Regardless of major or area of study, I think every student has at one point received a piece of unclear or vague feedback on a paper that has left them thinking ‘…what?’ All those ‘OK’s and ‘?’s can be a source of frustration and confusion for students but interpreting that ‘code’ of feedback was the topic of discussion in this week’s Rose Cafe. Led by Ms. Cynthia Hill, we engaged in a conversation about instructor feedback, its value, and tips for taking advantage of it.

One of the major talking points was about rubrics and outlines. Personally, I think that rubrics are helpful for both the grader and the student, but are also a bit problematic in that they ‘box’ a writer in and stifle creativity. I think my best pieces of writing came from me writing freely and naturally, rather than a more formulaic approach. However, as an engineering student, my experience with humanity courses are a bit limited so it was really interesting to hear other people’s strategies for approaching essays, and how much of an impact instructor feedback is.

Although the topic of the night was not about how to achieve high grades, the conversation inevitably turned to grading many times – perhaps a mark on how the educational system ingrains students with an emphasis on exam scores. With all the required standardised testing with SATs and AP exams, so many of my high school classes were taught specifically toward the test. This is why I think an instructor’s feedback is so much more meaningful than the grade received. Feedback of every kind allows us to grow and learn, more so than any arbitrarily assigned grade; and I really wish I had realised this earlier. Obviously, I’m not any sort of education expert, but from my own experiences, the most meaningful and memorable classes are the ones more focused on learning rather than on exam scores.