Professor or Editor?
Time-Saving Strategies for
Effective Grading of Writing
Assignments
DR. DAVID S. HOGSET TE
Common Questions
What is the purpose of grading?
What do students learn, if anything, from our grading?
How much time should we spend grading student writing?
What should the content of our commenting be?
Should we be editing student work when we grade?
How much grammar should we mark?
How do I make room and time for commenting on content?
Strategies to Address These Questions
Using gateway policies
Marking error patterns
Effective marginal commenting
Effective final commenting
Considering rubrics
Commenting on drafts
Gateway Policy
Knucklehead syndrome
Students submitting unacceptable work
Wastes our time
Increases our frustration level
Establish minimum requirements for
accepting papers
Formatting
Certain level of proofreading
Proper citations and bibliography formatting
Layout and design
Do not grade the work
Give it an F
Return it to student for revision and
resubmission
Grade the resubmitted work with penalty
If a paper is particularly bad
Stop grading it
Give it an F
Discuss paper in office and offer a chance for
revision and resubmission with grade penalty
Marking Error Patterns
How to deal with grammar?
Grading is not the same as editing
Grading:
Evaluates the quality of the work
Explains/justifies the grade
Provides instruction
Editing:
Heavy marking of the paper
Corrects the work for the student
Provides little instruction
Wastes instructor’s time
Marking unique errors throughout paper
Mark only one or two instances of the same
error
Mark only new or different errors throughout
the paper
Summarize the major error patterns at the end
Marking limited section of a paper
Mark all instances of grammar errors you find on
only 1-2 pages of the paper
Indicate to student where you stopped marking
grammar
Summarize the major error patterns at the end
Consider highlighting several different error
patterns and encourage students to fix them
for extra credit
Effective Marginal Comments
Marginal commenting for addressing:
Content issues
Critical thinking
Argumentation
Use of evidence
Comment as a reader, not a writer
Consider summative and formative comments
Formative
Instructional comments that help build skills
Well suited for commenting on drafts
Summative
Discuss how you are reacting to the ideas instead of
how you would write about the ideas
Judgments of quality and justification of grade
Well suited for commenting on final drafts
Ask probing questions—helps students open up
within the assumptions of their claims
Mix formative and summative if you do not
comment on drafts
Avoid overwhelming students with too many
comments
If you comment on drafts, no need to provide
extensive marginal comments on final drafts
Encourage students toward improvement
Comment on what is working (positive
reinforcement) as well as what is problematic
Effective Marginal Comments
Writing classes
Heavy on writing comments
Lighter on content comments
Writing intensive courses
Balance of writing and content commenting
Reinforce both writing skills and course content
Major courses and upper-level electives
Heavy on content comments (concepts, critical thinking, use of evidence, argumentation
Light on writing comments
Effective Final Comments
Provides a summary overview of your views on the paper
Should cover variety of elements including content, skills, and grammar/mechanics
Can incorporate generalized formative and summative comments
Provide a mixture of both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism
Can be used in conjunction with marginal comments
Lower-level students
May be used alone without marginal comments
Upper-level students
Consider using a rubric for final commenting
Considering Rubrics
Excellent for streamlining final comments
Don’t have to write a paragraph at the end
Fill in a rubric chart with numbers (1=Poor to 5=Excellent) or weighted points
Include BRIEF comments for each rubric item after the numerical score
Provide the rubric with your assignment description to clarify your expectations
Explains and clarifies their final grade
Reduces frequency of grade challenges
Consider mapping the grading rubric to course outcomes
Helps with assessment efforts
Considering Rubrics
Scale: 5=Excellent; 4=Good; 3=Average; 2=Poor;
1=Unsatisfactory
Points weighting each item
Purpose/Focus: [numerical rank and brief
comments]
Organization (__/10):
Purpose/Focus (__/10):
Organization:
Content and Development (__/20):
Content and Development:
Analysis and Argumentation (__20):
Analysis and Argumentation:
Avoidance of Fallacies (__10):
Avoidance of Fallacies:
Addressing the Opposition (__10):
Addressing the Opposition:
Language Use (__20):
Language Use:
Grade (__/100):
Grade:
Commenting on Drafts
Some professors collect and comment on drafts
Common in writing courses and writing intensive courses
Can greatly increase your grading burden
When commenting on drafts:
Avoid commenting on too many sentence-level issues
Consider highlighting a few major error patterns—avoid editing!
Why correct a sentence when the whole paragraph may be revised or deleted?
Comment on larger items like intro, thesis, focus, paragraphing, content, logic, conclusion, etc.
When grading the final, you need only provide brief, summative comments at the end
Comment on effectiveness of the revisions
Comment on general strengths and weaknesses of the paper
Consider using a rubric for these final comments with minimal or no comments
Conclusion
Grading papers stinks!
Most faculty find it onerous
Many students find the results overwhelming
Consider using the principles and strategies discussed in the presentation:
Streamlines the grading process
Emphasizes instruction over correction
Can reduce your time grading
Makes your grading more productive
Provides students meaningful, instructive feedback