The Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is pleased to invite the community to attend this year's lecture, given by Dr. Marilyne Stains, Professor of Chemistry at University of Virginia. 

Public Lecture

March 4, 2026

5:30 pm

Psychology 105

Light refreshments will be provided.

Dr. Marilyne Stains

Professor of Chemistry

University of Virginia

Is Specifications Grading Meeting Specs? It’s Complicated

Traditional points-based grading is frequently critiqued for failing to reflect student competency and for exacerbating systemic inequities. While specifications grading has been widely adopted by chemistry instructors to mitigate these issues , empirical evidence regarding its hypothesized benefits remains mixed. This presentation synthesizes three comprehensive studies—including a multi-institutional analysis of over 6,400 students—to characterize the current landscape of implementation and student outcomes. Our research highlights a significant "perception gap". Instructors prioritize increased flexibility and transparent expectations , yet students often experience decreased motivation to learn and inconsistent levels of anxiety. Furthermore, we utilize the Systemic Advantage Index (SAI) to interrogate the equity hypothesis. Results indicate that while systemically marginalized students more readily acknowledge the learning benefits of specifications grading, they simultaneously report higher anxiety than their more advantaged peers.