University writing instructors are no longer grading students' writing

Campus Reform ^ | January 28, 2022 | Antoinette Aho

[C19fan]

At Boston University, students are no longer graded on their writing, as Marisa Milanese and Gwen Kordonowy, explain in a recent article on the school's writing program's “‘ungrading’ movement.”

According to Milanese and Kordonowy in a recent column, out of 100 instructors in the Boston University program, “nearly half employed contract grading in some form this semester.”

Milanese and Kordonowy, a master lecturer and senior lecture, respectively, say they still comment on students’ writing, although, they “…no longer place a letter or number on anything they write. No As and Bs. No 82s or 94s.”

[C19fan]

I remember when Boston University was a pretty good school. Grade inflation was bad enough now we have Labor Theory of Value being applied to grading. If you participate enough you will get an A!!!

[Menehune56]

I’m old school of course but this is just beyond pathetic.

[crusty old prospector]

And people will gladly plop down their $50,000 for this.

[Obadiah]

From what I’ve seen in the professional world many people are borderline illiterate and cannot write a complete sentence. Writing a report or a cogent summary? Forget it. It’s laughable.

[BiglyCommentary]

Grading requires work, effort.

[reasonisfaith]

That way they can get paid without reading the assignments the students turn in.

[jjotto]

Judging from what I see in writing from the most prestigious traditional journals down to yesterday’s new blogger, nobody is grading or correcting anyone’s writing.

[windsorknot]

Let’s make college degrees worthless. Tuitions will still cost you an arm and a leg, however.

[Bayard]

University will also dispense degrees the same way they do toilet paper.

[TomGuy]

they still comment on students’ writing, although, they “…no longer place a letter or number on anything they write. No As and Bs. No 82s or 94s.”

I had a grad prof do this in an English course -- in 1972. Of course, at the conclusion of the semester he had to turn in 'grades' -- A thru F -- that the registrar would accept.

That was also around the time the P-F [Pass-Fail] grading became popular in many courses.

[ConservativeInPA]

Tuitions will still cost you an arm and a leg, however.

It will cost you and me an arm and a leg if they have their way. They want us, the taxpayers, to pay for their inferior product.

[Scrambler Bob]

many people are borderline illiterate and cannot write a complete sentence.
= = =

And if anyone does write a cogent statement, the rest cannot comprehend it.

[bak3r]

Went through the university system in the early 2010’s. Forced to take a theater class where we talked about George Bush more often then not. Forced to take a geography class where we colored maps with colored penciled (crayons are for high school). Major required 2 semesters of programming, where we used an extremely uncommon language, and had no access to computers. Didn’t get to go to the machine shop because it was shutdown due to budget cuts. Differential equations turned into a geopolitical class about the complexities surrounding Israel. Universities are not about learning, they are about the paper. We are forced to pay the $50,000 for the paper because getting and engineering job without it is essentially impossible. It was only a matter of time until it evolved into a system where you essentially just buy a degree.

[TomGuy]

Judging from what I see in writing from the most prestigious traditional journals down to yesterday’s new blogger, nobody is grading or correcting anyone’s writing.

Misuses are also showing up in speech/conversation -- movies, TV programs [talk and scripted], talk radio, etc. It is especially annoying in 'scripted' TV because it means someone had to write the script that way.

[I want the USA back]

Merit and achievement have been thrown away - because certain specially-privileged groups fail and refuse to achieve, instead blaming their failures on the people who are smart and work hard.

And yet, even though they get everything handed to them on a silver platter, they still hate us!

[BBQToadRibs2]

I’m 24 years in Corp America. Whenever I mentor a recent University Grad, they struggle with putting together an articulate professional email. I can give them even a template form letter outgoing to customers they just need to tweak to customize to that specific client, and they manage to still use slang. I can highlight what’s not correct, show them appropriate language, and I’ve even been told “It’s fine”. NO, I’m telling you it’s not fine.

I’d hazard a guess that 1 out of 5 Grads I mentor make it through. The rest quit with no notice because they couldn’t learn and adapt.

[Nifster]

Isn’t that where AOC went?

[Gaffer]

This is the University from which Alexandra Occasional-Cortex got her degree, wasn’t it?

[Chewbarkah]

Numerical and alphabetic grading mitigates (but does eliminate) subjectivity. Can’t get in the way of that, now can we...

[Reily]

“....Major required 2 semesters of programming, where we used an extremely uncommon language, and had no access to computers. Didn’t get to go to the machine shop because it was shutdown due to budget cuts. Differential equations turned into a geopolitical class about the complexities surrounding Israel.....”

1. When were you in college?
2. What was the programming laguage. I had an experience like that. Never used the lngauges again ! Yes langauges I had to deal with more then 2 useless lngauges. Why no access to a computer? Not even a main frame?
3. Was the Differential Equation instructor a Middle Easterner? I had a Control Theory instructor who ranted about Nixon & Reagan ! I think they were dead by then.