One factor remains key to student success when designing and grading assignments in subjective fields: clear expectations
Graphic by Sage Blackwell.
In academic disciplines where questions often have no single “right” answer, like the fine arts and humanities, assessing students’ learning and assigning a grade can be a challenge. To do so, professors are required to design assignments and guidelines in a way that makes it possible to evaluate a painting, or give a letter grade to the strength of an argument.
In “subjective” disciplines like this, one factor remains key to student success — clear expectations.
In the humanities and social sciences, the research essay continues to dominate. Still, some professors — recognizing that students are completing the same kinds of assignments across their courses — are experimenting with new ways to assess learning.
At UVic, a few courses encourage students to connect research with creative expression. The university even celebrates this shift with its annual Unessay Competition, which invites students to showcase their research presented in creative formats other than the traditional essay.
When it comes to alternative assignments, you might expect them to be less concrete or “objective” than traditional assignments. But some, actually, are less open-ended, and are designed with more structured expectations which can make grading easier and, in a sense, more objective.
Dr. Marlea Clarke, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at UVic, designed a unique group assignment for one of her classes — the Company Report Card. In this assignment, students investigate a garment company or manufacturer and give it grade-like ratings, examining its history, environmental impact, labour standards, and more.
One of the key benefits of the assignment, Clarke explained, is that it builds relevant skills that the traditional essay format might not. By answering particular kinds of questions and examining specific policy areas, students develop evaluative and auditing skills — similar to what they might use in their professional lives.
What makes this assignment especially effective is the level of support provided along with it. Clarke supplies six pages of instructions, a detailed example, and specific research questions that she wants students to address. She also adapts the assignment each year based on student feedback, and offers solo options for those who find group work difficult.
This specificity “guides students [through] an assignment which is quite different,” Clarke said, while still providing opportunities for creativity and innovation. The level of detail in the Company Report Card also makes it easier for her to grade objectively.
Not all professors, however, bring the same clarity to expectations for unique assignments. In one class, for instance, I was tasked with an “argument reconstruction” — something I had never encountered before. The instructions were vague, and were one page long to Clarke’s six. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I earned the lowest grade of my degree on it.
Like Clarke’s assignment, it required specific research outcomes, but the lack of guidance left me confused. Ultimately, the task felt more subjective than a traditional open-ended paper.
Clear guidelines are also essential for neurodivergent students, for whom vague expectations pose a unique challenge. Bella Jacobs, Office Coordinator of the Society for Students with a Disability (SSD), explained in an emailed statement that, while many neurodivergent students enjoy flexibility and creativity, clear boundaries provide a necessary starting point and structure for approaching the task.
“That said, even assignments with very specific outcomes can come with their own challenges,” Jacobs stated. Rigid formats may not align with how some students learn or express ideas, making it harder to engage meaningfully without additional support.
Neurodivergent people are often stereotyped as being better suited to fields like math and science, where there is often a “right answer.” But, Jacobs emphasized, “this is not a reflection of ability or interest, but often a response to how subjects are taught and how accessible their expectations are.”
In reality, neurodivergent students bring profound insight to the arts and humanities, with many individuals having strong abilities to recognize “patterns, nuances, and inconsistencies” and to “hyperfocus” on topics that interest them.
These fields shouldn’t just accommodate neurodivergent students — they should actively uplift them through accessibility and support. That begins with clear assignment guidelines.
Clarke notes that while some departments may have internal norms, UVic has no university-wide standards for assignment design. Lee Henderson, chair of the writing department, echoes this.
He told the Martlet in an emailed statement that professors have “academic freedom” in course design and expectations, and in subjective fields like creative writing, grading is “always a challenge,” but is still valuable for a student’s growth as an artist.
With limited institutional guidance at UVic, professors set expectations as they see fit, resulting in wide variation in the level of assignment guidance across campus. For students, especially autistic students, who often thrive in structured and consistent environments, this is frustrating terrain to navigate. At the end of the day, whether it’s a research paper or an alternative research assignment, a poem or a lab, clear expectations benefit everyone. Students already have enough to juggle, without second-guessing what their professors want.
No assignment in subjective fields can ever be truly objective. Clear expectations may not erase the challenges of grading, but they make the learning process both fairer and more meaningful for students and professors alike.
