This was an interesting one. This course twelve-week capstone class delivered in six modules. In the very first module (so, week two), first first comment, I wrote: "This is far too broad. While you don’t have to come up with something original, with this topic you could simply copy and paste the Wikipedia article for [subject] and come up with your report. It’s going to have to be much more focused than this." The remainder of my comments were similar.
After turning in very little work for most of the course, this student turned in a final report that did not take any of my comments into account (ever). I once again stated that her project read like a Wikipedia page. This was part of his or her lengthy reply (remember, this is not in response to my first comments, this after an entire term of simply not changing):
Also you stated that my focus was too wide, not detailed, like a Wikipedia article, and that it is a bunch of cliches. I take great offense to this as I read 10 sources (6 of them 300 page books from the only people I could find who wrote in the field, 3 scholarly articles, and one 2 hour documentary. <snip> As far as my subject being too broad, shouldn't you applaud me working so hard to cover so much about them. By the way I did try to narrow it down-I did a few hundred years of their history not the full 1000 years, but I enjoyed reading about the period I picked. To just say what I worked so hard at was like a Wikipedia article and was full of cliches is insulting and rude. I worked so hard in this class and if I do not even pass I am going to be devastated.
After turning in very little work for most of the course, this student turned in a final report that did not take any of my comments into account (ever). I once again stated that her project read like a Wikipedia page. This was part of his or her lengthy reply (remember, this is not in response to my first comments, this after an entire term of simply not changing):
Also you stated that my focus was too wide, not detailed, like a Wikipedia article, and that it is a bunch of cliches. I take great offense to this as I read 10 sources (6 of them 300 page books from the only people I could find who wrote in the field, 3 scholarly articles, and one 2 hour documentary. <snip> As far as my subject being too broad, shouldn't you applaud me working so hard to cover so much about them. By the way I did try to narrow it down-I did a few hundred years of their history not the full 1000 years, but I enjoyed reading about the period I picked. To just say what I worked so hard at was like a Wikipedia article and was full of cliches is insulting and rude. I worked so hard in this class and if I do not even pass I am going to be devastated.