-My students and I need to have a conversation about what "5-7 pages" means. Over half of my class seems to think that it means 4.5 pages. They are mistaken
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I think the whole page-range count is a silly way to determine the length of a paper. I know, it's been done forever, it was done before either of us were born... But in this day and age...
It seems like insisting on a minimum word-count created by one's favorite word processing software. I know, an "actual" word count is supposed to be total keystrokes divided by 5. I think the word processors count spaces between non-space characters, or something. But in the end, doesn't this kind of average out to being around the same number of words?
So, figure out what the word count should be for a 5-7 word paper and tell them that should be their target word count, instead of a page range. It's super easy to check, it's impossible to fake, and it will keep the "oh, this paper is 4.5 pages, that's long enough" thing from happening. Heck, it even provides you with a standard, and you can adjust grades according to how far off the target range the paper is.
When are students going to realize, if you are adequately discussing a topic, the problem really isn't about how to get it long enough, but rather how to make it short and concise enough?
It seems like insisting on a minimum word-count created by one's favorite word processing software. I know, an "actual" word count is supposed to be total keystrokes divided by 5. I think the word processors count spaces between non-space characters, or something. But in the end, doesn't this kind of average out to being around the same number of words?
So, figure out what the word count should be for a 5-7 word paper and tell them that should be their target word count, instead of a page range. It's super easy to check, it's impossible to fake, and it will keep the "oh, this paper is 4.5 pages, that's long enough" thing from happening. Heck, it even provides you with a standard, and you can adjust grades according to how far off the target range the paper is.
When are students going to realize, if you are adequately discussing a topic, the problem really isn't about how to get it long enough, but rather how to make it short and concise enough?
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