Desde HBPE

May 19, 2020 This semester—this strange, unpredictable, and seemingly endless semester—is drawing to a close for many of us. While what’s next for higher education is an open question—one we’re discussing in a webinar tomorrow and would love to hear your thoughts on—you can, at the very least, take a moment to reflect on making it this far. Well, you can, just as soon as you finish grading. Which brings up an important point: how exactly is grading supposed to work now, anyway? For educators, the pandemic has introduced all sorts of complications into the grading process, with concerns both practical (how do you fairly evaluate classroom participation when some students don’t have a reliable internet connection?) and personal (how hard do you really want to be on students who are struggling with coursework while also grappling with health issues or financial hardships?). In this week’s issue of The Faculty Lounge, we’re looking at ways educators have approached the challenge of grading and the end of the semester, including applying innovative evaluation techniques, reflecting on lessons learned, and maybe, just maybe, catching up on some well-earned rest. As always, please keep telling us how you’re feeling; we know it’s been a stressful slog for so many of you.