Competition Grades can encourage negative competition among students. By quantifying student performance, they encourage students to judge each other by the performance of their peers. By contrast, Narrative Evaluations encourage students to compete with their own performance, rather than that of others, as the standard. Every other public research university utilizes a grading sytem. Santa Cruz provides the unique option of being assessed differently for students that learn that way.
All students have different styles of learning and different preferences and needs.
Santa Cruz accomodates those looking for alternative, innovative education as well as those looking for a more traditional collegiate experience. There are numerous documented negative side effects to the usage of extrinsic motivators, such as grades, to goad students into learning. Optional grades and narrative evaluations encourage learning for learning's sake rather than for the promise of external rewards. Graduate school and job application Narrative evaluations provide detailed information on a student's performance that a grade could never convey. UCSC students' performance is well-documented and demonstrated by our alumni, who have for the most part had no problems getting into graduate school or applying for jobs.