Editorial: Returning student work

While most professors and instructors return student work from throughout the semester in a timely manner, there is no uniform deadline for when they are required to return written assignments. It is possible that written work could be returned well into reading period, preventing students from getting an early start on Dean’s Date work and preparation for final exams. In order to prevent such a situation, all professors and instructors should be required to return written work by the first day of reading period. While this could present a burden to professors who assign work or administer exams just before reading period, professors should understand the need for students to receive timely feedback on written work and account for this when planning the last few weeks of classes.

Another difficulty that students face in accessing their own written work occurs at the end of the semester. While many students put considerable time and effort into their final course assignments, many of these papers and exercises are not returned to students at all. This is most notable in the case of final assignments for spring term classes, when students leave campus before exams and papers are graded. While some departments have this end-of-term work on file for students who seek it out, many others have no standard location for the work. Given that professors and instructors spend a significant amount of time evaluating final exams and assignments, students should benefit from this time investment by having access to qualitative feedback and not just the grade that results.

One concern is that professors and instructors may spend a large amount of time providing written feedback on end-of-term work that will not be read by students. Few students seek out their final coursework at the end of the semester, and extensive written comments on papers and assignments would be an inefficient use of professors’ time. However, professors could ask students to indicate whether or not they would like extensive written comments on end-of-term work to determine which students desire feedback on their assignments.

Returning mid-semester assignments before reading period and providing greater access to feedback on final exams and papers will provide students with a better understanding of how to improve on future assignments, and the University should incorporate both of these requirements into its academic regulations.