STREAMLINING GRADING FOR WRITING:  LESS WORK, MORE EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Matt Whelihan, Chair of EnglishKate Cottle, Chair of Literature and HumanitiesLiz Slater, English Instructor

WU’S GRADUATION COMPETENCIES

It is intended that students earning an undergraduate degree will demonstrate university level proficiency in the following areas:

Written CommunicationWrite with clarity and precision using correct English grammar: mechanics (punctuation) and usage (sentence structure and vocabulary).

Correctly and ethically present scholarly writings utilizing the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).

GRADUATION COMPETENCIES

All students must have these competencies as they complete their college careers.

It is the collective responsibility of all instructors to ensure that students have these competencies (Writing Across the Curriculum[WAC]).

Yet sometimes it is easy to be overwhelmed by essay grading: what to do?

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REDUCING GRADING TIMEHow can we better help our students eliminate the errors in their writing?

The answer is simple: put the responsibility of editing on the students.

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MAKE STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLEStudents can catch more than 60% of their own writing errors if they are:Taught to proofread

self-editread work aloudpeer edit

Peer-Review (Editing Buddy) before final paper is dueStanford University: “Save Time – Use Student Readers” (p. 3)

Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, University of Maryland

STRATEGY 1: HAVE STUDENTS READ THEIR WORK OUT LOUDHere is Duke’s handout University of Kansas proofreading suggestions to students: “Read your writing out loud, slowly and carefully. Doing so will help you catch errors that you might otherwise not see. Watch for places where you pause, stumble or re-read because those might be trouble spots. If something sounds strange as you read it, there is probably a reason why.” (2011)

It can also be helpful to read your writing out loud, sentence by sentence, from the end of your paper backwards to the beginning.

Also recommended by North Carolina University, Harvard, University of Massachusetts, SUNY.

STRATEGY 2: EDITING CHECKLISTSHave students fill out a checklist as they self-edit.

This strategy is recommended by Duke, SUNY, Colorado State University, University of New Hampshire, University of Portland

Here are three of the best: University of Victoria New Hampshire University Santa Barbara City College Walden University – APA

STRATEGY 3: EDITING BUDDIES

Southern Nazarene University writes:Develop a buddy system in which someone else proofreads everything you write. You know what you meant to say. Thus, although your eye sees

an error, it may not register in your mind. Having another person proof your papers makes it more likely that errors will be seen.

Other universities who follow this practice Stanford University of Maryland

STRATEGY 4: PROVIDE MODEL PAPERS AND RUBRICS

Given the rubric and a model paper when the assignment is madeYale – Social Science, Bioethics, History, and moreYale – Additional Sample Papers: Photography, Natural Science, Philosophy, Literature

Bedford St. Martin’s – Sociology, Nursing, Psychology, Reflection

University of Memphis – Psychology, Sociology, Religion

Purdue OWL – Sample APA Paper with annotationsUniversity of Illinois – Sample Business PaperHarvard Business School – Several Sample Papers

Yellow bordere

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EVIDENCE OF REVISIONRequire revision: The essay is marked by a flow and rhythm appropriate for academic writing.

Readability – sentences sound natural and fluid when read aloud.

The essay adheres to the standard conventions of mechanics, usage, and grammar (MUGs).

Then, ensure students show evidence of revisionLook at first and revised drafts side by sidePut in a grade cap for those who don’t revise

Final Note: Instructional Comments Ready to Cut and Paste

STRATEGY 5: RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

Every time an essay is assigned, have students write two drafts.

In between the first draft and the revised draft (and before you read anything), have the students make use of three resources: SafeAssign Student Success Center SmarThinking

Grammar & Documentation Review Essay Center – 1 Hour Review

SafeAssign (also can be enabled in your class) Blackboard Organizations: APA Wizards and Big MUGs Club

STRATEGY 6: RETURN ERROR-LADEN ESSAYS Look over a set of papers quickly and return error-laden essays for proofreading and correction. (Virginia Tech)

“Papers that have not been proofread are not worth your time to read. Anyone can miss a couple of misplaced commas or a spelling error or two per page, but you should not waste your time trying to read a paper riddled with errors the students was too careless to correct. Handle such situations with care: giving a paper back with nothing but a dismissive comment can do more harm than good. It is your job to help students understand how important it is to produce work appropriate for the audience – and that includes presenting good, clean, easily read text.” (University of Maryland)

STRATEGY 7: ORAL FEEDBACK OR CONFERENCESet time aside in class to conference with students Some conferences will be quick: answering 1-2 specific questions

If a full conference, there are some guidelines to follow Look at two structural elements and one grammatical

Grade in trends Keep the tone conversational Employ the compliment sandwich

Use Kaltura to give oral feedback

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TOOLS IN WORDTrack Changes

Grammatical feedback in text

Structural feedback in Comments

Auto Correct List of suggested Comments

Save as PDF to save formatting

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HOW TO HELP STUDENTS WITH WRITINGMake students accountable:

Read work aloudUse Student ReadersSelf-edit – checklistsRewrite Error-laden EssaysUse SmarThinking, the Student Success Center, and SafeAssign

Revise work based on instructor commentsConferencingTrack Changes

INDEX CARDHow can the College of Arts and Science help you?

Are there any writing topics that you would like offered in upcoming workshops?