Last spring, the Chemistry Department implemented a new change in classroom assessments.

According to Department Chair Eveonne Baldanuff, who has been a professor at Waynesburg University for 10 years, the department now employs a technique called “Specifications Grading.”

“This [specifications grading] is where you identify the concepts in your class that are fundamentally essential for students to master,” said Baldauff.

Baldnuff said that the change is intended to help students grasp and understand the different topics that they will need to know for their future classes.

“In chemistry, you learn things your freshman year and you continue to use them sophomore year, junior year, senior year and so on,” said Baldauff.

While not being imperative to the program, Baldauff hopes that this will help students understand and succeed in the department.

Initially, the specifications grading system was intended for beginning level classes. After using it for the more basic classes the staff decided to implement it in more of the upper level courses.

“This is something that students will see across the curriculum,” said Baldauff.

As a part of this grading system, students will take independent assessments on vital skills and they will have five attempts at passing it.

“If they haven’t learned it the first time, they can study it some more – if they still haven’t passed it the second time they can study it some more until they have mastered it,” said Baldauff. “That’s kind of the key mastery of these essential skills.”