Sample Essay Response and Grading Expectations<|endoftext|>

Sample Essay Response and Grading ExpectationsThis is a sample essay response and grading expectations guide for humanities students. Commonly accepted response patterns for students who take humanities courses are probably not at all the expectation that would be found in most college curricula.At the undergraduate level humanities courses can easily include projects that ask students to take part in a personal project. This may be a personal research project or perhaps a writing project. However, what we might want to avoid in some cases is a student handing in a manuscript that is peer reviewed, edited and then turned into a dissertation. And this is a mistake, not just for the grades that you may receive, but also for your relationship with your professors as well as other students in the class.It's easy to get caught up in all the original material that is being turned into a thesis. But if this happens then there is a good chance that you will have a hard time communicating in your final course. The focus of the assignment is usually on the actual text, which means that you will need to pay close attention to the grammar and spelling, punctuation and so on. However, if you are trying to create a work of scholarship then you really do need to become the person who masters the skill of reading, understanding and working out meaning.When you hand in your manuscript then there is likely to be more than one expected response from your professor. When you submit an essay through an online interface then you are considered to be a peer, i.e. you are expected to agree with your grades and your peer responses. Often this is the only interaction that your professor has with you, so it is important that you know how to deal with this if you feel that your professor is treating you unfairly.You should be able to write a response that does not seek to sabotage your student's grades. Generally speaking there is no right way to respond and your grade will be based on th e quality of your essay. This is a double edged sword however because you may find that you get more points for your peer response than for your actual performance in the course. And if you do not do yourself justice then the peer grade will reflect this and your teacher will come down on you hard.There are ways to get around this however. You could suggest that the grade that is issued for the specific essay be reduced by 50%. A reasonable request, especially if your student doesn't really know what to do about the grade and just accepts it without too much argument. Although this is more than a little bit odd it is also true that there are situations where a short letter like this might work to lighten the burden on the professor, particularly in the event that there is a genuine question about the grade.This kind of approach may also help if you have been hit too hard on the peer review response for the current assignment, especially if you are not doing too well on the project o r the essay. If you are not prepared to hand in a complete manuscript then a reduction in the grade might do the trick and you may be able to move forward with a different student to your students in the class.However, if you feel that your grade is unfair and you feel that your professor is making you feel that you have been short changed, then you should get in touch with the University Humanities office. The Office of the Dean of Students can offer advice on your case and then they can decide on the best course of action, taking into account the student's grade point average and the specific circumstances surrounding the error. This is why you will need to contact the Dean of Students to see if you are entitled to a review of your grade and they will be happy to be involved and explain what they can do for you.