Think, Know, Prove is (going to be) a regular Saturday feature, where a topic with both mystery and importance is posted for community discussion. The title is a shortened version of the Investigative Mantra: What do we think, what do we know, what can we prove? and everything from wild speculation to resource referencing fact is welcome here.
UPDATE: 2/23/10–Bumped back up to the top to try to get more votes
Today’s Topic: Electronic Grade Submission
Why don’t we have it? Rumors have abounded for years–it’s a union thing, it’s a money thing, it’s a Luddite thing, it’s an evil plot, etc. But seriously, why don’t we have the capability, if not the requirement, to submit our grades electronically, like the rest of the schools in the world? I’m not even going to bring up the Day One, and Ten Day lists…(oops; did I just bring those up?)
What do you think, what do you know, what can you prove?
UPDATE: Just to be clear–though you are invited to answer all three questions (rock on, Realist!), doing so is not a requirement…
The Harold Lounge 
I think it’s a conspiracy, man! We have the capability. PeopleSoft can handle it!
I know the reason why we cannot do it. I heard the same exact thing as Realist; however, I heard it directly, face to face from a respectable CCC employee. And s/he was serious about it.
I want to submit my grades electronically NOW! and all the other 10 day, 20 day, midterm gades … too!!
I, too, have heard the same rumors. I just wish HWC (and CCC) would enter the 20th century. I think the Green committee should get in on this. Online grades means much less wasted paper. That could be one of many angles. As for 1708, I don’t buy it. It’s the same issue as faculty being able to enroll students. In the end, who are we serving? Shouldn’t the students be our primary concern? How many students are unable to register when they want to because their grades are not available on psoft because they have not been entered yet? How many errors have occurred because of the 3 step process of getting grades on psoft (faculty write them out, possibly messily, faculty hand in said grades, others read them (sometimes incorrectly) and enter them into psoft). This is incredibly inefficient. But the caveat is that I don’t want to displace 1708 folks. I have a feeling, though, that there are better uses for their time. We’ll see how it pans out. I was entering grades online 12 years ago at other schools though. High schools and elementary schools in CPS are doing this, and have been for some time. Let’s catch up a bit.
We should be ashamed to be the last college system in the state to now have electronic grade submission. It’s not a 20th century issue, it’s a 21st century issue. I don’t know why we don’t have it. I was told that it was because the State Leglislature wouldn’t allow it. Don’t believe that either.
Gee is anyone surprised that 93% of the participants of this poll want online grade submission? Here is the problem with this poll; it is self-selective. I bet if one were to administer this poll by paper and pencil the results would be significantly reversed. I am not saying this is a good thing. In fact it would be a sad commentary on the state of the faculty of CCC. Here we are, an institution entrusted with preparing students for the real world, a place were virtually every career our students take on will require some form of technological literacy, and we can’t do a simple task like electronically submitting our grades.
BTW, it is not because of some silly law. My wife teaches at Oakton and she submits them electronically.
Good point (about the self-selection); it’s an important one to remember, Mike. Still, though, if we end up with very few votes on an electronic poll that all the faculty were informed about, I think we might be able to think our way to the answer that the poll is seeking.
If no one sees it, despite the ease with which they could, if they wanted, seek it out, then perhaps the reason we don’t have it is that most of the faculty don’t want it (or at least, aren’t interested enough to click three times on a mouse, which is a pretty low threshhold for anyone even slightly interested.
106 people, as of 2pm, have visited the site just today, and there’ve been 300+ visits since the poll went up. Yet only, what, 15 have voted? It is hard not to conclude from that info that some or most of the HW faculty either don’t want to submit their grades electronically or truly don’t care.
Personally, I find that surprising, given how frequently I hear about it, but I guess that’s why polls are taken.
(And let’s not forget that paper/pencil polls have their own self-selections, too, response rates on those aren’t usually all that impressive either; I wonder if the precentage answering would be higher or lower. Not enough to do one, though…)
Sorry. One more thing. If it’s something YOU want, my suggestion would be to tell people to get on here and vote.
If decent numbers vote, then we (faculty council) can use it to try to make change. If people don’t vote, our case gets harder to make, not easier. Get out the vote!
There’s no question we should have electronic grade submissions. However, it does surprise me that “shhh, watching curling” didn’t get more votes. … You have to admit, … Curling’s pretty cool.
You’re not alone, MathArt!