[Editor's Note: This post was written jointly by Jeff McClurken and Julie Meloni.]
Several of us at ProfHacker incorporate blogs into our pedagogy, and we have written on a range of course blog-related issues such as “Integrating, Evaluating, and Managing Blogging in the Classroom” (Julie) and “Tools for Managing Multiple Class Blogs” (Amy) among many others. In this post we (Jeff and Julie) will offer a few specific tips for evaluating course blogs and addressing the common question “how are you going to grade this?”
No matter how the evaluation criteria is spelled out on the syllabus and reiterated throughout the course itself, students are likely to continue to ask “how are you going to grade this?” Jeff notes he also receives this question frequently from other professors when they hear about his blog-related assignments.
As with all assignments, Jeff says his method for grading blogs depends on what his goals are for a particular assignment—he has used blogs as online reading reaction journals, as a way for students to continue class discussion, or, in a few cases, as the form for digital research projects. Julie uses blog assignments in similar ways, using both specific and open-ended prompts as a way to jumpstart future conversations based on student engagement and also as a space to work out final project ideas and receive peer feedback (here are examples of prompts in a literature course and a cyberculture course).
Both Jeff and Julie look for thoughtful responses, good writing, original ideas, taking advantage of the medium (linking, video, audio) where appropriate, and, of course, actually posting the blogs on time. [Jeff notes that assessing the blog-based projects is a little more complicated.] For Julie, at least, her general rubric for blog evaluation is a slightly modified version of Mark Sample’s rubric in “Pedagogy and the Class Blog”, which she suggests everyone read at some point when working through this question of evaluation.
For Jeff, since in some cases he asks students to post twice a week, in at least one class he has done two grades for blogging: one for an overall grade for all blogging, and a second grade, in which students picked their two best posts, revised them, and then submitted them for a separate grade. On the other hand, Jeff says he has a colleague who only spot checks to make sure that students have completed the blogs, but then has them create a portfolio of the best 2-4 posts at the end of the semester for him to provide a grade. Because Julie has been fortunate to have small(ish) classes (typically less than 30 students in each), she reads and assigns a grade to each post, and for the first several weeks offers a comment on each until the communities run themselves.
Following are some tips to improve the blogging experience for all involved:
- Talk to students about what they think makes for a good blog post, both at the start of the semester and after they’ve been writing posts for a few weeks. This is especially effective if they are reading each other’s blogs, something you can encourage or require them to do (Julie requires comments on others’ blogs, in various ways).
- Provide feedback early on about their blogs, as they’re just getting used to the medium. This does not need to be an actual grade. Some people use a simple check system (Check-plus, Check, Check-minus). Jeff notes he generally just tells students that they’re doing fine unless he tells them otherwise. Julie does assign a grade in the gradebook, but does not report each specific grade to students unless they ask; instead, she tells students if they are consistently performing below a 3 (on a 4 point scale) and also provides specific comments along the way to indicate questions/issues/problems with students’ posts. Jeff says that though he tries to push people to think more critically and more analytically in the comment section, he conveys truly negative criticism in person or via email, not in public (and Julie agrees with this).
- Highlight particularly good blogs in class and/or on the class blog. You can also provide models/exemplary student bloggers as examples of what you want, though you can also intimidate students if you overdo this. Note, however, that if you provide models, you’ll also get better results. This, perhaps, is one of the most important tips we can give. If you haven’t blogged in the classroom before and thus don’t have a “bank” of exemplary posts, look around the internet for some from similar classes at other institutions. Here’s an example of a post from one of Julie’s classes that highlights good examples of blog posts for a specific assignment. This post is also an example of the sort of overall assignment wrap-up post that Julie uses on the course blog—in addition to any individual comments, after each round of evaluation she writes a general comment on the course blog.
If you think evaluating blog posts is a daunting task, don’t worry—you’ll get better, quicker, and more efficient at assessing these as you do more of them (which is good, because you could spend all your time grading blogs if you’re not careful). We could go on at some length about all the nuances of evaluating blogs in the classroom and ensuring that blogging has a purpose besides just reducing the use of paper.
What about you? If you have implemented blogging in the classroom, what are some strategies for evaluating blogs that you have used with some success (or failure)? If you have not implemented blogging in the classroom, what questions about evaluation might you have? Let us know in the comments.
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21 Responses to ‘How are you going to grade this?’: Evaluating Classroom Blogs
kaitlinwalsh - June 21, 2010 at 8:43 am
I think this is a good starting point for people who use discussion boards as well. I’ve had good luck and bad luck with discussion boards in my teaching – good luck in the sense that it launches some great in-class discussions, bad luck in the sense that some students don’t really “get” the assignment. I get everything ranging from one-line responses to my questions to essay responses printed out and handed in separately.I’d be interested to know (and apologies if this has been discussed in a previous post) how students feel about having their work on display in a public forum. Has anyone run into any difficulties with this?
jmeloni - June 21, 2010 at 8:55 am
@kaitlinwalsh I don’t know that we’ve done a specific post on this, but when I’ve encountered resistance on those grounds (which has been one student out of approximately 120, so far) I offer the possible solutions (after explaining the point of the public writing in the first place) — password protected blog or blog posts, essentially, in which the other students and myself have the password (because otherwise the student isn’t really participating in the assignment or the class). The student didn’t take me up on the offer, I think mostly out of peer pressure not to be the “different” person. But I do have things like that in my back pocket should I need to adjust.I will note that when I talked to my chair about this at my previous school — basically “so, what would you prefer I do in this situation”, in case there were unwritten policies and what not — he said, essentially, “well, it’s part of the class assignments, and you tell them on the first day, so if they don’t like it, they can drop — you have the assignment there for a reason, don’t change it”. And this wasn’t even a particularly tech-savvy fellow, so that was interesting (and heartening) to hear.But you’re right — blogging can go really well or really poorly. The key is to keep coming back to it and to weave the responses into the classroom discussion, and if you’re lucky enough to get outside commenters on the posts, that’s an additional boost!
jmcclurken - June 21, 2010 at 9:17 am
@kaitlinwals I’d echo Julie’s response here. Students know from the first day of class that the blogging is a requirement, so they can drop if they want. Like Julie, I also take time at the start of each course to explain (and discuss) the value of public writing with them. I’ve only had one student push back on that issue in several years of using blogs. [In fact, in surveys that I've done of alums, most indicate that they found the public aspect particularly valuable in developing an academic, scholarly voice online.]Comments from people other than the professor are particularly important in getting students to understand that they are not just writing for the teacher. Like Julie, I require students in the class to comment on the other students posts each week. In terms of getting outside comments on their posts, I have colleagues who have asked colleagues at other institutions to comment on their students’ posts. I’ve never done that, in part because I’ve had a number of student posts that have received outside attention on their own.
drnels - June 21, 2010 at 10:36 am
@kaitlinwalsh, since you and I have taught at the same school, I can tell you that two students of mine got jobs in New York publishing houses based partly on blogs they kept for my classes. Well-written blogs can be great writing samples that show how students engage with a range of issues, and both were told that the blogs were the thing that pushed them to the front of the pack.
kaitlinwalsh - June 21, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Thanks everyone!
ryanbretag - June 21, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Based upon my use of blogs in secondary ed and my current work assisting teacher with teaching and learning, here is the rubric (constant state of improvement) that I developed: http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/?p=462It was developed with the idea of my blogging cycle (slide 19-20) here: http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/?p=367These might add to your discussions.
wyandersen - June 21, 2010 at 8:45 pm
I was surprised that you didn’t mention using an on-the-fly screencasting service (like Jing) to grade blogs. When I do blog check-ups, I just record myself looking at each student blogs and talk them through the issues that they need to correct. Then I send the student the link to the video.I use blogs in a math class, and you can find MY post on how to grade a student blog (including rubric) here: http://teachingcollegemath.com/?p=1898
ryanbretag - June 21, 2010 at 8:47 pm
@wyandersen that is a great idea to improve the efficiency of feedback.
jmeloni - June 21, 2010 at 10:16 pm
@wyandersen personally, the method I use is extremely efficient for me, and I have found that my students will not go to an external site to watch a video to learn feedback. The standard comments in the comments box arrive in their email, which matches their workflow. I make it through 40 blogs and comments, plus leaving comments, in just under 2 hours, and I do it all at once. So, like I said, that’s efficient for me. I wouldn’t have mentioned screencasting responses because it’s not efficient for me. That’s what these comments areas are for!
jmcclurken - June 22, 2010 at 9:25 pm
@wyandersen — It’s great that you’ve found a system that works for you and your students. In part, my goal for student blogging is for them to develop their writing and critical thinking skills and for my comments on that, I’m just more comfortable writing as well. I’d echo the point made on your post you linked to above. Interim updates for students are very important, especially if they’re not used to the form or what you’re asking of them.@ryanbretag — I like the rubric you’ve developed. It certainly clarifies for students what is expected of them. I’m certainly with you in the “constant state of improvement” of my evaluation.Thanks for all the comments and links!
raza_khan - June 27, 2010 at 3:08 pm
My four cents on this :)1. As long as your grading rubric is clear, the students will be able to understand the requirements.2. As long as you are clear of your course requirements on the first day of classes, the students will have the choice to either take the class or drop the class.3. MOST IMPORTATNLY, as long as the blog is BEHIND a password protection from the public, you are NOT violating FERPA requirements. However, if you require students to post blogs where others (any one but the the students in the class) can see, you are in a CLEAR VIOLATION of FERPA rules. Discussion boards and blogs within blackboard is fine as the class is locked down to the registered students.
raza_khan - June 27, 2010 at 3:08 pm
sorry.. I forgot to give my affiliations as I believe it is essential for others to know who you are :)Raza________________________Raza Khan, Ph.D., P.D.Faculty, SciencesCarroll Community CollegeWestminster, MD 21158
jmcclurken - June 28, 2010 at 2:18 pm
@raza_khan I was a little surprised by the assertion that having students blog in public is a violation of FERPA. In nearly 10 years of presenting and writing about students writing and publishing online, I’d never run into that claim before. [Though after your comment yesterday, I asked around and colleagues at other institutions have run into that interpretation.] As far as I can tell, while the evaluation of the students’ work certainly shouldn’t take place in the public setting, having students put their work in the public space is not, in and of itself, a violation of the FERPA. Though I’m not a lawyer, the school I’m at has legal counsel, and students have published literally thousands of blogs as part of classes at our institution over the last five years. And many, many, schools have courses that require students to write in blogs online, not to mention regularly engage in a variety of other public activities that are required for classes.Still, as Ethan wrote in his recent post on “Understanding FERPA” (http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Understanding-FERPA-/25002/), you should ask your institutional FERPA expert for the interpretation at your school. Clearly different institutions have taken very different stands on this issue. And if you are an adjunct or tenure-track faculty member, it’s a good idea to check with your department head or program director for their policy first.
kfitz - June 28, 2010 at 2:50 pm
@raza_khan: I’d agree with @jmcclurken here. My (and my institution’s) reading of FERPA is that banning public blogging would seriously stretch the notion of “academic record.” By asking students to blog, I’m asking them to engage in a purposefully public form of discourse. If I assess them in public, and/or if they’re required to blog under their real names, then arguably academic records (records of actual academic progress) are being made public. But if no assessment is done publicly, or if, the students are urged to blog under screen names that are only known to members of the class — as I ask them to each semester — then no academic records are being made public. I am very concerned to protect my students from future Googling, as I want them to be free to take chances and make mistakes on the blog without later being haunted by them, but putting the blog behind a password wall defeats the purpose of the in-public discussion.This is definitely a YMMV situation; different institutions have very different interpretations of what constitutes an “academic record.” But with proper precautions, public class blogs need not represent a FERPA violation.
derekbruff - July 14, 2010 at 8:14 pm
I’m glad @kfitz mentioned the idea of asking students to blog under screen names. I believe that the spirit of FERPA (if not the letter of the law) is to give students control over the release of their academic records. Giving students the *choice* to blog under their actual names or under screen names seems (to me) to honor this spirit.
wilkenslibrary - May 8, 2012 at 8:53 am
I often advise people who want to teach at my community college, and think that because they have a law degree, they can teach Political Science, or because they have a PhD in Literary Studies, they can certainly teach the “lower” courses in the community college English Dept. If an applicant proclaims proudly that they can develop a course in 15th century poetry or urban planning, I know for sure they have no clue what we do in community colleges!
I tell them exactly what this author says — experience teaching adults, at a minimum, and preferably with the kinds of adults who attend community colleges. I suggest they can begin to get this kind of experience by applying to work in Tutoring Centers (especially accessible to them if they are still in their graduate studies), by volunteering in community-based Literacy programs, GED programs, or programs to prepare immigrants for U.S. citizenship.
We will often hire adjuncts with little teaching experience if they have professional experience in specific areas for which we educate students — business courses, for instance. I also tell them to get their applications in for adjunct teaching, then be prepared to jump in at a moment’s notice — when an assigned faculty member has to drop a course unexpectedly at the beginning of a semester, we often hire an adjunct with little teaching experience but who is willing to step in at the last moment. And voila, they begin to accummulate college teaching experience.
I don’t agree with the writer who said adjuncts known to be outstanding teachers are often passed over. We collected the data a few years ago, and about half our FT hires are drawn from the ranks of adjuncts. It’s healthy for the college to bring in some new talent mixed with some who already know the college and have a proven track record.
Finally, for the record, I would never hire a candidate who considers teaching at a community college their “fallback” option!
Kathleen Schatzberg, President
Cape Cod Community College
Laura Summerhill Deeter - May 8, 2012 at 9:40 am
I got my PhD at an R1 research institution and most of the folks there really want their grad students headed into other R1 institutions, so talk of teaching/working at a cc is minimal. If there is talk of cc, it is almost always in a negative fashion, as in, “why in the world would you want to do THAT?!” As a student, I was required to teach at least twice (not be a grader, but in the lab and/or the classroom) in order to graduate. It’s not a lot of teaching experience, but it’s better than none and that little bit can get the foot in the door.
msmaria - May 8, 2012 at 10:01 am
Excellent article. Trying to get a teaching position in a community college is extremely difficult, as I know from personal experience. I never have managed to crack that nut, but do have some university teaching experience. Here in Los Angeles, it’s quite competitive to get a teaching position in a community college.
msmaria - May 8, 2012 at 10:04 am
You are correct about the D.A. versus PhD degrees. The former has fallen out of favor, unfortunately, because having the latter degree (PhD) doesn’t mean you know how to teach!.
nsqljs - May 8, 2012 at 6:32 pm
I
look at finding a job like playing the lotto. Every employer views an
applicant’s experience in different ways, as many of the comments on this post
indicates. However, I will say that I am graduating this May with an MA in
History and the only reason I wanted a Master’s was to teach at a community
college. I taught four classes as a Teaching Assistant, my school only paid a
$200.00 annual stipend, so I certainly wasn’t in it for the money. I did that
because I absolutely and thoroughly adore teaching at the college level and ultimately
would prefer to work in a community college. Yet, I sent out my Teaching
Portfolio, CV, and a cover letter and have only received rejections letters so
far. One Department Chair in the area was kind in his response, but also said,
you “only have TA experience,” as if I was some useless nobody
incompetent that did not have teaching experience (I was also an instructor for
five years in the business world so apparently he did not read my entire CV) or
understand the community college environment. I started at a community college.
I was one of those students that came from an economically disadvantaged
background that couldn’t afford to go to a four year institution right away. I
also was always a working adult that had to pay my own way through school and
that was another reason I chose to go to a community college for as long as I
could since they generally have more flexible class schedules with classes in the evening and
on-line. So I understand the community college environment and
student body quite well. Moreover, clearly I care about teaching if I was
willing to practically do it for free as a TA and forgo paid part-time work
that would have brought in an income that I desperately needed. Then the
Department Chair suggested applying for another unpaid internship geared to
train people to work as a professor with the local community college district
to gain even more experience. Since my school loans are running out, I don’t
have the financial luxury to work for free any longer. I either work for pay,
or I starve. I also don’t have any problem starting as an adjunct to build
experience, but when people won’t even give you a chance to start as an
adjunct, how do you get this “experience”? It seems no one in colleges
or any industry for that matter is willing to give people a chance to get their
foot in the door anymore so they can acquire this “experience.” This is a
shame. There are so many people with great potential that would be phenomenal
professors or fantastic in other professions and they are overlooked. It just
feels like everywhere you turn, a door is slammed in your face for one reason
or another. But, the lack of “experience” is a very old and truly unfair paradox
of the work world.
BullHubbard - May 8, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Hey, Willena! While I have managed my teaching at two campuses 50 miles apart on different schedules (T-Th at one and M-W at the other), my situation is quite similar to yours and has been for 14 years. After about 5 years in, I simply got tired of the annual full-time job application ritual and quit doing it. Two years ago I began sending out applications again but still no interview. You can believe my packet has been polished and contains in its narrative bits what everyone I have read on the process recommends. I’m not sure what to think about this. I ain’t got what it takes to join the tenure-track club, I reckon. Maybe middle age (51) has something to do with the drought. I sure won’t go back into debt to earn a doctorate. I am resigned to my lower middle class fate!