A grade is not a measurement
A course grade is a weighted sum. We measure each learning outcome separately and look at whether the class attained that outcome.
Why was it written?
This software was written to answer a university's question “has our student really attained this competence?” in a way that can be traced from the exam question to the accreditation report.
A university gives students grades. A grade says whether the student passed the course; it does not say what the student can do. A single grade holds remembering, analysing and designing all at once. They blend into one another.
Yet every programme makes a promise to its graduates: “Whoever completes this programme can do the following.” Was the promise kept? In most institutions the answer is compiled in accreditation week from files and e-mails. An answer is found, but nobody can show where it came from.
SixBloom was written to build up this answer throughout the year and where the work is done: where the course is designed, the exam is prepared and the scores are entered.
What do we believe in?
The source of every number must be shown
A percentage in a report can be traced back to the exam question it came from. A number that cannot be traced is not evidence.
What was not measured is not zero
A student who did not sit the exam is not counted as failing; they are left out of the calculation. No number is made up for an outcome that was not measured; it says “not measured”.
The record does not change
A locked measurement cannot be corrected afterwards. If an error is found, a new one is made and the old one stays. Improvement can only be proven by comparing two unchangeable records.
A promise is made with a verb
“Knows” and “understands” cannot be measured. A learning outcome is written with an approved verb; that verb sets its level, not a guess.
The decision belongs to people
Artificial intelligence brings suggestions; it does not assign levels or pass judgement. The owner of an accepted sentence is the person who accepted it, and the record shows this.
Measurement is not for judging a person
Teaching staff are not ranked. Results of small groups are not published. Survey responses are not linked to anyone. Students are shown a status, not a score.
Measuring is not enough; the loop must close
For an outcome below target, the cause, the decision and the result are recorded; the result is measured again in the next period. The difference between “we measured” and “we improved” becomes visible.
Who is it for?
- Teaching staff
- Sees what the exam measures and which outcome the class struggles with; knows what to change next period.
- Head of department and programme
- Sees on one screen which course feeds which programme outcome, where the gaps and the overlaps are.
- Quality Coordination Office
- Does not compile evidence before the visit; finds it accumulated over the year and follows the calculation step by step.
- Dean and rectorate
- Follow the state of the programmes from one place, without waiting for reports.
- Students
- Sees not only the grade but which competence has been attained.
- External evaluator
- When asking “where did this number come from?”, finds the answer in the locked record.
What SixBloom is not
- It is not a grading system; it does not replace the student information system, it works alongside it.
- It is not a performance appraisal tool; it does not measure teaching staff, it measures the outcome of the course.
- It is not a machine that produces documents in accreditation week; it builds up evidence during the year, as the work is done.
- It does not decide for you; the threshold, the target and the contribution level are set by the institution and its committee.
Our promise
The software carries the method; the effort comes from the teaching staff. Our promise is this: you can stand behind every number you see here, because you can show where it came from.