Instructify

Back in my day we didn’t have that fancy schmancy “track changes” function. Rather, we did, but I hadn’t learned to use it yet. Personally, though, I’d rather edit a hard copy of an essay than an electronic version any day.

If you do your grading on paper rather than via email, may I suggest boning up on traditional editing marks, the kind old school newspaper editors used. Knowing how to mark up a paper lets you clearly suggest improvements to your students, while teaching them the language of the professional editor — useful to students interested in journalism or writing.

I’m a big fan of technology, but sometimes it’s good to look backwards, too. Grading writing assignments by hand is one area that has an advantage over the digital method. And if you’re going to edit hard copy, you may as well do it all the way by learning proper editing edit-iquette. -BILL FERRIS

Editing marks