Orientation for GTAs—GTA Preparation for Grading and Responding to

Undergraduate Writing

Sue DoeAssistant Professor of English

Colorado State UniversitySue.Doe@colostate.edu

Overview of OrientationDay One• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways writing integration• A Sample Assignment--Overview• International Student Writing• GTA panel Day Two• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria, applying criteria,

revising criteria—and why• Analytic scoring—strategies and choicesDay Three• Commenting/responding to student writing• Common problems students have with academic writing;

grading and responding as part of the instructional team• Interventions through peer review, conferences, office hours

Day One

• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways writing integration

• A Sample Assignment—Overview

• International Student Writing

• GTA panel

Day 2• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria,

applying criteria, revising criteria—and why

• Analytic scoring strategies and choices– standard rubrics– anchor papers– continuum approach

• Writing @ CSU (online resources)

• The CSU Writing Center

Day Three• Commenting & responding to student writing

• Common problems students have with academic writing; grading and responding as part of the instructional team

• Interventions through peer review, conferences, office hours

• The TILT Teaching Certificate

Local Writing Resources• http://writing.colostate.edu

– Google search possible on virtually any writing topic. Over 100K pages of writing information, most authored at CSU.

– Writing tools available through Writing Studio-keep track of your drafts, your biblios, your reading, etc. Same tools available for undergrads and others

• http://writing.colostate.edu/gtPathways– specialized resources to support your efforts with your

assistantship

• The Writing Center and WAC – Visit Eddy 6 (The physical writing center) or submit papers

electronically for feedback– Request a workshop on any writing subject

What it is, where it came from

gtPathways

State Guaranteed Transfer: gtPathways

• gtPathways Curriculum Adopted as part of the CCHE (now CDOE) Academic Affairs Policy I, Part L: Statewide Transfer Policy.

• Built upon concepts found in the Student Bill of Rights (a.k.a, the King Bill), § 23-1-125 C.R.S: “The Commission, in consultation with each Colorado public

institution of higher education, is directed to outline a plan to implement a core course concept”

“The core of courses shall consist of at least thirty credit hours, but shall not exceed forty credit hours”

“Individual institutions of higher education shall conform their own core course requirements with the guidelines developed by the Commission…”

One Policy Goal of gtPathways

Students shall have assurance of:

“A quality general education experience that develops competencies in reading, writing, mathematics, technology, and critical thinking through an integrated arts and science experience.”

Adams State College: Faculty Senate agreed to adopt gtPathways curriculum for institutional general education curriculum

Fort Lewis College: Restructuring entire general education curriculum to meet gtPathways requirements; modifying junior-level writing courses to meet gtPathways requirements (i.e., 200-level)

University of Northern Colorado: Charting the Future; reducing general education course offerings to 60-70 courses; restructuring curriculum to meet gtPathways curriculum

Colorado State University: Integrating writing into general education AHUM and SOCS courses (20% - 25% of grades in writing assignments); adding 3 credit hours in AHUM

Major Changes to Colorado Colleges and Universities

Memorandum of UnderstandingMEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTSWRITING IN AUCC COURSES IN LIBERAL ARTS

Effective Fall 2007All AUCC courses in Categories 3B, C, D and E of the core must satisfy the following requirements regarding writing. These must be clearly stated on the syllabus for the course.

1. Goals for writing in AUCC courses: There are two goals for writing assignments in AUCC courses: (1) to improve students’ comprehension of course content(2) to improve students’ proficiency in writing.

Note (1): Both of these goals are best achieved when students receive feedback on their writing assignments and have an opportunity to make use of that feedback.

MOU continued…2. Writing requirements:• At least 25 percent of the course grade must be based on

written work that satisfies the following:– At least one writing assignment must be an out-of-class

piece of written work (2)– In-class written work, such as on exams, must be in the

form of essays

• Note (2): While this represents a minimum standard, to maximize the benefits to students of more writing multiple opportunities to write and respond to feedback are recommended, such as:

• Several out-of-class writing assignments.OR

• One or more rewrites of an out-of-class writing assignment.

MOU continued2. Writing Requirements (continued)• Expectations of written work must be clearly stated on the

syllabus. Among other things the instructor considers appropriate, those expectations should include students demonstrating: (3)

– The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and coherently.

– The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of others.

– The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate sources, and reference sources appropriately.

– Competence in standard written English.• Note (3): Instructors should use their own discretion in

communicating to students the relative importance of the various expectations in their own writing assignments in terms of how they will be graded.

MOU continued3. Plagiarism Statement:

• More writing in AUCC courses also brings the risk of increased incidents of plagiarism. It is strongly recommended that instructors have a statement in their syllabus that clearly states that plagiarism in not acceptable and is a form of academic dishonesty.

• Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. As per university policy “Any student found responsible for having engaged in academic dishonesty will be subject to an academic penalty and/or University disciplinary action.”

• The CSU General Catalog defines plagiarism are follows:

“Plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, ideas, or thoughts of another, and representing them as one’s own without proper acknowledgement. Examples include a submission of purchased research papers as one’s own work; paraphrasing and/or quoting material with properly documenting the source.”

Copies of Written Competency Guidelines of College of Liberal Arts

MOUSimply send an email request to:

Sue.Doe@colostate.edu Say: Please send MOU

What Matters in College Writing?

• Write for 5 minutes about – the qualities of writing that you believe all first-year college

students should develop—essential abilities they’ll need– your beliefs about student writing ability right now and what

that belief is based upon– the kinds of support students need to improve– where, how, and when writing instruction should be given in

college contexts• Put your name on this piece of paper as you’ll be turning

it in. Bring to front table at the end of session today or at a break.

• Discuss your beliefs with 2-3 neighboring people

Grading—Becoming Part of the Instructional Team

• Support and instruction, formative feedback vs. justification of the grade

• Consistency and fairness• Criteria-based grading vs. norming• Time management through Hierarchies of

Rhetorical Concern• Holistic and Analytic Evaluation

Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns

Audience, Purpose, Occasion

Focus: Thesis, Reasons, Unity/Coherence

Development: Reasons, Evidence, Explanation

Style/Mechanics/Conventions: Readability, Care and Polish, Patterns of Error

Hierarchical Concerns Detailed

Audience • Who is the writer’s audience? Is this an

academic audience? What are the expectations?

Purpose• Is this piece of writing intended to inform?

Analyze? Explore? Summarize? Argue? Development• What kinds of evidence does the audience

expect? Does the context demand clarification through examples, data, etc.?

Hierarchical Concerns continuedOrganization• Is the writing organized in a coherent way?• Do transitions guide the reader through the logic of the

paper?Style and Conventions• What style is appropriate for the context in terms of

audience and purpose? What register or level of formality Is appropriate? (For instance, can the writer use “I” in this context?)

• Are there locations where the writing is hard to follow or comprehension is disrupted? If so, can I discern why?

• Are there patterns of error showing any of the Top Five DASTARDLY SENTENCE ERRORS—1) subject–verb agreement, 2) run-on and fragmented sentences, 3) unclear or incorrect pronoun agreement, 4) verb tense inconsistencies, 5) weak comma use

Grading For What Matters—Purposes of Assignments

What is the TASK being required by the assignment—to inform, to explore, to convince, to describe, to compare, to summarize, to persuade? Find the VERB or VERBS and you’ll know the task.

Is this • a thesis-provided paper for which students must defend of refute? • a problem-solution paper in which students are given a problem or

question that demands a thesis and support? Is • a data-provided paper for which students are expected to analyze and

explain? • a genre-provided paper, in which students are expected to follow an

organizational structure or format in an accepted form, such as a memo, case study, lab report, or executive summary?

• write-to-learn or write-to-engage writing for which students are expected to explore and/or develop their thinking rather than to produce a polished paper?

• an in-class essay, reflecting comprehension of course material?

The Assignment: HI 151 Spring 2009 U.S. History Since 1877

Assignment #2

Answer the following question regarding the Great Depression based upon a careful reading of

McElvaine’s book Down & Out in the Great Depression

HI151 Writing Assignment 2

The Great Depression was the most severe economic depression that the U.S. has ever experienced. The period’s deprivations affected all Americans in some way and helped to exacerbate the gap between the rich and poor, the comfortable and the destitute. One of the biggest factors that influenced people’s responses to the Great Depression was their position in society, their class. Did working class Americans’ attitudes and actions toward the Great Depression and the New Deal differ from those of middle-class Americans? If so, why, and if not, why not?

Recommendations provided with assignment sheet

Organize your paper as follows:

1.Introduction: In a short paragraph, clearly state your argument that directly answers the question. Give a general statement about why or why not attitudes and actions differed between the groups

Recommendations, continued2. In 2-3 paragraphs give pertinent and

appropriate examples from the book and the letters that support your contention. These must be carefully chosen and described with some detail. With each example, explicitly explain how your example proves your point. These sentences should serve as the topic sentences of the paragraphs that include your examples. Avoid vague generalities and do not use direct quotes from the book. Show us you have read the book.

Recommendations, continued3. Conclusions: In a final paragraph, discuss your

argument’s implications for how we can define “class” in America. If you argue that attitudes and actions did not differ between the two classes, can we say that classes exist in America? Are we a classless society? Are there values that unite all Americans, regardless of socioeconomic position? Or, if differences do exist, how do we distinguish between them? What defines the working class from the middle class?

Additional Advice Given Students

• Think about the question on each book given in class. Review your notes on the book with the question in mind.

• Determine your answer to the question and organize your argument into an outline before writing

• Write your paper following your outline. Your outline and subsequent paper should follow the format described on the assignment sheet

• Your paper must be two double-spaced pages that are handed in at the time of the discussion

Grading—HI 151Papers will earn a letter grade that considers the following

components:1. The clarity of the argument. Does the student state his/her

contention in the introduction and does he/she prove it with good examples from the book?

2. The appropriateness and description of the examples used. Does the student only generally describe or does he/she provide detail and explanation of the examples? Has the student read the book?

3. The organization of the essay: Is the essay well organized and well written?

4. Proper grammar and spelling. Work from an outline and carefully edit your own writing.

Holistic Process

• In groups of three, do a “read-around” of the set of three papers you now have. Sort High, Medium, and Low.

• Before you begin reading the sample papers, read through the Holistic Scoring Rubric for a Thesis-Restricted Paper.

Sort, Read, and Comment (or Stop, Drop, and Roll)

You would apply the same strategy if you had a set of papers here. You would skim through the set of papers. While this sounds like a time-consuming extra step, it actually saves you time in the long run.

Here’s what you might do if you had that stack:– Sort into three stacks—high, medium, low– If possible, stack within categories (High + and High -) so that you

have 6 stacks– Read with hierarchy of concerns in mind– Provide an end comment that is forward-looking and focused– Substantiate end comment with a few marginal comments

As you arrive, Select Paper 1, 2, or 3 according to

your last nameIf your name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1If your name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2If your name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3

Write to Engage

• What was the most helpful feedback you’ve ever gotten on a piece of writing?– What made it helpful?

• What was the least helpful feedback you’ve ever gotten on a piece of writing?– What made it less than helpful?

• As you hear others’ experiences, what generalization(s) can you draw?

GRADING

Remember: you are only assigning a grade; students earn those grades.

You do not GIVE grades. They do not GET grades.

Consider using a 24-hour moratorium and a conference appointment system for grade protests

Ask Your Faculty Supervisor:

Are you allowed to return a paper ungraded in the case of careless or unacceptable work with a 24-hour window of opportunity before default to F?

Use a scoring tool to assist with grading

Consider Three Approaches1) standard rubric 2) benchmark and anchor papers3) continuum approach

Approach #1: Anchor PapersConsider writing an evaluation criteria paragraph that explains

what’s necessary to earn a C paper on this assignment. In other words, what MUST a paper accomplish to be deemed “adequate” and to exceed this lowest, acceptable standard?

--The C paper has a clear thesis or focus, shows a satisfactory degree of development /support of points, and is reasonably easy to read/follow

--The B paper does everything the C paper does but goes further to provide deeper development of points, a more satisfactory selection of evidence, a coherent structure/organization, and a more compelling set of insights

--The A paper does everything the B paper does but goes further to provide a more unified, fully developed, and polished paper that is a pleasure to read because it offers good insights that are expressed well

It can be useful to distribute or post this explanation

Approach #2: Standard Rubric as Scoring Tool

Component Parts• Assignment itself• Dimensions/priorities/criteria • Scale with levels of achievement. Levels can be

continuums or reflect categories such as “proficient,” “competent,” “needs work.” Can associate levels with points

• Specific commenting room/space* Be careful to not create a checklist effect. Remember that meaningful quality indicators are needed. Too much detail can create student confusion & grader anguish!

Rubric that Combines Holistic and Analytic Features

Dimension Excellent Competent Needs Work

Clarity and accuracy of article

summary Focus of response

Development, Organization & Coherence of

Response Readability, Mechanics,

Source Citation Grade: ___ Overall Comment:

Steps for Creating Standard Rubrics or Scoring Sheets

• List key elements/features to assess, based on course and assignment objectives

• Refine and simplify key elements, then consider their relative importance or weight

• Place most important dimension at the top • Do a common sense check to see if weighting of criteria is

meaningful. Avoid points. Percentages are better but keep them broad. Too much refinement can lead to “grade-grubbing.”

• Decide if you will comment on the rubric or on the paper itself. Commenting itself is not optional.

• If using rubric, decide if you’ll give feedback on all criteria or only on certain ones, as well as in an end comment

• Make clear where the overall grade appears

Analytic Rubric for HI151 PaperThe clarity of the argumentThe appropriateness and description of the examples usedThe organization of the essayProper grammar and spelling.

Dimension and Weighting

Excellent

Competent Developing Score & Dimension

86.5%

Argument-thesis present and maintained-50%

X A- 45

Evidence—use of text examples—30%

X B 25

Organization- structure 15%

X- C 13

Grammar-5% X- C- 3.5

Does this work?What are the

problems?

Note Differences—Does this work? Dimension & Weight—100 point paper

Excellent Competent Developing Score & Dimension—93% (B) or96% (A)

Argument –Thesis Established and Maintained—60 points possible

X Comment about strength of the argument here

57 (95%) or59 (98%)

Text Evidence Well Selected and Organized—30 points possible

X Comment on well-chosen evidence that helps the argument

28.5 (95%) or29 (98%)

Paper polished Grammar and Mechanics—10 points possible

X Comment on PATTERNS of error here

7.5 (75%)

Consider the Point in the Semester & Feedback Opportunities

• If there are several pieces of writing assigned or if feedback is given with opportunity for revision, then consider that you may shift the expectations for a rubric – Early in the semester, students will need to learn

about focusing and providing a clear thesis. Later the emphasis can shift to development

• If there is only one paper assigned, then there are fewer opportunities to make these changes in priorities

Revision Feedback—early semesterDimension and

Quality Excellent Competent Developing Feedback

Argument-thesis present and maintained

X You are getting the right idea; See notes about clarity

Evidence—use of text examples

X You are not using enough text support

Organization- structure

Not ready for ranking

Grammar X Work on comma splices

Approach #3: The Continuum Approach

Once you have determined the most important aspects or criteria for grading, consider using a continuum to describe where the student is in their application of this criteria. This avoids the oft-times awkward approach of assigning points with criteria-based evaluation.

Example (criteria 3) from the Washington State U “Critical

Thinking Guide”: Identifies and considers salient perspectives and positions

important to the issue’s analysis Scant Substantial ----------------------------------------------------------------

Grading Criteria Listed on the HI 151 Assignment Sheet

1) Clarity of argument and organization2) Quality of analysis. You need to make your

position on the issue clear. Provide arguments that are supported by information (i.e., evidence)

3) Quality of writing. Your ideas need to be clearly expressed. This includes proper spelling, grammar, expression of ideas, and citation of sources

Apply One of the 3 Scoring Systems

Number off 1-3 and prepare to do ONE form of scoring

Write a description of your scoring procedure for this assignment

Show others in your group the way your application would look or how it would be described for students

Select best example of 1, 2, 3 and show whole group

Discussion

• Which forms of scoring do you like best or do you like pieces of each kind?

• Would you combine strategies from the three approaches?

• What strategy do you think you’ll take with grading, if you’re allowed to choose your own method?

• What recommendations would you make to others about scoring?

Minute Paper and the Muddiest Point

• Write for one minute about the most important strategy you learned today

• Write for one minute about some topic from today’s session that you’re unclear about or would like more information on

As you arrive, Select Paper 1, 2, or 3

If your name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1If your name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2If your name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3

Managing Your Time Through a 3-Part End Comment

1. Sum up the strengths of the paper2. Identify the main problems to be worked on3. Provide a specific suggestion for how to improve the paper,

based on the main problem(s) already identified

And Remember:• You can’t respond to everything in a paper.• There are real people on the receiving end.• Comments are not principally for “justifying” a grade. Your

are providing formative feedback students can use with the next paper, even if it’s not in this class.

• Consider using questions in your marginal comments.

Peer Review of Comments1. Identify the major strength your partner noted in this paper. What locations did the

GTA point out to substantiate this claim of strength?How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?

2. Identify the guidance or advice your partner noted as a central concern in this

paper. What locations did your partner identify to substantiate the claim of “needs improvement” How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?

3. Identify the concrete suggestion for improvement that your partner noted. Would an undergraduate understand this advice and be able to follow it? How accurate do you believe this advice is?

4. Characterize the tone/attitude of feedback your partner has provided. Could it be improved and if so, how?

5. Are your partner’s comments forward-looking and formative in nature or do the comments seem defensive, as if justifying the grade?

HOW MIGHT YOU USE PEER REVIEW (IN-CLASS OR ELECTRONIC) TO INTERVENE IN STUDENTS’ WRITING PROCESSES? DISCUSS IDEAS WITH

YOUR FACULTY SUPERVISOR

Reminder: You Are Managing Your Time By Choosing Your Battles

• Apply minimal marking technique • Avoid becoming your students’ copy editor as that is NOT

your job and error correction is not instructional. Remember you are part of the instructional team, not an editor.

• To instruct students on grammar issues, look for patterns of error or try to characterize error if you feel it is impeding the student’s message. Work with a Top 5 list of errors.

• Severe cases should represent <2% of papers. For these, you may need additional support. – Non native speaker/writer issues: tenses, dropped articles,

strings of sentences arranged the same– Learning Disabilities: misspellings even with spell check,

omitted words, homonyms• Carelessness: Consider a “return to sender” policy on first

occasion or the “R” grade. Must be approved by professor and not all will believe this is a good idea.

Commenting Advice• “The writing teacher’s ministry is not just to the

words but to the person who wrote the words.” --William Zinsser

• “The best kind of commentary enhances the writer’s feeling of dignity. The worst kind can be dehumanizing and insulting—often to the bewilderment of the teacher whose intentions were kindly but whose techniques ignored the personal dimension of writing.”

--John Bean

Responding to WTL/WTE and Threaded Electronic Discussions (aka Discussion Forums)

• If being used, you have basic decisions to make/discuss with prof about how to read and assess– Will you skim every entry and give whole-class feedback?– Will you read a random sample/scheduled group and give feedback to

sample?– Will you decide in advance how many times over semester you will read and

respond to each student?• Then generate accountability

– Select good examples to show as models– Use a check mark system for recording—participation?– Observe length of responses– Provide prof with your observations to share with whole class– Discourage “texting” shortcuts in posts and for in-class writing– Expect and enforce a standard of courtesy and academic professionalism.

Contact people on first evidence of discourteous shared writing. Be prepared for “confessions” of adolescent behavior

Common Manifestations of Early Academic Writing

• And Then writing—chronological structure • All About writing—everything but the kitchen

sink• Data Dump writing—no discernable structure,

revealing a student overwhelmed with information; patching together of quotes

Did you see any of these in the sample papers?

Revision Processes and Strategies for GTA Intervention

Early, mid and late interventions• Early

– Topic proposal (subject, topic, issue, question)– Research question + tentative thesis– Seminal source description

• Mid– Annotated bibliography (text partners) or source evaluation– Summary and response to one source– Quote and paraphrase sheet for one source– Introduction review, especially if multiple sources. Use “templates” for

entering conversation– Prospectus in full sentences (one page)

• Late– Full draft workshop on one paper– Full draft peer review on all papers– Conference—writers talk about the draft they bring and revision plan

What are the questions you’ll ask your prof?

E608 – Integrating Writing in the Disciplines

Ask Yourself: How can helping undergraduates with their writing

benefit my own?

E608 Guided by Questions•Week 1: Why is writing important to thinking? •Week 2: Why do students write as they do? How do writing

assignments connect to thinking? •Week 3: What IS plagiarism and what are some responses

to it? •Week 4: Where does grammar fit it? What do I need to know?•Week 5: What are the challenges I face as a graduate writer? What have I learned about writing that applies to my own work?

E608

Fall Semester 2009 • Section 1 7:45-9:00 TR—8/24-9/27—Eddy 119• Section 2 4:00-5:15 TR—8/24-9/27—Eddy 9• Section 3 12:30-1:45 TR—8/24-9/27—Shepherdson

120• Section 4 12:30-1:45 TR—9/28-11/1—ENGR B 103

The E608 Topics• Academic writing and thinking—what students do in their writing, what

students can learn• Intervening in student writing processes and getting students to your

office• Designing and conducting peer reviews—electronically or in-class. Peer

processes for grad students• Error Pattern Analysis and dealing with students’ mechanical errors• Engagement Writing (threaded electronic discussions or in-class) vs. In-

class graded writing, the essay exam• The Non Native Speaker as Writer• Student source usage, citation conventions, and plagiarism prevention• Genres, discourse communities, professional writing in the disciplines• Your assignments, papers, comments, & challenges• The graduate student as writer

Feedback on Session1. What “stuck” from this week’s training? What will you use?2. Was the training too short, too long, or about right? 3. What aspects of your GTA position are you looking forward

to?4. What parts of your GTA position most concern you? 5. Would you seek out help from Sue on these issues?6. Will you use the CSU writing web site? the gtPathways web

site?7. Would you benefit from support for your writing? 8. Would you read an occasional one-page newsletter on

writing integration if it came to you electronically? If so, what sorts of topics would be valuable?