When Grading Is “Pointless”: A Case for Comments-Only Feedback

Credit: iStock.com/FG Trade
Credit: iStock.com/FG Trade

As educators who focus on facilitating meaningful learning and genuine reflection, we are painfully familiar with the questions students often ask that demonstrate anything but:

  • “How many points is this assignment worth?”
  • “Do you offer any extra credit?”
  • “Can you round up my grade?”
  • “What do I need to do to get an A?”

  • To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Related Articles

    I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
    Summer flexibility presents a pedagogical paradox of sorts. On the one hand, summer is the perfect time to...
    Early in my career, I interpreted most classroom problems at face value. A disengaged student seemed unmotivated. Missing...
    A business major must tell a teammate their work is jeopardizing a project. A nursing student listens as...
    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending.”...
    Curricula evolve. Disciplines shift. Programs respond to changing professional expectations and emerging competencies. In higher education, we give...
    We have all been there: sitting alone with a microphone, narrating slide after slide, wondering whether our students...

    Create a free account, or log in.

    Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Login here

    Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

    Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

    WELCOME OFFER

    $19.00 $14.00/month

    for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

    $19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

    Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

    You only have  free article views remaining.

    WELCOME OFFER

    $19.00 $14.00/month

    for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

    $19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.