by Rosalind Diaz, English Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2018 Grading rubrics are an invaluable teaching tool. Ideally, they promote fairness and transparency in assessment, and help students set reasonable goals, develop metacognition, and practice self-assessment. But a rubric can also act as a gatekeeper of knowledge. Vague, abstruse, or circularly Continue Reading >>
Researchers in college composition and second-language acquisition have a lot to say about correction and feedback strategies on student papers, especially when improvement of student writing skills is the dominant objective. In this workshop, GSIs will explore some of the research and, using samples of student writing, work on feedback strategies that Continue Reading >>
by Christian Lambert, Goldman School of Public Policy Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2016 Assessing student work is the household chore of any given course: important and useful, but often begrudged and disparaged, too. As an instructor in an introductory course that many students pursue in order to fulfill pre-requisites for Continue Reading >>
What are rubrics? Rubrics are scales in which the criteria used for grading or assessment are clearly spelled out along a continuum. Rubrics can be used to assess a wide range of assignments and activities in the classroom, from oral presentations to term papers to class participation. There are two Continue Reading >>
Grading can often be made more efficient and fair by articulating shared expectations and grading criteria before an assignment starts. Grading Policies Assignment Design Taxonomy of Learning Objectives: Explain What You Want Your Students to Do (pdf) Statement of Grading Criteria
GSIs sometimes see student papers that are dense with linguistic errors or lack basic rhetorical structures. Here are some effective ways to address the problems while also protecting your time.
Four important ways you can help students increase their mastery as writers.
by Rebecca Elliott, Sociology
In deference to the time they put into writing their exams, I spend considerable time writing up my reactions. I provide substantive feedback in the form of questions and comments, in both marginal notes and in a narrative paragraph…[but] how could I ensure that my students read, reflected, and internalized my feedback in a way that would improve their skills and enhance their learning?
Connecting grading to specific learning objectives, and developing a clear system for commenting, can make grading an easier and more strategic process.
Answers to GSIs’ most frequent questions about working with non-native-English-speaking writers.