Last week we recalled some wise words from Candace on the subject of grading on our Facebook page. As we near the close of the semester, grading is likely to be one of the first things on your mind (somewhere amongst your own assignments, shoveling snow, and planning your winter vacation). Using a rubric can alleviate stress by keeping the grading process consistent. So too, it’s important to communicate with your supervisor to make sure your expectations align, and it’s equally important to then communicate those expectations to your students.

If you’re still looking for some guidance when it comes to grading, you might want to take a look at the treasure trove of links and resources Beth Koontz put together for Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching last fall. Koontz’s list has tips on everything from how to grade fairly to the differences between grading tests and lab reports. Here are a few of our favourites from Stanford University’s “Tips For Grading Essays”, one of the many resources Koontz identifies:

Survival Skill Tip: if you have a big stack of papers to grade (more than 30), pace yourself! Try to read no more than five papers a day so that you stay fresh and positive while grading.

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Grade when you’re in a good mood with energy and in a supportive environment. Even in Spring quarter when grades have to be turned around faster than usual due to graduation deadlines! If necessary, when in a rush, sacrifice detailed comments rather than overall quality of grading.

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Make comments on both papers and exams in the margin that:

are encouraging and affirming of good ideas
are constructively critical of problem areas
are in the form of questions so that you are in dialogue with the student’s ideas:

ex: “How does this quote support your claim?” instead of, “Irrelevant example”

ex: “How does this connect to the theme of______?” instead of, “Unclear”

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Make comments in pencil.

Even though we aren’t sure what “Spring quarter” is, we can say from experience that there is some useful advice in the comments above. There is more of where that came from, too. So check out Koontz’s list at http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2012/09/grading-workshop/.