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10 May 2025 – Weekly Reflection (14th Entry) On Both Sides of the Assignment It is often said that every story has two sides — and in the realm of education, that adage rings especially true. From the student’s vantage point, the moment one hits “submit” on an assignment may feel like crossing the finish line — the culmination of effort, signalling a well-earned respite. Yet for those of us on the instructional side of the equation, that very moment marks the beginning of a different kind of endeavour. As a teaching assistant, I’ve come to realise that when students lay down their pens (so to speak), our work truly begins. This week, I immersed myself in marking a wave of post-midterm submissions. The task, though painstaking and at times exacting, offered a rare opportunity for reflection — not only on the substance of students' efforts, but on the nature of teaching and learning itself. The assignment was to design a dialogue system tailored to a specific purpose — an open-ended brief that invited both technical execution and interpretive creativity. What struck me immediately was the sheer diversity in responses. Some submissions were exemplary: polished interfaces, thoughtfully constructed interactions, and articulate reports that conveyed confidence and intentionality. These pieces did not merely fulfill the brief — they sang. The craftsmanship was evident, and reviewing such work was, quite frankly, a pleasure. Others were more opaque. Disorganised documentation, fragmented narratives, and incomplete implementations occasionally left me reading between the lines — assembling code, screenshots, and sparse commentary like fragments of a half-told tale. Yet here too, I was reminded of an old truth: not all that is unclear is unworthy. Sometimes, behind muddled presentation lies genuine effort hindered by confusion, time pressure, or conceptual growing pains — all hallmarks of the learning curve. Rather than rushing to penalise, I strove to meet these students where they were — to read generously, infer intention, and offer feedback that was as illuminating as it was corrective. Truly, there is an art to marking — a quiet balancing act between fairness and empathy. As the saying goes, “education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” With this in mind, I treated each submission as a conversation, not a verdict. In many cases, my comments extended beyond technicalities, suggesting alternative approaches or highlighting latent potential. I also found myself questioning whether the assignment prompt could be refined — not to lower the bar, but to sharpen the clarity with which expectations are conveyed. My reflections inevitably turned inward — to my own days as a student, hunched over assignments with a mix of dread and determination. I, too, chased high marks. But in retrospect, it was the process that shaped me: grappling with new material, wrestling with ambiguity, testing, failing, revising, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, improving. I recall the satisfaction of finally making something work — not for a grade, but for the sheer joy of mastery. And though I knew the sting of less-than-ideal scores, I came to cherish incisive feedback. Often, it was the wise remark in the margin, not the number at the top, that steered me forward. Standing now on both sides of the assignment — once the one submitting, now the one assessing — has enriched my understanding of the academic journey. Assignments are not mere hoops to jump through; they are crucibles of learning, vessels for communication, and occasions for mutual respect between teacher and learner. The student submits their labour; we return our judgment, not as final word, but as an offering to further growth. And in reading their work, I, too, am being taught. As the proverb goes, “To teach is to learn twice.” ========== 2025年5月10日 每周反思录（第十四篇） 作业的两面 常言道，“事无两面，不成其全。”在教育的语境中，此言尤为贴切。对于学生而言，点击“提交”作业的那一刻，常被视为一场征途的终点——努力的告一段落，也意味着可以稍事喘息。然而，从教学者的视角来看，那一刻恰恰标志着另一段工作的起点。作为助教，我愈发意识到：当学生暂时搁笔，我们的责任方才开始。 本周，我将大部分时间投入在阅改期中考后提交的作业上。这一过程虽琐碎繁复，有时颇为耗神，却也意外地为我提供了深度反思的契机——不仅是对学生努力的内容进行评估，更是在重新思考“教”与“学”的本质。 此次作业要求学生构建一个面向特定场景的对话系统——任务设定相对开放，既考验技术实现，也鼓励发挥创意。我在批改初期便被各异的答案所吸引。部分作品脱颖而出：界面简洁流畅，交互逻辑清晰，报告详实，娓娓道来他们的设计思路，自信而有条理。这些作品不仅完成了任务，甚至可谓“唱响了自己的旋律”——匠心独具，令人赏心悦目。 然而，也有一些作业显得较为晦涩难懂。有的报告结构松散，关键环节缺失，使我不得不边看代码、边查截图、边读简短说明，像是拼凑一则未完的故事。但我也时刻提醒自己：表达不清不代表能力不够。混乱的呈现背后，或许是对概念尚不熟悉，或是时间紧张，或是仍在学习曲线上摸索前行。这些，皆属学习过程中的常态。因此，在批改时，我选择以耐心为本，设身处地去揣摩学生的用意，即使其成果未能完全契合教学目标。 确实，批改作业是一门艺术——在公平与同理心之间寻求一种微妙的平衡。俗话说：“教育不是填满一桶水，而是点燃一团火焰。” 秉持着这一理念，我将每一份作业都视为一次对话，而非判决。很多时候，我的评论超越了技术层面，提出了一些替代方案或突出了潜在的潜力。我还发现自己开始思考作业提示是否可以改进——并非为了降低标准，而是为了更清晰地表达对作业的期望。 (这种阅读方式让我得以超越“扣分”这一简单行为，而转向提供具有启发性与建设性的反馈。我也由此开始思考：我们是否可以在未来对作业指引做出更清晰的修订，从而帮助学生更准确地把握预期，提升表达效果。) 我的思绪也不禁回溯至过往自己作为学生的岁月。那时我也曾在作业上倾注大量心血——不仅因为它们直接影响成绩，更因为这本身是一场自我淬炼的旅程。我至今仍记得那种对高分的渴望，但更深刻的，是在探究未知、独立思考与逐步掌握中的成长体验。无论是搭建系统还是撰写报告，我常常心无旁骛、乐在其中，不断修订、反复测试，仅为见证作品从无到有的那一刻快感。当然，也有因分数未达预期而懊恼之时。但长远看来，我更感激那些犀利中肯的点评——哪怕分数不高，诚恳的意见往往能点醒盲区，引我向前。 如今，既是提交作业的人，也成为了评阅他人成果的一员，这份角色的转换使我对教育旅程有了更深刻的理解。作业不应只是评估的工具，它更是学习的熔炉、师生之间对话的桥梁。学生交出的是努力的结晶，我们回馈的应是引导成长的火种，而非冷冰冰的判词。 在阅读学生作品的过程中，我自己也在不断学习。正如那句格言所言：“教学相长。” 我修改了我的澳洲学生的周记，经过同意，与大家分享。 第14篇周记，讲述他在澳洲大学里作为助教，给老外本科生批改作业的真实感受。 ========== 澳洲全额奖学金人工智能博士周记 读万卷书，行万里路 走上不一样的路 就会看到不一样的风景 遇到不一样的人 拥有不一样的人生 ========== 我的在澳大利亚全额奖学金学习人工智能博士的学生的已经分享的周记目录 第1篇周记，讲述他正式踏上博士之旅的心情，感受。 第2篇周记，讲述他在澳洲租房子的过程。 第3篇周记，讲述他在遇到的两个关于人工智能的讨论。 第4篇周记，讲述他获得助教职位，开始给人工智能专业的本科老外学生上课的感受。 第5篇周记，讲述他与世界各国的人工智能专家们开在线会议如何协调不同时差的时间。 第6篇周记， 讲述他如何远程帮助自己在中国的父亲解决技术问题，非常令人感动。 第7篇周记，参观悉尼歌剧院的感受，回顾悉尼歌剧院的建造历史。 第8篇周记，讲述他提交人工智能学术会议论文的审核，修改过程，对希望在学术领域有成就的同学很有参考价值。 第9篇周记，讲述他使用两个强大的工具打磨学术论文的感受，对希望在学术领域有成就的同学很有参考价值。 第10篇周记，讲述他作为博士生在澳洲的日常生活，工作，学习，与同事相处等 —日常之形：静水深流中的生活建构 第11篇周记，讲述他作为博士生在澳洲如何度过复活节。 第12篇周记，讲述他开始学会整理澳洲租的房子的花园，以及与房东的美好交流。 第13篇周记，讲述他参与一场聚焦于人工智能在网络内容审查中的应用的学术研讨会。 第14篇周记，讲述他在澳洲大学里作为助教，给老外本科生批改作业的真实感受。 如果上帝允许的话，我会一直为他修改周记，从开始博士学习的第1周，直到戴上博士帽的那一周，让希望读博士的同学或家长见证这一美好的优秀人生旅程。 每篇周记的分享，都会经过他的同意，所以，也许不是每篇都分享。 ========== Parents who are willing are warmly encouraged to share this with their children—a glimpse into the dynamic weekly life of an inspiring young man currently pursuing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence in Australia on a full scholarship. There is no greater teacher than example, and the influence of a role model can ignite ambition in ways words alone cannot. As the proverb goes, “A single spark can start a prairie fire.” Through his journey, may the children’s eyes be opened to a world beyond their own—to broader horizons and greater possibilities. And above all, may it plant in them the seeds of aspiration: that from a young age, they may nurture dreams worthy of the effort, and in time, earn their own full scholarships to pursue doctoral studies abroad. For where there is vision, there is hope—and with perseverance, that hope may one day take flight. 家长们如果愿意，请与自己的孩子们分享，看看在澳洲全额奖学金读人工智能博士的大哥哥的每周精彩生活，榜样的力量是无穷的。 让孩子们开阔眼界。 希望孩子们从小立志，长大也能获得全额奖学金在海外读博士。           欢迎您关注我们： 联系安安博士：  |
