This week’s Rose Café was focused on feedback that students receive from instructors. The talk made me think about the importance of learning from feedback on writing assignments. It also reminded me of multiple times when I received a paper from a professor and had difficulty interpreting their comments. Often, I will go to a professors’ office hours to discuss the feedback to get a better understanding of how my writing could be improved. However, often the most important written assignment is due at the end of the semester and I never could discuss the paper with my professor. This is frustrating because a letter grade is not enough feedback for me to improve my writing with. On the other hand, some of my professors have provided extremely detailed and thoughtful feedback which has helped me improve my writing skills. One professor would provide detailed feedback before the final paper was due which allowed me time to refine my writing. This process seems more consistent with how writing works in the real world. During my internships, coworkers would frequently ask each other for feedback on their writing before publishing or submitting their work.

There was also a discussion about rubrics. I have mixed feelings about rubrics. On one hand, they help focus my writing and help me ensure that I am meeting the requirements of the assignment. However, rubrics also constrain creativity. All things considered, I would prefer not to be constrained by a rubric, but I still appreciate some direction about the requirements of an assignment. Speaking of feedback, feel free to leave a comment.