Checklists
A checklist is a scoring method that indicates for students what the instructor expects to see in the paper and whether or not this appeared in the student's paper. To create a checklist, make a list of the important things you value you as you grade student papers. Think back on your musings about past papers: "This paper has a clear focus on the issue and a good consideration of counterarguments, but the organization is very confusing." List the aspects of a strong paper...
___ Clear response (thesis) to the philosophical debate
___ Summary of the issues
___ Consideration of the counterargument
___ Logical paragraph organization
Make sure to attach the checklist to the assignment so that students see what you are looking for as they begin the assignment. When you are grading papers, use the checklist to save yourself from repeating the same end comments over and over again.
Some sample checklists from specific courses...