By Dan Nonte, University Relations
Seven biology faculty members from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro recently spent a week in Lincoln, Neb., as part of a group that graded more than 500,000 essays for the Advanced Placement exam in biology.
The UNCG team – Ellen Lamb, Joe Bundy, Rob Cannon, John Tomkiel, John Lepri, Robin Maxwell and Meg Horton – and 465 other graders evaluated the essays at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. UNCG contributed more faculty members to the project than any other university.
In May, more than 125,000 high school students took the exam, which included four essay questions and 100 multiple-choice questions. The essays count for 40 percent of the overall exam score, and the multiple-choice questions count for the remaining 60 percent. The scores determine whether the students receive college credit for the course.
The Advanced Placement Program is operated by the College Board, which has contracted the production and grading of the exam to the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J.
As the incoming chief faculty consultant for AP-Biology, John Lepri, chairman of the biology department, also participated in the videoconference for grade setting. He was pleasantly surprised to find himself discussing the issue with Rick Morgan, a professor in the university's Department of Educational Research Methodology.
