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[drmau]

I always give 50 point essay questions in my exams, because I actually do like reading their answers. They cannot cheat, which is important to me. Now I am being asked for answer keys to essay exams. How?
If they have actually answered the question, and show some engagement, full credit.
I hate school.

[crkens]

Try saying no!

[systeme_d_]

You can either decline their request, or supply them with your grading rubric.  In my experience, students do better on my assignments when they are clear about my expectations, so I always supply the rubric along with the assignment itself.

[alpha_bet]

Our university administration asks for the same thing when we turn in our final grades with copies of all the exams.
I just make photocopies of the best essay and call that the "answer key."
It might also be helpful for students to have a look at what others in the same class are doing... sometimes it's hard to write something for which you've never seen an example...

[polly_mer]

You can either decline their request, or supply them with your grading rubric.  In my experience, students do better on my assignments when they are clear about my expectations, so I always supply the rubric along with the assignment itself.

This is a holistic rubric moment.

Full credit:

Essay is thoughtful and displays an engagement with the material that goes beyond reciting back what was said in class or was written in the textbook.  Some connections were made between the material and daily life, other classes, and other venues unrelated to school as appropriate.  Essay was an appropriate length for the time required, was concise in making solid, supported points, and conformed to good writing practices.

Less than full credit:

Essay was primarily a recitation of material that was presented in class or the textbook.  Essay was incorrect on some statements.  Essay was noticeably incomplete compared to similar essays written by students who have access to the same material.  Essay had writing mechanics errors including, but not limited to, grammatical errors, faulty logic, poor organization, poor word choice, and legibility.

[drmau]

Polly, you rock. I say something along those lines verbally, but you put it into print so well that I'm kinda sorta gonna copy it, plugging in discipline specific things. What I regarded as an annoying empty excercise is actually helping me to clarify things. As my co-slave Dr. Cheerful said, suppose we died suddenly, and Dr. Idiot Philistine had to correct these?

[systeme_d_]

Polly, you rock. I say something along those lines verbally, but you put it into print so well that I'm kinda sorta gonna copy it, plugging in discipline specific things. What I regarded as an annoying empty excercise is actually helping me to clarify things. As my co-slave Dr. Cheerful said, suppose we died suddenly, and Dr. Idiot Philistine had to correct these?

This is what a rubric is: a statement of what constitutes a successful assignment, and what does not.   Polly's holistic rubric is a fine example.  I'm glad you figured out that rubrics do not suck, DrMau.

[polly_mer]

Polly, you rock. I say something along those lines verbally, but you put it into print so well that I'm kinda sorta gonna copy it, plugging in discipline specific things. What I regarded as an annoying empty excercise is actually helping me to clarify things.

I only rock because I read the wisdom of my fellow forumites and put it into action.

Off-fora, I had only seen the unfit-for-college-work rubrics with checkboxes for "included fact X" or "included at least X of the following points" and thought, "Sheesh, is that worthless for creative endeavors."

However, these fora explained about holistic rubrics and now I'm golden except for the students who insist that anything "vague" is unacceptable because the rubric must have a scale like:

0 points: no mention of reeds
1 point: mentions reeds with no context
2 points: mentions that reeds are used in basketweaving
3 points: mentions that reeds must be soaked before being used in basketweaving
4 points: mentions that reeds must be soaked in salt water before being used in basketweaving

I still hate those rubrics and won't use them.  Holistic (possibly with some weighting of various components) is the only way to go.

[drmau]

Again, thanks so much. I also a film and literature class in which I have no textbook, the kids have no access to readings, and I am not allowed to show films. I have eighty students. I just babble for 90 minutes a week, the theme being memoirs of childhood transferred to film. The only fair exam I could giver would be:
Write a childhood memory as if it were a screenplay. Or maybe bnot? Ideas?

[polly_mer]

Can you put films on reserve and then lead discussions on the films that students were supposed to have seen?

Can you put readings of some sort on reserve and lead discussions on them?  Surely, someone in the history of the world has written some scholarly work on film and childhood memories, possibly on films and biographies that are available to be put on reserve.

How about having students actually write childhood memories as screenplays, perform them in class, and get graded on technique and participation in the process instead of giving essay exams?

[drmau]

As a lame duck, I could just about get away with this. And I have access to a camera and a tripod. I can give some mickey mouse written on film terminology to satisfy the department, then spend the remaining four weeks working on our films. Our library does not put books or films on reserve. I am not allowed to photocopy Welcome to China!
But no one has specifically said I could not let them make films!I do of course have all the books and films myself, so those who opted for an extended essay option could.
Thanks again! lately, I not only have trouble thinking outside the box, I have trouble finding the box.

[cs_prof]

Essay is thoughtful and displays an engagement with the material that goes beyond reciting back what was said in class or was written in the textbook. 

I am very curious...

How do you measure the 'thoughtfulness' and 'engagement with the material'? How would you prove that you are right but not the student that filed a complaint about your grading criteria and the alledgely wrong grade that you put?

[helpful]

Why can't you show films? Is it censorship or lack of technology to do so? I don't know how you can teach a course on literature and film without showing the films adapted from the literature!

[polly_mer]

Essay is thoughtful and displays an engagement with the material that goes beyond reciting back what was said in class or was written in the textbook. 

I am very curious...

How do you measure the 'thoughtfulness' and 'engagement with the material'? How would you prove that you are right but not the student that filed a complaint about your grading criteria and the alledgely wrong grade that you put?

I have a much longer section in the rubric that explains what I mean by "thoughtful" and "engaged".  The upshot is that the student makes connections between the class material, daily life, and other areas that were not mentioned in class in ways that demonstrate journeyperson-level of application of material.  Merely repeating what was said in class or on the assigned readings/activities is not full credit.  Giving several sentences of boilerplate is not thoughtful or engaged.

For example, a non-engaged, non-thoughtful reply to the question "why is science important to everyone?" is:

Science is very important in our society today.  Almost everything that anyone can do involves some science.  From going to school to solving problems to just figuring out how to get through the day involves science.  Everyone needs to know some science to be able to function as a member of today's society.  In short, science is important because you can't get through the day without it!

Notice how that's just crap?  Yeah, that's not thoughtful (substitute any field of study for science and the paragraph has the same value) and students know that's just crap. 

In contrast, consider:

Science is important because it helps you solve problems.  Say you're flashlight don't work.  Hypothesis testing means you could think that the problem is a lose connection.  Shake the flashlight and see if that fixes it.  Move the switch a couple times.  Replace the batteries.  As a last reshort, change bulb.  Science is what makes the flashlight work and science helps you figure out how to fix it.  Many other things in daily life are also science like cooking and driving on ice.  In short, science is important because it tells you what is real and what is not.

This student likely will get full credit, unless I used the flashlight example in class.  The paragraph isn't good on an objective scale of fine writing, but the student has thought about why science is important and wrote something in English that makes sense based on things we discussed in class.

[drmau]

I can't show films because it is against the rules to show films. I can, however, ask them what their favorite film is that deals with parents and children, and why they like it. This will give me ideas if I am ever placed in a similar position.