Summary of November 2008 Brown Bag on Grading Creative Writing

November Teaching Creative Writing Brown Bag Summary:

In November, 2008, approximately 20 students (mostly graduate students) in the UBC creative writing program (and one instructor) participated in a lunchtime “brown bag” discussion about grading in creative writing. Most of the discussion centered around grading in the UBC creative writing program, though there was some reference to how students might grade their students should they become teachers one day. There was a broad range of opinion offered, and no consensus, though the discussion leaned against the idea of grading creative writing. The following summary has been developed from a list of comments recorded during the meeting.
Comments critical of grading creative writing tended to reflect the following concerns: (1) Grading is not relevant to art; it is not legitimate to grade art. (2) Grading creative writing might deter people from taking risks and experimenting, and instead tailor their work to the instructors’ wishes. (3) Feedback on writing is what is important, not grades.
Comments typical of those defending grading: (1) Students need to see how they are progressing. (2) Grading is necessary for the purpose of awarding scholarships. (3) Non-grading might not be seen as legitimate within a university system.
A major portion of the discussion pertained to the usefulness of grading for the world of publishing and the workforce. The following concerns were typical: (1) Being prepared for publishing/the workforce is what is important, not grading. (2) Grading should be useful to the end of publishing or being in the workforce.
Some of the discussion centered around how to grade. Some ideas (which had mixed levels of agreement) included grading based on publishability, effort, and use of tools of craft.
The departments’ current policy of deferring grades and then awarding high grades was also discussed. Opinions ranged from preference for grade deferral (allowing students to focus on art rather than grades) to questioning the purpose of grading at all if grades are de-emphasized or if everyone gets A’s anyway.