On grading (for students)

In large undergraduate courses that I teach, there is a lot of energy spent (wasted?) on deciding the final grade. I don't mean the process of scoring assignments and tests; rather the process of converting all the information into a letter grade. A significant portion of the questions I get from students are about this process. Anecdotally, students obsess a lot about the final grade. Despite me repeatedly saying that the material in basic CS courses is fundamental to their success in the degree and the job market. Recently, I got a message from a student overall commending me on the teaching of the course, but expressing their displeasure with the final grade. I wrote the response below (mildly edited), which I think might be useful for all of our undergraduate students.

Please don't think that I'm angry or wish to prove you're wrong for the sake of argument. But as an educator, I increasingly see that students need to learn more than just CS, and need to learn how to learn. Many students are mistaking the trees for the forest; they are focusing on minutiae rather than the bigger picture; they focus on grades instead of an education.

First and foremost, I want to challenge your notion that the grade measures the effort you put in. It doesn't. I am very happy to know that many students put in significant effort and learned a lot. This is the reward in of itself. The grade is a measure of your output, which is quite different from your sincerity or your knowledge gain. Output is also a function of preparation, which varies heavily. One of the biggest weaknesses of UCSC students is they don't recognize that output (and quality of output) matters. They clamor for partial credit and extensions and it hurts them in their lives. Check out: UC graduate salary stats
This gives CA labor data, giving average salaries of UC graduates, by major, year, and school. Look at the numbers for UCSC CS grads and compare with other UCs. Note how UCSC majors typically earn far less compared to peers in other UCs. Why? Trust me, the other grads aren't that much smarter intellectually. Students in higher ranked UCs might have better preparation from before, and the courses are probably pushing them to train better. Any time we create a course that pushes students, grades fall (of course they will. It's harder to do better.) These is pushback from students and our teaching evaluations become worse, so the instructors relent.

"The issue is that GPA seems to matter to others and for other opportunities."

With years of experience, I can tell you that GPA does not matter as much as you think. Grades of, say, C vs a B- will have no effect on your career. Of course, a long string of As vs a long string of Cs does matter, as it should. I have never, ever, ever seen a candidate chosen/rejected because of a B- vs a C. After 5 years, no one is going to care about your GPA.

The real question is: did this course give you the intellectual tools to become a better computer scientist, and train you to tackle more courses?

Stress and mental health: this is a real problem and many students face these issues. Obsessing over exams and GPAs and scores has made this so much worse. This is one of those self-inflicted wounds, that stems from a deep misunderstanding of the point of college. Every day, for five minutes in the morning, tell yourself: my GPA doesn't matter, but my education does. Your stress levels will eventually go down and your grades will go up. Stress levels in industry are likely higher than in college and you will need to learn how to navigate these issues. At least in college, we give you partial credit. In industry, you don't get a raise for partially completing a project. Navigating deadlines, delivering on time, and juggling multiple projects are also important aspects of being in CS industry. Instead of treating your deadlines as high stress "grading deciders", treat these as practice for being in industry. When you miss them, instead of immediately asking for an extension, try to figure out what you need to do to meet these deadlines. Maybe you are oversubscribing yourself? Many of these issues arise from treating your courses as a checklist to finish to quickly get a piece of paper (the degree). Try to reorient your thinking towards your education and your goals. You will have a better experience, learn more, be less stressed, and you might even end up with better grades.