The grading thread

[Sun_Worshiper]

I'm only teaching one course at the moment, so not too much grading to do as the semester wraps up. I do have to grade about 20 essays (hopefully) by Monday, then will grade the final exam next week/weekend. From there, I'll just need to add up all the points and submit final grades.

[mamselle]

You could do the count-down thing some people used to do on the PA thread:

20  19  18  17 ....etc., lining them out each time one was finished, or lining out two or three at a time if you got on a roll and got a batch done at once.

M.

[OneMoreYear]

After the 5 virtual meetings that will occur from 9-2 today (waiting for my student to show up in current one), I need to grade about 20 relatively quick assignments for one class, then begin the slog through 15 research paper drafts.  I was informed that my feedback on the 1st round of drafts was "disheartening." I do not think this bodes well.

[mamselle]

There's a balance between their expectations and yours, and you're the instructor.

Maybe always putting a positive statement before a negative one, or sandwiching them, making it clear that the negatives need to be addressed, but that there are strong positives to build on, could help?

Or maybe you already know and do this and they're just being whiny.

Sometimes it's hard to tell. Good luck.

M.

[OneMoreYear]

There's a balance between their expectations and yours, and you're the instructor.

Maybe always putting a positive statement before a negative one, or sandwiching them, making it clear that the negatives need to be addressed, but that there are strong positives to build on, could help?

Or maybe you already know and do this and they're just being whiny.

Sometimes it's hard to tell. Good luck.

M.

Yes, we try to have some positives. They are grad students. They clearly did not spend enough time writing. So, yes we want to tell them what was good and what to build on, but some of them needed a reality check that these papers were not up to standard.

[mamselle]

Yikes, I missed the grad student part.

The velvet gloves don't have to be quite so plush, then.

M.

[OneMoreYear]

Yikes, I missed the grad student part.

The velvet gloves don't have to be quite so plush, then.

M.

I did not specify. Sorry, not cranky about your comment.  I realize they are stressed also. We have made adjustments (moved deadlines, some work moved to in-class, I've held multiple virtual check-in hours for questions). Some did a great job and will need to make relatively minor revisions. They showed it can be done. I admit that I do not own velvet grading gloves (for my grad students). But, that is my reputation (confirmed by one of my TAs this year)--would not want to shock them too much by being too nice, right?  Back to grading pile . . .

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Grading these Astronomy free response questions has made me lose IQ points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQCU36pkH7c

[nonsensical]

I got another stack of things to grade and have graded about a fourth of them so far. Once I'm done with these, there will be another stack. And then the semester will be over.

[AvidReader]

If I can grade 5 more essays tonight, I will have only 200 left for the semester (and 18 works cited pages and 34 annotated bibliographies). Does that even count as "the end is in sight"?

Warm thoughts to everyone else worrying away at the grading piles tonight.

AR the weary

[Langue_doc]

Me the weary as well.

The grading isn't too bad, but I have to write detailed comments and also remind some of the students to review feedback already given for previous assignments. Some of them keep repeating the same mistakes, thinking I won't notice that I've already commented on these.

[Parasaurolophus]

If I can grade 5 more essays tonight, I will have only 200 left for the semester (and 18 works cited pages and 34 annotated bibliographies).

*laugh-crying*


I'll be right there with you once I work up the courage to start looking at the essays!

[Sun_Worshiper]

Today I will try to grade 20 exams and, with that, I'll be completely done with my grading for this semester (except to put the letter grades to the system so they post on students' transcripts).

[Langue_doc]

My stack's dwindling, but there's another one to tackle later today.

[OneMoreYear]

Today I will try to grade 20 exams and, with that, I'll be completely done with my grading for this semester (except to put the letter grades to the system so they post on students' transcripts).

If you are bored after today, I've got a set of exams, two sets of papers, and a set of individual skill lab check-outs  still to go. Happy to send some your way.

Me the weary as well.

The grading isn't too bad, but I have to write detailed comments and also remind some of the students to review feedback already given for previous assignments. Some of them keep repeating the same mistakes, thinking I won't notice that I've already commented on these.

Agreed. I can grade these pretty quickly. It's the comments that take forever, though I am doing a lot of cut and paste of this comment: You have not yet made the revisions requested on the previous draft. Please review comments on Draft #1 before submitting your final paper.