I am reading and enjoying your first reading responses. I enjoy marking them less. A number of reputable studies have shown that extrinsic motivators like grades do not promote learning terribly well. Because grades are not optional at UBC or most other universities, I align them as closely as possible with development of the intrinsic motivators, or habits, that determine how much you really learn: curiosity, rigour, persistence, intellectual courage, the desire to improve, and willingness to change your paradigms.
Reading responses that do a good job–that engage pretty thoughtfully with the material–get B marks. B stands in here for “good.”
Reading responses that do an excellent job–that are rigorous, detailed, extremely thoughtful and curious, and that engage at a level that may threaten your previous paradigms and values–get A marks. A stands in here for “excellent.”
If you are doing a good job, could you be doing an excellent job? Probably. That’s something to strive for in your next response. But a B is a good mark in this course and at UBC. If you have a lot of bad feelings about getting anything other than an A, then read this.
