| Undergraduate | Graduate |
I believe along with Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Alfie Kohn, and many researchers and educators that grades and grading student work for the purpose of ranking works directly against my objective of trying to fan or re-kindle the flame of the lust for learning that was once in all of us.
My purpose in evaluating your work is to demonstrate a different standard and help you to learn self-evaluation against that standard. That is to me the only worthwhile reason to grade your work - to aid self-improvement.
I assume that all my students are capable of making an 'A' grade. I also realize that sometimes, one or more of them will not reach that objective in the time allowed. Where time and student schedules allow, I permit students to turn in drafts for comment and return at least one week prior to the project or report due date, and even to reaccomplish major papers that are less then 'A' quality. I do not contest the fact that my standards are, in essence, largely subjective. I believe that my standards and skill as a facilitator of student learning are two of the reasons I continue to be selected to teach courses for any university.
Students concerned with slow progress, should seek help before getting into grade trouble. Contact me, your instructor, early. "Incompletes" will not be given unless thoroughly justified and backed up by a contract negotiated with the instructor allowing for completion within four weeks.
Hopefully the following will give you a better idea of what I look for in an 'A' quality paper or report and what characteristics result in lower marks :
A - work which shows subject matter proficiency that sets the student apart from the vast majority of her/is peers; both explicit and implicit linking of course material with other knowledge and experiences; written and problem-solving work possesses an extra quality of initiative, independence or originality to distinguish it from the ordinarily good and demonstrates a mastery of communications and language arts skills with no significant technical problems; quantitative and problem-solving work shows mastery of both technique and insight.
B - work which shows subject matter proficiency that sets the student significantly above the majority of students of the subject; implicit linking (few explicit links) of course material with other knowledge and experiences; written work is an example of correct analysis and synthesis, shows a grasp of fundamentals, has sound logical structure with well-supported arguments, and is clear, complete and ,hopefully, also concise. This is the highest grade possible for any written work with serious technical language problems (grammar, spelling, usage, penmanship, etc.) or quantitative or problem-solving work that shows serious analytical or synthetic deficiencies.
C - work which shows subject matter proficiency significantly better than could be obtained by guessing; written work achieves the major objective, is organized and logical, but fails adequately to support assertions/generalizations with examples and references. It may also be either over-simplified or over-complicated. This is the highest grade possible where technical language problems (grammar, spelling, usage, penmanship, etc.) interfere with the communication process or where deficient quantitative or problem-solving skills interfere with comprehension.
D - work which shows subject matter proficiency only slightly better than that which could be demonstrated by educated guessing; written work which shows minimum proficiency in college writing (e.g., poor, illogical sentences in a recognizable organization or good sentences in a disorganized structure, poor technical language skills, vocabulary, logic, development or coherence); quantitative or problem-solving skills of minimal proficiency for an adequate solution process.
F - work which shows subject matter proficiency less than or equal to that which could be demonstrated by educated guessing; written work which is distinctively bad, demonstrating an inability to communicate ideas effectively in writing; quantitative or problem-solving skills that are inadequate for an effective solution process.
| Undergraduate |
Hopefully the following will give you a better idea of what I look for in an 'A' quality paper or report and what characteristics result in lower marks :
A - work which shows subject matter proficiency that sets the student apart from the vast majority of her/is peers; both explicit and implicit linking of course material with other knowledge and experiences; written and problem-solving work possesses an extra quality of initiative, independence or originality to distinguish it from the ordinarily good and demonstrates a mastery of communications and language arts skills with no significant technical problems; quantitative and problem-solving work shows mastery of both technique and insight.
B - work which shows subject matter proficiency that sets the student significantly above the majority of students of the subject; implicit linking (few explicit links) of course material with other knowledge and experiences; written work is an example of correct analysis and synthesis, shows a grasp of fundamentals, has sound logical structure with well-supported arguments, and is clear, complete and ,hopefully, also concise. This is the highest grade possible for any written work with serious technical language problems (grammar, spelling, usage, penmanship, etc.) or quantitative or problem-solving work that shows serious analytical or synthetic deficiencies.
C - work which shows subject matter proficiency slightly better than could be obtained by guessing; written work may achieve some of the major objectives and be organized and logical, but fails adequately to support assertions/generalizations with examples and references. It may also be either over-simplified or over-complicated. This is the highest grade possible where technical language problems (grammar, spelling, usage, penmanship, etc.) interfere with the communication process or where deficient quantitative or problem-solving skills interfere with comprehension.
F - work which shows subject matter proficiency less than or equal to that that could be demonstrated by educated guessing; written work which is distinctively bad, demonstrating an inability to communicate ideas effectively in writing; quantitative or problem-solving skills that are inadequate for an effective solution process.
| Undergraduate | Graduate |
| Current Courses | Previous Courses | Course Guidance |
| Phil Richardson; prichard@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | Revised 13 June 2004 |