Students, by and large, produce a certain "sameness" in their work class after class after class, from the outstanding work to the average work to the below passing work. After teaching a class for many semesters, instructors end up writing the same comments over and over again on all levels of work. So we keep those comments and use them over and over again and then we have that much more time to engage in real and meaningful interaction with students who are at all levels of accomplishment.
Outstanding students need affirmation; failing students need encouragement and assistance; and average students need a little bit of both. And when our time is freed up from same-old, same-old marking, then we can provide what these students need.
Some schools prohibit instructors from using copy/pasted comments (good job, keep up the good work, etc.) and they are right to do so. However, there are other canned comments that are quite valuable and beneficial to both the students and the instructors. Yet it takes so long to write these on each paper, that many instructors don't even bother. I would rather provide students with "canned" and meaningful feedback than not provide any comments at all.
Of course, these are not the only comments students receive. But using these canned comments gives me more time to also include personalized comments that affirm, encourage, assist, etc., comments that are composed according to what each student needs.
Schools that prohibit "copy/pasted comments" on students' work simply do not understand the process of evaluation, marking, and grading because the admin types usually don't, or have not, taught online (at all or not recently). So these admins who make up the rules simply do not realize the benefits of so-called "canned" comments.
If I were writing original comments on everything in every class, I would never have time for the personalized and "real" communication that I like to provide individual students in my classes.
Grading Made Fast and Easy
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