical list—who are typically graded later—may be penalized due to instructors' reduced focus or mental exhaustion. Interestingly, the study also noted that when instructors graded in reverse alphabetical order (Z-A), the same bias occurred in reverse, with A-C surnames receiving lower grades.

In addition to lower grades, students with U-Z last names were also more likely to receive impolite or negative feedback from instructors. Comments such as “You are setting yourself up for a failing grade” were more common for these students, while top-of-the-alphabet students received more positive feedback like “Much better work on this draft! Thank you!” This pattern suggests that grading order may influence not only the marks students receive but also the tone of feedback.

The study found that the grading bias was more pronounced in social sciences and humanities courses, where subjective evaluation often plays a larger role, compared to more objective fields like engineering or medicine. While instructors may not intentionally dock points for students with U-Z last names, the study posits that they may subconsciously become stricter as they progress through grading or feel the need to combat grade inflation after giving several high marks early on.

In response to the study, Canvas introduced a feature that allows instructors to randomize the order of student submissions for grading. However, the default remains alphabetical, and many instructors may not be aware of the option to change this setting. The researchers recommend that instructors regularly switch grading orders or use the randomization feature to avoid perpetuating this bias.

The findings have broad implications, as most major LMS platforms, which are used by more than 48 million students in the U.S. and Canada, default to alphabetical grading. The authors hope this study will raise awareness of the issue and encourage instructors to use randomized grading practices to ensure fairer outcomes for all students.

Original detailed URL: https://www.hechingerreport.org/why-an-end-of-the-alphabet-last-name-could-skew-your-grades

Original Article

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com