For example, TFs develop criteria for assessing writing by discussing the strengths of an excellent one-page response paper, and practice a particular assessment technique that uses summaries of comments on actual papers. The best comments on student papers take the writer seriously, conveying an understanding of what he or she was trying to do and how it might be done better. The workshops are designed to help TFs perform this crucial task, one of their most important as college teachers. Read on for suggestions on accomplishing each of these tasks. Reading the Paper You may want to skim through four or five papers to get a sense of the pile before reading and grading any single paper.
Many instructors read each paper once through to grasp the overall argument before making any marks.
Some Guidelines for Making Marginal Comments While carefully reading a paper, you'll want to make comments in the margins. If you tell a student in the final comment that he or she needs more analysis, for example, the student should be able to locate one or more specific sites in the text that you think are lacking. Ask questions in the margins. Make positive comments. In addition to pointing out where students need improvement, let them see what they're doing well.