Freshman biology teacher Cynthia Smyser is implementing “Level-Up Gamer Grading,” a new grading system based on Legends of Zelda games, in her classes. She wants to connect with her students through their shared interest in video games and “level up” with them.
Smyser aims to make the system like a video game, where you slowly level up and can go on side quests for extra gear. She hopes to lessen the stress of losing points with this new grading system, and she wants the students to focus more on learning the information.
However, biology student Sarah Bijoy found that the system does little to alleviate stress, “It doesn’t make the assignments any easier, so it’s still difficult.”
What Inspired “Gamer Grading”?
Smyser got the idea for this grading system from a teaching conference she attended this summer.
“I went to a conference at the U of I that was supposed to be about how to incorporate artificial intelligence into your classroom, and that is something I’m not good at,” Smyser says. “So I’ve been looking for resources, and it turns out it was more for college professors and how to teach online classes rather than anything relevant to a high school class.”
But one of the presenters had an idea that caught her attention.
“One of the presenters talked about gamer grading, and my ears perked up because I was like, ‘The subbies literally spend every free period of lunch lined up in the third-floor hallway playing games,’ and I bet this will help them love biology even more,” she says.
Smyser added in a few elements after playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom this summer.
“She [the presenter] didn’t do the avatar thing; I kind of added that in. Over the summer, I was playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with [my daughter] Lily, and she’d run all over the place. She’d be like, ‘Oh, I have to go down this cave and find a certain number of light fruits’ or something like that, and I thought I could incorporate that into Gamer Grading. So that’s what inspired it.”
How Gamer Grading Works:
When turning in assignments or taking tests and quizzes, students cannot lose points; instead, they only gain for what they got right, and nothing is deducted for getting questions wrong.
There will be “side quests” which are earned when getting certain letter grades. They are completely optional and cover different topics that aren’t in the main course. Side quests are independent studies with homework assignments that all build up to a test you take at the end of the unit.
Starting at 167 points, which is twenty percent of the total points needed for an A+, students will unlock their avatar. The default avatar is a gingerbread-like shape made of laminated paper. After getting their avatar, gaining points will give students options for accessories on their avatar.
Students can choose from a selection of clothing and extra equipment such as watches or phones. They also get to add other things like the avatar’s origin story and name, and pets, fancier clothes, and even power-ups. If you get an A+, you get the “Ultimate superpower,” which is a power of your choice. There are certain restrictions to what you can do, but anything accepted by Symser is okay.
Challenges of Gamer Grading
Smyser expressed concern about the difficulty of keeping up with the grading system.
“It’s insanely hard, so time-consuming, and it’s not hard work; it’s just so much bookkeeping.”
Symser is not able to use her grading system in PowerSchool, so the grades will be normal so students don’t have less than an F until they climb up.
She has also experienced difficulty with preparing the avatars. She has to cut out, laminate, and make accessories for these avatars.
“I have absolutely no fashion sense, obviously, and no artistic ability, so I have no idea how to draw these accessories,” Smyser said.
Students are also unhappy with the amount of effort these avatars take to put together. Frosh Joyce Zheng expressed some annoyance with this system.
“I don’t like that you have to draw the avatars,” she said. “ I don’t really care about the avatars; I just want to pass.”
Despite criticism, Smyser is excited to try this new system. She wants to relate to students and make the class more fun, and hopes that her students will now look forward to Biology.
