Here’s another stab at getting rid of grades, at least in present form.

Remember my previous post about researchers finding a negative connection between facebook use and grades – students heavily into facebook studied less and receiver lower grades?

Or my post about blogarazzi-bummer Chris Avenir, the Canadian student who faced a threat of expulsion after having invited his facebook friends to solve his home assignment?

I argued that the students are not the problem, the grading system is.

Well, now, at least, a small step has been taken. In British Gloucestershire College, a principal decision was made to use facebook in the education. Why? Because, as things were, students skipped homework to a much too large extent, or skipped school or even dropped out altogether. Clear symptoms of lack of faith and perceived value of the school’s education.

Enter facebook, where students are encouraged to find solutions together, set their schedules and goals, in what form and time suits them.

Result – significant increases in assigment completions and reductions in drop-outs.