Penalties for re-attempts

Penalties for re-attempts

by Michael Hughes -
Number of replies: 2
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Just thought I'd raise this here and see if there was anyone else who thinks this could be a useful feature.

  • We have a scenario where students have to submit a lab report. 
  • If they submit it and fail to pass (40%) or they fail to submit by the deadline, they should get (automatically) another attempt.
  • If they fail to get 40% or fail to submit by the deadline a second time they get 3rd attempt
  • Their 2nd attempt attracts a penalty of 60% (i.e. they can only get 40% of the available marks)
  • Their 3rd attempt attracts a 100% penalty.
  • They *must* submit the work.
  • Optionally they can be given a re-attempt at full credit

We have historically attempted to deal with this by setting up a script that generates, from an initial 1st attempt activity, multiple assignment activities, and then applied the various changes to each one, but we've found it doesn't work very well, and it ends up with there being a multitude of assignments that on the whole aren't used.

Given that the assignment module already provides a mechanism for re-attempts, I'd like to propose that there should be a mechanism for staff to set a penalty that is applied to an attempt.

This penalty would be applied to the mark when it is returned to the gradebook, so that the activity remains graded out of the full tariff, so that they student can see how they actually performed, before they were penalised. The grader would also be able to change the penalty that would be applied to an attempt on the grading screen.

I've had a play with this against the Moodle 3 code and I think it's a pretty small addition to support this:

Attempt Penalties

Thoughts?

Average of ratings: -
In reply to Michael Hughes

Re: Penalties for re-attempts

by Richard Oelmann -
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Queries on the scoring/logic you have rather than the code or concept -

'If they fail to get 40% or fail to submit by the deadline a second time they get 3rd attempt

Their 2nd attempt attracts a penalty of 60% (i.e. they can only get 40% of the available marks)Their 3rd attempt attracts a 100% penalty'

Does that imply they have to get it 100% correct on their second attempt or they automatically fail and go to a third attempt anyway - and what's the incentive for them to submit a third attempt if it has a 100% penalty, ie they score 0 anyway? They may as well submit a piece of work with no effort put in at all as bother with a meaningful 3rd attempt.

In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: Penalties for re-attempts

by Michael Hughes -
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The course leaders (and this isn't me!) have determined that this is the set up big grin

I think its the basis that after their 3rd attempt the score they get won't count towards their mark but they must have performed the assignment (which is a lab exercise). Also a 2nd attempt (which will be scored out of the 100% value) can only be worth 40%, even if they got 100%.