Instruction and delight in marking

Soon, I’ll be in receipt of 22 assignments;  dealing with these is at the core of what I’m paid to do on this course; I should reckon on spending not more than an hour on each assignment in total (unrealistic, I’m know);  I am expected do this within 14 days of the cut-off; and this is a very part-time job (though with peaks and troughs of work).

I am looking forward to it.

I don’t think I’ll be doing much, if any, ‘instruction’ – dastardly word! No, I’ve signed up to the idea that teachers should be ‘not the sage on the stage, but the guide on the side’.  At this level, if students lack study skills or understanding of the course ideas, I expect to be pointing them in the right direction – probably to specific parts of the OU study skills resources or of the  course materials.

I don’t like to think of my job as just ‘marking’ either.  As a veteran of 11 OU courses myself, I have to admit that it is always the score that grabs my attention. After all, that is what helps determine the student’s final result. But students are entitled to constructive comments as well.  I aim to provide  feedback/feedforward to help appreciate their strengths and possible areas for development – and that is surely teaching.

So I am left with a job that is  ‘delight in teaching’, aren’t I? Hmm, perhaps the logic is failing a little here – there’s certainly some delight, as I enjoy the fruit of students’ hard work. I know I’ll learn a lot. But responding helpfully is a real challenge.

How will I tackle it in practice?  My plan at the moment is:

• divide up assignments into three groups, according to essay option chosen
• read each through quickly for an impression, and put them in a preliminary order
• start with what seem likely to be the top scorers and comment my way through each group
• compare my scoring across from one group to the others, to standardise across essay titles
• reread my detailed comments – any striking omissions, errors or infelicities?
• complete the summary feedback for each assignment
• send the work back, with invitations to students to feedback on my feedback
• respond to any student feedback
• deal with any assignments that come in late
• reflect on the whole process, and identify any useful pointers both for the next TMA, and for this TMA for the next group of students.

How long will it take me? How much more than 22 hours? I wonder if I dare keep a log.

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An apology to those of you who read my magic wand post about Zotero bibliographic management software:  I’ve since realised its spells don’t solve everything. Sorry. I’ve added a note to that post.