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Russell Mickler, Principal Consultant, has over 17 years of professional experience leading and managing IT organizations.
My Grading Expectations
Written on March 7, 2008
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Hey there, Torthue -
Suggestions… okay, a couple of pointers, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to share this with the rest of the class, too.
1. Keep up with the online discussion boards. Post frequently and often. The university likes to see 3-4 posts per thread, per week, minimum. The university also likes to see those posts spread throughout the week, like, on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday rather than all posted on one day. And the university likes to see quality in the work – applied concepts and application.
2. Watch my requirements for written deliverables. I often will post some commentary in the Q&A forums each week. Make sure you check that out from time to time. This week, for example, I pushed some ideas on plagiarism and citation… you may want to read this.
3. Read the text and the lecture; apply these concepts whenever you can. The quizzes and exams really tap into the reading and reinforce reading concepts.
4. Apply concepts. The more you can use terms, vocab, and ideas from the curriculum, the most successful you’ll be at demonstrating mastery of concepts to me. Slack answers, terse answers, vague answers, generalist or ambiguous answers aren’t useful in my grading. The best answers and discussion participation comes from a thorough treatment of the problem and strong application of concepts in the context of theory (our text, lecture) or of professional experience. This is graduate school. Application is absolutely required.
I’m probably one of the toughest instructor’s you’ll ever have (grin). I’m a stickler on traditional academic expectations: mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation), thesis (argument), presentation (APA/MLA format and style), application of concepts, and the use of citation (concerns of authority, method, paraphrasing, and plagiarism).
Unlike many of my adjunct peers, I’ve been teaching for over a decade and I teach both onground and online, so I know what good academic work is supposed to look like in a traditional university environment. Therefore, grade inflation is not a problem in my classroom; my final grades are usually “belled” pretty well with the mean scaled up around 82-84 percent in the universities I teach for. I do not grade on a curve nor am I allowed to; I do not tolerate academic dishonesty; I do not reward the slacker – I reward the _attempt_ to meet expectations as much as _achievement_ of expectations. I appreciate effort. I appreciate attention to detail.
It’s simple really. Read the text, honestly and actively participate, give a good effort to apply concepts, engage your peers, turn in your assignments at a college level of presentation and expectation, and be as thorough as possible. It’s the best way that I know to protect the value of your education dollar.
Russell Mickler, MCSE | CISSP says:
Commented posted on: March 7, 2008
Snicker – danka, man. Thanks!
R
Terri says:
Commented posted on: March 7, 2008
I have Mr. Mickler in an IT class at CTU. Believe me when I tell you…his advice works. I wish I had him earlier in the curriculum. His information would have been valuable. I agree that he’s proud to be called the toughest instructor!
Terri J
Alabama
Rick G says:
Commented posted on: March 7, 2008
Right on! As a past student of your classes and as a professional person in IT Management I can tell you this advice works. The concept is the same as applying best practices to the security configurations of networks, operating systems, databases, etc…an essential framework which supports the successful student.
Mr. Mickler likes to identify himself as the “toughest instructors” – but it really comes down to getting the most bang for the buck. I’ve followed this advice in every class since having Mr. Mickler as an instructor and have met with great success. (3.96 GPA)
Rick G