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How I Grade Your Papers
Robert Schachel (Dr. Robert Schachel)
Overview
This video explains the instructor's grading philosophy and methodology for student papers, emphasizing a shift from point deduction to skill-based evaluation. It breaks down grading into four key areas: content, format, style, and grammar, detailing common issues and expectations within each. The instructor contrasts traditional grading with their approach, which focuses on assessing a student's current skill level relative to the course's expectations and providing feedback for improvement rather than assigning arbitrary point values to errors. The video also provides a guide to common symbols used in paper feedback.
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Chapters
- The instructor uses a rubric as a guide but grades based on skill development, not just rubric adherence.
- Papers are evaluated across four main categories: content, format, style, and grammar.
- Style and grammar are often the most problematic areas for students.
- The grading approach applies to both 1101 and 1102 courses, with 1102 emphasizing more abstract critical thinking.
Understanding these four core areas and the instructor's general expectations provides a framework for students to focus their writing efforts and anticipate feedback.
The four basic elements the instructor grades on are content, format, style, and grammar.
- Content evaluation focuses on logical organization, adherence to structure (e.g., five-part essay based on three points), clear thesis statements, and developed evidence.
- Format primarily concerns adherence to established guidelines like MLA formatting, proper spacing, and correct citation (Works Cited page).
- Formatting issues, such as incorrect page numbering or font usage, are considered sloppy errors.
Mastering content and format ensures that the ideas presented are clear, organized, and presented in a professional, academic manner.
For content, this includes having a clear thesis statement with supporting points and evidence, and for format, it means adhering to MLA guidelines for spacing and citations.
- Style rules are non-negotiable and include avoiding first/second person, contractions, sentence fragments, rhetorical questions, vagueness, and passive voice.
- Violating key style rules (like using first/second person) can result in an automatic 'F' for the style component.
- Grammar focuses on proofreading beyond spellcheck, correct punctuation (especially commas), capitalization, and avoiding run-on sentences.
- Passive voice is a key focus in 1102 and later papers in 1101; it's marked but not penalized in the first 1101 paper.
Attention to style and grammar demonstrates carefulness, professionalism, and clarity, which are crucial for effective academic communication.
Strict style rules include no first or second person language and no contractions, with violations leading to a significant penalty on the style grade.
- The instructor rejects the traditional 'start at 100 and deduct points' model, which can feel like a negotiation or punishment for imperfection.
- Instead, grading starts from an assumed average skill level (around 75 for a passing grade) and assesses how the paper performs relative to that baseline.
- The instructor does not assign specific point values to individual errors (like commas) because writing skills are not mechanically quantifiable.
- The goal is to help students improve by identifying strengths and weaknesses, not to penalize every mistake.
This approach encourages students to focus on developing their writing skills holistically rather than trying to 'game' a point system, fostering genuine improvement.
Instead of losing points for a comma error, the instructor evaluates the overall skill level, recognizing that a comma's importance can vary contextually, much like the importance of brakes or turn signals when driving.
- Grades are assigned based on performance relative to the average student at that point in the course, with standards increasing as the semester progresses.
- Feedback is provided through marked-up papers, which highlight areas for improvement and demonstrate the reader's experience.
- The final grade is calculated based on the weighted importance of content, format, style, and grammar, with content often carrying the most weight (e.g., 55% in 1102).
- A high grade in one area (like content) can sometimes offset lower performance in another (like format), but execution is crucial.
Understanding how performance is evaluated and how different components contribute to the final grade helps students interpret feedback and strategize for future assignments.
A paper might receive a B for content, a solid B for format, an F for style due to rule violations, and a C for grammar, with the final grade reflecting the weighted average of these components.
- Common symbols used in feedback include PV (passive voice), VT (vague), RQ (rhetorical question), Frag (fragment), SP (spelling), WC (word choice), and Trans (transitions).
- Symbols like 'develop' (often indicated by a checkmark or specific notation) prompt students to elaborate on their points.
- Feedback is provided via scanned, marked-up papers, with the goal of immediate skill-based assessment rather than lengthy written critiques.
- Students are encouraged to use resources like Zoom hours and writing centers, and not to panic if disappointed with their first grade, as it's a learning process.
Knowing how to decode the instructor's feedback symbols is essential for understanding specific critiques and making targeted improvements in future writing.
Seeing 'PV' on a paper indicates the presence of passive voice, prompting the student to revise for more active sentence construction.
Key takeaways
- Grading focuses on assessing and improving writing skills, not just assigning points for errors.
- Content, format, style, and grammar are the four pillars of evaluation, each with specific expectations.
- Strict adherence to style rules is critical, as violations can significantly impact the grade.
- The grading system assumes students start at an average skill level and aims to help them progress beyond it.
- Feedback is designed to be constructive, guiding students toward better academic English.
- Understanding the instructor's feedback symbols is key to interpreting critiques and improving.
- Writing is a skill that develops over time; focus on learning from feedback rather than solely on the grade.
Key terms
RubricContentFormatStyleGrammarThesis StatementMLA FormatWorks CitedPassive VoiceSentence FragmentRhetorical QuestionWord ChoiceSkill-Based Evaluation
Test your understanding
- How does the instructor's grading philosophy differ from a traditional point-deduction system?
- What are the four main categories used to evaluate student papers, and what does each entail?
- Why are style rules considered non-negotiable, and what are some examples of critical style violations?
- How does the instructor's approach to grading encourage skill development rather than just error correction?
- What are some common symbols used in paper feedback, and what do they signify?