Once You Have Your Paper Back
Q: Where is my grade?
It's written on the last page of your paper, provided there was room for me to write it there.
Q: I am not happy with my grade; I don't understand why I earned the grade I did. Can I come talk about it with you?
Yes, always. I will always be happy to talk with you about this kind of thing, at my office hours or at a separate appointment.
Q: What are all these little squiggles on my paper, like AWK, etc?
I use abbreviations for comments that I use over and over again in grading papers. Click here, or on the "Comment Decoder" link to the left, to see the key.
Q: Why does my paper have so many/so few comments?
I'll admit it; I am a commentaholic. I enjoy commenting on papers and providing lots of feedback to interested students and doing what I can to help students improve. My tendency has historically been to give too much feedback, so much that I am told that it sometimes gets in the way of students' learning. As a result, I am trying to avoid subjecting students to such a deluge and am trying to focus intently on the things that really matter most.
If your grade is especially low, you might have fewer comments because I got the impression that you didn't care very much about the essay as you were writing it. If your paper was handed in late, it will receive fewer comments (if any) than if it had been on time.
Q: Can I get more comments or feedback from you?
Yes! Remember that I am a commentaholic at heart. No matter why you received fewer comments than you'd have liked, please don't hesitate to contact me.