• [Following a] strict rubric is helping me to become better at writing. When you get rid of all the nonsense you normally put in a paper it does sound more professional.  I think most of us use that nonsense because we are trying to make the word count criteria. Though this way of writing is all new to me, I like that you got rid of the title page and all the crap that you usually have to put into papers. In this class we focus on the meat and potatoes, the theme and its supporting paragraphs. I respect that because that is what really matters.
• You have helped me more than you know. I am currently attending the Army Basic Instructor Course (ABIC) for the next two weeks. A lot gets thrown at you fast...You helped me become a better writer during this course and I did
  learn some history as well.  The writing skills you taught me show up in my current work... It has been my pleasure in working with you. To be honest, I was really worried in the first week. Especially when many students
  started dropping. I learned your methods of teaching. You only wanted to teach us to pay attention to detail and be time managers. You are an awesome instructor!
• I am appreciating your feedback and wanted you to know I am trying to get it right. I can say that your directions have made writing a paper easier and I only wish I had this type of instruction earlier in my time here at [university]. Your style is helping me become a better writer and making the material stick in my head. Your feedback is appreciated and I wanted you to know I do not take it for granted. Thanks for all your help. 
• You were very poignant and hard on the critique of my work.  It was frustrating for me.  But, I now look at my work at the start of the course, Mod 1, compared to the recent modules.  There is no doubt that the critique you provided allowed me to step up the quality and usefulness of my work.  You frustrated me.  And you made a major difference in me.  Thank you.
• I feel like I've become a better writer during my time working with Dr. Arnold. He was a tough grader, and had very high standards, so I feel like I had to work hard for the good grades I received. 
• This was a really hard class to get through as there is a lot of work to complete in a short amount of time, almost seemed impossible! Mentor was very accessable and helpful with assignments and genuinely seemed to care. Textbook was not much help, I had to hire a tutor to assist with formatting. The mentor strived to clarify and simplify the assignments...In the end I did learn much, and I believe I now have become a better writer.
• I wanted to email you because I remember you teaching us about the ABCD style of writing along with the idea of being as concise as possible and saying that students still emailed you about how helpful it was.  I just wanted to say you can add me to that list.  I wrote two or three papers last semester and used that style and got A's on all of them and I actually felt like I knew what I was doing when writing them.  So I just wanted to say thank you for introducing that to me and teaching me how to use it properly.  I will use it in my writing for years to come. 
• Without sounding too sentimental, allow me to say that the past few months were the greatest of my undergrad experience. I am thoroughly proud of my work. Thanks for your effort in honing my project to its full potential, at least given the time and resources I had available. I’ll consider it my magnum opus, at least until (and if) I continue with graduate studies one day. 
• This course was a pre-requisite to graduate, and I could not be happier for taking it. As I mentioned before, this class challenged me on another level, and I am glad it offered me the opportunity to incorporate my passion for psychology, my abilities to communicate in English, and my writing skills. I believe now that I am capable of recognizing the steps I need to follow, to successfully investigate something, and to draw my own conclusions basing them on the research done.
  
• I probably wouldn't have taken the course if it wasn't a requirement which would have been a shame because I really enjoyed stretching myself as a writer.
  
• I would say that this was the hardest course I have ever taken. I have always complained that college is not challenging enough, and surprisingly, this course made me shut up. At my community college, I took English II, which was on writing an argumentative research paper. This course was a completely different level...I felt extremely challenged. I have never been asked to give my own evaluation or judgment of the research (Chapter 5). That was new for me. The capstone was the longest and most detailed paper I have ever written. I actually feel very proud.
  
• I wanted to graduate with more confidence in my ability as a writer, and this course provided an opportunity to practice and receive feedback on my writing. It feels good to know that I can create a 25+ page paper on a research topic.
  
• Very difficult grader: in my previous...classes I received 100s and 99s on ALL my written assignments. Dr. Arnold gave me scores in the 80s for a few assignments with minor things he didn't like.
  
  And similarly from another student:
  
  I was a 4.0 student before this class. This was the last class I had to complete for graduation. I received a perfect 100 on the other class I took this term. This class I scooted by with an 86 percent. 
  
  (I thank both of these students for giving me the opportunity to be honest with you about your abilities [yes, this type of "critique" is a "cheer" to me]. And, if a student "scooted by" with a score in the 80s, they were doing well, but they still had more than "minor" things to improve that had nothing to do with whether I "liked" them or not.)