Grading Freshman Comp at Texas Tech

I just finished rereading the article “A+ A New Way to Grade” that appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education on March 10. I could go on and on about why separating instruction from instructor feedback has pedagogical problems, but one thought kept asserting itself for me. How is this form of writing instruction going to encourage students to continue writing after the course is over? Lindsay Hutton, a Ph.D. student in creative writing who grades students' work in in this system commented on how she felt less responsibility to the students because she is focused on the time factor for her grading.

Scary….. If the graders feel disconnected from the students, how will this help to retain students? How will students see a larger purpose for their writing than just completing a generic assignment? How can students develop their skills and flexibility of expression for multiple uses in their academic, professional and personal lives?