Abstract:

The role of a teacher, as a knowledge promoter and learning facilitator is frequently opposed to the simultaneous inherent “validation” tasks, in what grading and assessing is concerned, fundamentally from the students point of view, but, sometimes, even our own. The generalised Math “trauma” is a difficult start up invisible barrier that we must overcome every single semester, implementing different strategies, developing new materials, motivating with digital and technological resources (using students’ digital skills), among many other tactics and schemes. But, in the end, the numerical grade – the knowledge and skills construction validation – must appear posted in the “system”.

As Math lecturers in a Higher Educational Institution, for more than twenty years, these problems are a daily challenge we face, and the issues we intend to analyse here, emerge as a consequence of a certain "emptiness" we feel regarding the assessment we have to carry out in the sense that we still don’t have an answer to the following question: “Is it legitim to "close your eyes" to the basic errors (some severe) when assessing learning outcomes in advanced subjects?” We teach in "end of the line", in what General Mathematics is concerned, since our students are, essentially, from Management and Accounting Bachelor degrees.

This paper will be structured in four distinct parts, starting with the Specific and General Outcomes and skills in the Math course in question, giving also a global vision of all its syllabus components and the teaching Methodologies implemented. Subsequently, we will refer the coherence between teaching methods and the course learning objectives as well as their connection to the syllabus items. Finally we will go through a section of small questions and answers, with their respective detailed analysis, in order to provide an objective reading material, trying to promote a fruitful and opened discussion on the subject.

Keywords:

Assessment, Grading, Mathematics, Higher Education, Teaching and Learning strategies, Applied Math.