We run fifteen week semesters. Week sixteen is always interesting. Week sixteen is when final grades are due — and it is when students who haven't paid attention all semester get anxious about why they're not receiving a passing grade in a class. The good thing is that there's never a lot of these instances, but they're always the same. "I tried hard" ... "I made just one mistake" ... "It's not fair for you to punish me" ... "But I need to graduate next semester".
I've written a lot about grading and the idea of results versus effort, but I've begun to describe grading a bit differently.
Grades are not something an instructor gives to you — they are something that a student earns. Assessment (grading) is a very objective measure against known standards — including following assignments; timely participation; and, submitting complete materials by the stated deadlines.
This semester, Sylvester Stallone dropped some additional wisdom via his show Tulsa Kings.
The whole point of a college degree is to show a potential employer that you showed up someplace four years in a row, completed a series of tasks reasonably well, and on time. So if he hires you, there's a semi-decent chance that you'll show up there every day and not f* his business up.
... I particularly like a few specific points within his monologue:
- to show a potential employer / so if (s)he hires you: I've written a good bit about what you're trying to prove to potential employers — this is ultimately what your portfolio is about.
- completed a series of tasks: Design is a service profession at its core. We do work on behalf of clients and in service of audiences. There are very tactical things that we can reflect on, but very few benefits come from not following the most simple instructions.
- reasonably well — and on time: Accuracy and timeliness are hallmarks of an effective professional — design or otherwise. This is the most salient point about "week sixteen". In a fifteen week semester, attention at week sixteen is not on time.
There are a lot of missives about education, design thinking, creativity, etc. In our program, preparation for "the real world" is one that comes up more often than not. Sure, your time within the educational matrix is one where you're meant to do lofty things, but it's also a place where you can ditch bad habits for better ones and learn from your mistakes so you don't have to repeat them outside the otherwise safe walls of the classroom. The worst thing that will happen here is that you don't pass a class. The worst thing that can happen outside the classroom has more damaging and longer lingering consequences.
In the spirit of Stallone:
If you're given a pass every time you f* up, what are you ultimately learning?
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