Thread Rating:
  • 1 Vote(s) - 5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Straighterline mini rant
#1
This grader for my SL course is driving me crazy.  I've now had three assignments graded by the same grader, and it seems that s/he grades like the people who never give 5 stars on Amazon reviews.  I am okay with that in more subjective areas (how effectively is the thesis supported, does it flow well, etc.?), but it is driving me bonkers that I'm getting downgraded on rubric areas that are concrete and specific, with no indication anywhere in the paper of where I fell short.

I'm talking about areas where the rubric refers to recurrent capitalization/punctuation or grammar errors.  Or that there's something wrong with the format of my letter.  Surely these are factors that should be indicated in the comments if they're present!  (There is markup in the assignments, and it doesn't include any note of any of these things.)

Meanwhile, my one assignment that was graded by someone else was graded high, but the grader made a note that my heading wasn't in proper MLA format.  The heading is in the format explicitly spelled out in the assignment instructions.

I understand the difficulty of maintaining consistency of grading from one instructor to another, but is it really so much to ask that there be a clear, consistent set of standards where completely objective details are concerned?
-Rachel

BS in Interdiscipl. Studies (Health Sci. + Beh. Sci. [Coaching] + Business) at Liberty U

Liberty U: 36 cred finished

LU ICE exam:
4 cred
Christopher Newport U:
2 cred
Amer. Coll. of Healthcare Sciences: 52 cred (+14 non-transferable)
Study.com: Pers Fin, Amer Gov
Shmoop: Bible as Lit, Lit in Media
SL: Bus. Ethics, IT Fundamentals, Intro to Religion, Intro to Comm, Intro to Sociology, Surv of World History, Engl Comp I&II

TECEP: Intro to Critical Reasoning (didn't transfer)
ALEKS: Intro Stats
Reply
#2
(05-29-2018, 02:41 PM)a2jc4life Wrote: This grader for my SL course is driving me crazy.  I've now had three assignments graded by the same grader, and it seems that s/he grades like the people who never give 5 stars on Amazon reviews.  I am okay with that in more subjective areas (how effectively is the thesis supported, does it flow well, etc.?), but it is driving me bonkers that I'm getting downgraded on rubric areas that are concrete and specific, with no indication anywhere in the paper of where I fell short.

I'm talking about areas where the rubric refers to recurrent capitalization/punctuation or grammar errors.  Or that there's something wrong with the format of my letter.  Surely these are factors that should be indicated in the comments if they're present!  (There is markup in the assignments, and it doesn't include any note of any of these things.)

Meanwhile, my one assignment that was graded by someone else was graded high, but the grader made a note that my heading wasn't in proper MLA format.  The heading is in the format explicitly spelled out in the assignment instructions.

I understand the difficulty of maintaining consistency of grading from one instructor to another, but is it really so much to ask that there be a clear, consistent set of standards where completely objective details are concerned?

Challenge the rubric based on the rubric. Exactly like you said- if format is worth 5 points, at the very least you'd get a zero on that section. Same with MLA format- escalate the paper. Get the points. This could be a new grader, or someone who just doesn't understand their role - hard to say.
Reply
#3
Cookderosa is correct. And kill them with kindness. Be nice to them until they cry out in pain and tell you to stop.
Reply
#4
(05-29-2018, 02:41 PM)a2jc4life Wrote: This grader for my SL course is driving me crazy.

[...]

I understand the difficulty of maintaining consistency of grading from one instructor to another, but is it really so much to ask that there be a clear, consistent set of standards where completely objective details are concerned?

This is why I recommend the professor led versions of the english comp courses. It also applies in any courses that require papers or other projects. At least for English Comp, the teacher also does the grading and is easy to work with. She also explains everything and will work with you to address any problem areas.

If you use the regular versions, you have no direct contact with the people who grade the papers which limits your ability to improve.
Working on: Debating whether I want to pursue a doctoral program or maybe another master's degree in 2022-23

Complete:
MBA (IT Management), 2019, Western Governors University
BSBA (Computer Information Systems), 2019, Thomas Edison State University
ASNSM (Computer Science), 2019, Thomas Edison State University

ScholarMatch College & Career Coach
WGU Ambassador
[-] The following 1 user Likes Merlin's post:
  • Yenisei
Reply
#5
(05-30-2018, 01:06 AM)Merlin Wrote: If you use the regular versions, you have no direct contact with the people who grade the papers which limits your ability to improve.

If customers don't press SL to follow their own rubric, it limits SL's ability to improve.
Reply
#6
Hi Rachel,

We're sorry to hear your grading experience has been frustrating! Please contact a student advisor to create a ticket and ask that it be escalated to Academics 3. We'll be happy to look into the specific assignments you haven't gotten adequate feedback on.

Best,
The StraighterLine Team
Reply
#7
(05-30-2018, 01:06 AM)Merlin Wrote:
(05-29-2018, 02:41 PM)a2jc4life Wrote: This grader for my SL course is driving me crazy.

[...]

I understand the difficulty of maintaining consistency of grading from one instructor to another, but is it really so much to ask that there be a clear, consistent set of standards where completely objective details are concerned?

This is why I recommend the professor led versions of the english comp courses. It also applies in any courses that require papers or other projects. At least for English Comp, the teacher also does the grading and is easy to work with. She also explains everything and will work with you to address any problem areas.

If you use the regular versions, you have no direct contact with the people who grade the papers which limits your ability to improve.
  
Ooh.  That's a detail I hadn't considered.  I didn't take the professor-led version because I don't really need the help.  (I actually have English; my courses just didn't transfer.)  It didn't occur to me, though, that it would make a difference in who is available to talk to where grades are concerned.

(05-30-2018, 10:01 AM)straighterline.com Wrote: Hi Rachel,

We're sorry to hear your grading experience has been frustrating! Please contact a student advisor to create a ticket and ask that it be escalated to Academics 3. We'll be happy to look into the specific assignments you haven't gotten adequate feedback on.

Best,
The StraighterLine Team

Thank you!  I have two tickets in already.  I guess the next thing to do, then, is to contact someone to escalate them?
-Rachel

BS in Interdiscipl. Studies (Health Sci. + Beh. Sci. [Coaching] + Business) at Liberty U

Liberty U: 36 cred finished

LU ICE exam:
4 cred
Christopher Newport U:
2 cred
Amer. Coll. of Healthcare Sciences: 52 cred (+14 non-transferable)
Study.com: Pers Fin, Amer Gov
Shmoop: Bible as Lit, Lit in Media
SL: Bus. Ethics, IT Fundamentals, Intro to Religion, Intro to Comm, Intro to Sociology, Surv of World History, Engl Comp I&II

TECEP: Intro to Critical Reasoning (didn't transfer)
ALEKS: Intro Stats
[-] The following 1 user Likes a2jc4life's post:
  • Yenisei
Reply
#8
(05-30-2018, 08:13 AM)cookderosa Wrote:
(05-30-2018, 01:06 AM)Merlin Wrote: If you use the regular versions, you have no direct contact with the people who grade the papers which limits your ability to improve.

If customers don't press SL to follow their own rubric, it limits SL's ability to improve.

I agree, but it doesn't make my advice any less valid.

At least with the professor-led options, you know the teacher works for SL directly and will be sure to follow the rubric. As far as I know, the non-professor led papers are graded by folks who work for Smarthinking. So it sounds like SL needs to pressure them to follow the grading rubric more closely if they're going to continue to offer non-professor-led options.
Working on: Debating whether I want to pursue a doctoral program or maybe another master's degree in 2022-23

Complete:
MBA (IT Management), 2019, Western Governors University
BSBA (Computer Information Systems), 2019, Thomas Edison State University
ASNSM (Computer Science), 2019, Thomas Edison State University

ScholarMatch College & Career Coach
WGU Ambassador
[-] The following 1 user Likes Merlin's post:
  • a2jc4life
Reply
#9
They also apparently don't read the instructions. While my other tickets are still pending, I've received another grade where points were taken off over the header. I even left a comment this time when I uploaded the paper saying, "please note that the header is formatted according to the assignment instructions."

It isn't even a huge deal for my grade; it's mostly an annoyance. I'd have to get a REALLY bad grade on these papers to not pass the class. But it bothers me on principle that they aren't reading and following their own instructions.
-Rachel

BS in Interdiscipl. Studies (Health Sci. + Beh. Sci. [Coaching] + Business) at Liberty U

Liberty U: 36 cred finished

LU ICE exam:
4 cred
Christopher Newport U:
2 cred
Amer. Coll. of Healthcare Sciences: 52 cred (+14 non-transferable)
Study.com: Pers Fin, Amer Gov
Shmoop: Bible as Lit, Lit in Media
SL: Bus. Ethics, IT Fundamentals, Intro to Religion, Intro to Comm, Intro to Sociology, Surv of World History, Engl Comp I&II

TECEP: Intro to Critical Reasoning (didn't transfer)
ALEKS: Intro Stats
Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Missing Straighterline credits on credly yc1981 2 93 Yesterday, 07:53 AM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  The official guide to courses by Straighterline, Study, et al: We want YOUR input! aviator guy 378 464,686 03-18-2024, 07:25 PM
Last Post: RachelB
Brick MAT150 - Straighterline - Final Exam riteshvpandya 2 262 02-26-2024, 11:31 PM
Last Post: riteshvpandya
  Is the Introduction to Religion REL 101 proctored exam at Straighterline open book? Breaachh 2 272 02-16-2024, 10:49 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Missing Credly Badges form StraighterLine legenwait4itdary 2 369 01-26-2024, 12:44 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  StraighterLine: do I have to complete everything to finish a course? jch 3 666 11-11-2023, 09:02 AM
Last Post: jch
  Straighterline Bio Lab Invoice reir 0 414 11-02-2023, 04:24 PM
Last Post: reir
  Straighterline etc - Graduate Credits in Education? nykorn 5 581 10-22-2023, 07:56 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Straighterline Exams defscarlett 9 1,122 08-16-2023, 09:09 AM
Last Post: dfrecore
  Study.com vs. StraighterLine bjcheung77 2 1,055 03-23-2023, 08:45 PM
Last Post: jsh1138

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)