Yesterday my students had their first exam of the semester. I didn’t write the exam; the lecturer did. And I don’t have to do the official grading of the exam; the lecturer does. But I did have to administer the exam, and I’d say it went pretty well. I also had to do the first pass at grading and mark answers as correct or incorrect (no partial credit, so no thinking). I’ll also get to return the exams to the students and go over them. I’m actually glad about that. I like being able to tell them where they went wrong and how to fix their errors. I think that is the most important part of education anyway. At that level, students make a first pass at learning the material, paying attention in class, doing their homework, and studying. Then they take the exam and they find out if they REALLY learned it or not, and getting back an exam and getting that feedback is the most valuable part of the learning experience, or at least it was for me as an undergrad. I know there are students who get it back and look no further than the number circled in red at the top of the front page (the grade). But still…