Assignment Grading FAQ

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We’d like to take a moment to thank our students for their amazing response to our Guild program and the associated lesson assignments.  Our lesson assignments in particular have received a fantastic response from our student community, and as such we’ve decided to compile a list of frequently asked questions regarding assignment submissions and grading.

Before we continue on to the FAQ,  we’d like you to know that your continued education and skill advancement is of the utmost importance to us.  We have been experiencing a few “behind the scenes” issues with our grading software, which has occasionally led to delayed feedback or lost submissions for a small percentage of our students.  We are dedicated to providing you with one of the most comprehensive educations in the visual arts available, and we have been working diligently with a third party to identify and correct our software issues.  As of right now, the third party has audited our site, located and compiled a list of “to do’s” and are working to correct the “behind the scenes” issues.  We are confident we will have these kinks ironed out shortly, and are looking forward to having our grading system running more smoothly for you, our students.

As we finalize these fixes, we ask that you press onwards in your education, and consult the FAQ below if you have any inquires regarding our grading process.

 

Q: Why can’t I upload my images?

A: Your images are either too large, or you have not officially “started taking the course” you are trying to upload images for. Image files must be no larger than 100MB, and students must click the “Start taking this course” button, located on the main page for each course, underneath the course preview video, before they can upload their images for each lesson assignment.

Q: Why is there not a “view the lesson assignment” button for the lesson I’m working on?

A: Not all lessons have lesson assignments associated to them.  Lesson Assignments are determined by the overall course structure, not by each individual lesson.  As such, there are times where only a few lessons in a course will have corresponding assignments.  If a lesson does not have the “View the Lesson Assignment” button underneath the video player, then there is no associated assignment for that lesson.

Q: How long do I have to wait to receive my grade/feedback?

A: We provide students with feedback on a weekly basis, and aim to have submitted work graded in 5 to 7 business days.  Our grading team generally begins the grading process on Mondays, and works through the week to get lessons back to students.  Because of this weekly cycle, assignments submitted later than Monday have a chance of being added to sections that graders have already “cleared” during the grading process, and as such will be added in the queue for the next week’s grading cycle.

Q: I’ve been waiting longer than the 5-7 business days for feedback…what should I do?

A: More than likely, your submission was simply added to the queue after our grading team cleared that particular section for the week, and it will be added to the following week’s grading queue.  We have identified a known issue where a small percentage of students’ submissions become lost in our system, however.  As previously mentioned, we are currently working with a third party to fix these issues, and are confident we will have a resolution for them shortly.  If you have been waiting longer than 14 business days for feedback on an assignment, please reach out to our support team via the contact page, and we will work to locate and grade your assignment

Q: What should I do while waiting for my assignment grade?  I don’t want to delay my learning 

A:  As a skill-based learning program, we recommend students always press onward with their lessons, even when awaiting feedback.  This may sound counter-intuitive at first (“how can I press on if I don’t know what to address?”), but we ask that you bear in mind that becoming proficient in the visual arts is a game of mileage, and one that never truly ends.  A “pass” simply means you have demonstrated you understand the concepts one time, in a single lesson submission…It doesn’t mean you can go forward, and never address that skill again.  If you are waiting for feedback, work on that same lesson again, or cross-train and apply the concepts from that particular lesson with the reference from a different lesson’s workbook.  Always keep your hand moving, and always train, because there will always be another rung on that skill ladder to reach.

Q: I’ve failed a lesson..What do I do now?

A: First off, don’t despair; This isn’t a bad thing.  The fact of the matter is, Most students do not pass their first submissions, and as you move into more advanced lesson phases, students are less likely to pass on the first attempt.   When  student doesn’t pass a articular lesson, we ask that they remember (once more) that the arts are a game of milage, and drawing and painting are skill-based disciplines.  Skills need to be built up and honed, and the chance to revisit a lesson ensures that you, as a student, are properly addressing any weak points in your skills and working towards strengthening them.

Q: How should I resubmit failed assignments?

A: When resubmitting failed assignments, students should first click the “reset quiz” button on the file uploader page.  Once clicked, your resubmission can then be uploaded.  We also ask that students rename the file “RESUBMISSION” with the resubmission date..For instance, a resubmission file uploaded on april 22nd, 2015 should be named “RESUBMISSION42215.jpg”

Q:  What should I do if I’m having trouble passing a section?

A: Again, remember this is a game of milage..Students in our traditional brick-and-mortar atelier are encouraged to take figure drawing each and every term to keep their skills up and get better, and revisiting a concept should be thought of as an opportunity to learn the discipline more thoroughly.  Should you find yourself struggling with understanding the concepts in a particular lesson, we ask that you visit our study group forums, where your peers can help you advance your skills and give you advice on passing the lesson you are struggling with.    Alternatively, you may consider a mentorship or critique level membership in our program, where our team of artists and instructors can help you more directly with your skill growth.

 

 

We hope this FAQ helped answer some of the questions you may have in regards to the lesson assignments.  We’d also like to thank you all again for your patience, as we work with our team behind-the-scenes to streamline the grading process and resolve our software issues.  For those who may still have questions regarding the grading process, please feel free to leave a comment below, and our team will gladly answer what they can for you.

 

All the best to you all in your studies!

-The Watts Atelier Team