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Ever Wondered Who Grades Your Homework?
By Xu | January 13, 2013
If you are a student taking an introductory computer science and engineering class, then there is a good chance that you are being evaluated by yours truly.
Last semester I took computer science and engineering 2111 as a requirement for my business major. When I learned that the class focused mainly on Microsoft Excel and Access, I inwardly cringed. To be honest, I was not looking forward to months of inputting data and trying to draw obscure conclusions. Unless I made a radical career change into the secretarial sector, I seriously did not believe Excel would be of any use to me.
I think what allowed me to persevere was the absence of math throughout autumn. All of my courses, even scientific anthropology, focused heavily upon memorization. CSE actually put my rusty computational skills to use, a breather of sorts for my fact-ridden mind. I actually found myself looking forward to writing commands rather than wallowing over the masses of numbers.
My strange enthusiasm in the course produced an unexpected 105% for the final grade. Apparently, I understood beginner computer science pretty well. Therefore, when my professor informed me of openings for Windows consultants to mentor incoming CSE students, I immediately seized the opportunity.
Now I find myself parading computer labs, helping students understand assignments that I had completed mere weeks ago. As a freshman, it is strange to think that some of the students I teach and oversee are above me in years. It is even stranger that I am grading the homework of my peers, after only one semester.
I never understood or appreciated where my assignments were sent off to after I submitted them. In fact, I forget about them completely until the grades come rolling in. Hopefully, I have demystified some of the ambiguity surrounding who exactly looks at your work after it enters cyberspace. Know that the ordinary girl with the bow clip sitting next to you in physics lecture could very well be the one determining your academic success.
Topics: Academics, Classes, On-campus work, Work, Xu | 1 Comment »
January 14th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
I love the ending to this! I’ve never thought about it like that before.