Grading Marathon

Ay yai yai! So I just graded 50 five-page essays for my 373A class in less than 30 hours, and the students will be getting them back during their very next class period. These quick turnaround always mattered to me as a student and as an academic, so I hate dawdling. Overall, I composed nearly 13,000 words of individual feedback, which is about 260 words per student. The last two days were intense, but at least they're done.

Just in case anyone is interested, here are the "general" comments I offered to the class on D2L afterward. They very much align with how I try to present myself as an instructor:
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Hey everyone,

So, final essays have been graded, and we have a pretty decent range overall. As you can see from the class statistics below, the average grade was a C (75%). The most common grade was C+ (75-79), and the next most common grade was A (90-94). A few people absolutely knocked it out of the park altogether. I gave everyone substantial feedback, which I hope you'll read and consider, especially if you go for the revision option. In general, everyone gets the same kind of feedback: stuff you did well, and stuff you can improve. When I submit work to academic journals, I can the same kind of feedback as well.

A few general comments:

  • Remember that it's perfectly natural to stress over feedback, especially at this level. Please don't. My standard advice is, “Beware negative self-talk”. Writing isn’t magic; it’s a skill. All it takes is practice ... that, and feedback on strengths and weaknesses.
  • Similarly, please don't interpret my comments as saying, “You didn’t do X, Y, or Z ”. I never mean it that way! Instead, I mean them as saying, "You haven’t done X, Y, or Z ... yet." 
  • Also, take the style sheet seriously. If it says use hanging indents, use hanging indents! Although most people submitted a style sheet, it's obvious that not everyone read it.
  • I also thought it odd that some essays didn't use direct quotations. Direct textual criticism is the bread-and-butter of literary criticism, and it's cited prominently on the grading rubric.
  • Some people did fantastic with MLA citation; others clearly used unrevised (and only semi-accurate) citation generators; and still other people ... well, I'm not sure what you all did, but remember, citations are important.
  • Revision Option due in one week … I grade based on quality and substantive global-level feedback.
  • Reflection also due in one week.

Overall I'm pleased with how everyone did, and I hope you got something out of the process.



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