Grading Writing Assignments
Grading writing assignments can certainly be challenging. Do most instructors use a rubric when grading these assignments? What elements would you include on that rubric and what kind of weight would you give to each of those elements?
Elizabeth,
Rubrics may help the HS graduates as well. May show that what is and will be expected of them in a college English class.
Shelly Crider
I do use a rubric when I am grading any written assignments, but my students are only HS graduates and they aren't required to take any English classes beyond that. It is difficult to read some of what they write, but I don't teach any English skills at all (I teach nursing skills). It can be difficult.
Amy,
I am glad you do emphasize the fact that research is not necessarily about proper English, but rather than just being able to do what you have been taught to do!
Shelly Crider
In the pharmacology courses I teach I assign one research paper per class. I am guilty of telling my students that this is not an English course, but when it comes down to the research paper, I emphasize the importance of proper grammar, spelling, topic and last but not least the target audience.
Abigail,
This is one that the students can really understand and know exactly what to look for.
Shelly Crider
This is a very nice rubric. I would grade the students on a 3 point scale: Exceeds, Meets, Does not Meet the standards above.
Linda,
I like the rubrics for guidelines for the students, but there are times when you have to work the rubric to a specific assignment.
Shelly Crider
I too use a rubric to grade writing assignments. Some days however, I feel that the rubric I use is not sufficient for my needs or for the needs of my students. I like the organization and wording of the elements found in your response. I believe that I will change mine.
Kiofa,
This is a much needed skill as well. With social media accepting and promoting bad grammar, this is a way to guide students.
Shelly Crider
This is a great question. I would like to know the same thing. Also, this (writing)challenges the professor to stay up to speed with all the changes to writing skills and assessments. I think grading writing assignments is a good way to correct students before they decide to go out into the world and use incorrect grammar/speech.
I also use rubrics for every writing assignment, the rubrics I use for those assignments vary based on the topic of the assignment. For a recent writing assignment in my Professional Development class on success the rubric I used was based on Organization, Mechanics and Grammar and completeness. It was a 60 point assignment ranging from "Professional Quality", "Adequate", "Needs Improvement", "Inadequate" and then each category is given a point value from 5-20 points. I think rubrics help guide the student through the assignment and they can focus on what is expected from the assignment in regard to content.
Rubrics are so helpful to the teacher/grading and for the students. It allows the teacher to be very clear of the requirements and exoectations and to communicate to the students what is expected or where they lacked.
I believe that using a rubric is helpful to the student that has a difficult time putting the assignment in an outline order and then to grade the paper, the rubric spells out and is specific enough for the student to really make sure they are completing the assignment correctly. If something is missing, you go with what is there and the student can't say that you did not grade it unfairly.
Melissa and Shelly,
In beginning English classes, I use a basic rubric. It looks at four items: Introduction (Did the intro effectively introduce the topic and provide a clear focus?); Body (Is it organized and complete?); Conclusion (Did the writer provide a satisfactory ending without introducing new info?); and GPUS (Grammar, Punctuation, Usage, and Spelling).
This makes it more manageable for students; and it allows me to provide constructive criticism on a part that was done well, but point out opportunities for improvement.
John Kavouras
Tammie,
Nice job....this gives the student a guideline to follow. I like that!
Shelly Crider
I use a rubric to grade it includes the usual grammar, spelling, punctuation and content but I add a creative element to it by challenging them to "sell me" on the topic. I use this element to evaluate how they thought outside the box and managed to get me to see their point of view.
Andrew,
I, too, like TurnItIn as it helps not only we instructors, but also the students!
Shelly Crider
Class,
I have found grading research papers to be a daunting task prior to my college integrating TurnItIn into the course. TurnItIn now allows us to efficiently notate strengths of the paper along with areas for improvement. It also provides an effective means to ensure students do not plagiarize. For the use of consistent grading, I do provide a rubric along with expectations of how the research paper should be presented. In addition, I provide students with an example research paper that I previously wrote in college which meets the requirements of the submission.
My university also uses a phased approach similar to mentioned in this course for students to progress through a research paper. The student first submits a topic, second submits an outline, third a draft, fourth a peer review, and finally a final submission.
Thanks,
Andrew
Ruth,
Students tend to either be tougher on themselves or think they are perfect. So the more we work with how to see our own work, the better the student will become. Good job.
Shelly Crider
