Grading papers -- English langauge usage?

Question

Question for current teachers:
I recently graded student papers for my class and I was surprised at the amount of errors in their work. This is a college level class. While it is not an English class, they need to demonstrate appropriate English usage. How flexible should I be when grading their papers?? The errors were in almost every category: proper captialization, verb conjuncation, grammar, punctuation and spelling?? And how much should I deduct for these types of errors?

Answer 1

As a college instructor your job is to create professionals. Professionals use correct Standard American English. It is the language of commerce, money and success in our country. Explain to the students that while it may not be an English class, it is a class that is preparing them for their professional lives , creating their professional voice. Your homework and papers are not friendly emails, chats or letters where usage can be more informal. Keep the standard at where they will have to perform in the work world. I do teach college courses and high school courses. In the college we create a rubric and grammar, usage, and punctuation is between fifteen and twenty percent of the grade.

Answer 2

Speaking as a college professor myself, I can relate to your situation. I've also had students in non-English classes submit papers and assignments that are poorly written and/or loaded with spelling and grammatical mistakes.

That's why I have a section in my syllabus clearly telling students that there will be a deduction for these types of errors, and to make sure they always proofread and check their stuff before submitting. And I make sure to point this out day 1 and with each assignment involving writing. This way, students are prepared for it and realize they'll loose points if they don't double-check their work very carefully.

I also explain to them how important writing accuracy is in the working world. And how, in some cultures, writing poorly can even cost you business. Perfect example, I've known Japanese businessmen and women who took offense at our using poor grammar in e-mails.

But I am more lenient with international students where English is a second or third language to them. The interesting thing is that they often do better than Americans because they take more pride in doing well and learned proper grammar.

How many points to deduct is something nobody can tell you because it's a judgement call. But the MAIN thing here is for your students to understand and master the material you present. The writing is secondary, so I wouldn't go overboard.

But I definitely would deduct some points to send the message that although it's not an English class, writing is still important and must be checked very carefully or there will be consequences.

Answer 3

I would create a rubric to account for usage/mechanics errors and that would count for, lets say, 5-10 percent of their final grade. As someone said, this isn't high school and when they leave their university studies they will need to read and write English functionally. I would also require that they use grammar/spell check as well has have someone revise their paper. Most universities/colleges have writing centers where students can get free help.

Answer 4

In my past experience, I have always deducted points for misuse of the english language. I inform the class that grammar, spelling, and punctuation is 10% of their overall grade. If a person can understand the concepts of journalism (my area), they have to remember that the information they are providing is of no use without being able to understand it. I wouldnt deduct this time, but when returning the papers to the students, I would suggest this "from now on" speech. If you bring it to their attention and let them know they are being graded on the overall apperance of their work as well, it will keep your students well aware of their commonplace spelling and grammar mistakes. Best wishes

Answer 5

Hey!