This is a huge problem for me, too, actually. I'm teaching two sections of 306 this semester. When I gave the first quiz, I had envisoned it taking 20-30 minutes, but many students in my first class needed almost the entire period. This shocked me. I could see that they were working frantically the whole time, so I thought I had misjudged how long the quiz would take. Then everyone in my second class finished the quiz in twenty minutes. When I graded the quizzes that evening, I saw immediately that the first class hadn't followed directions. I had given them options, and they had answered every single question.

After seeing that, I made sure that I when I gave them their second quiz, I went over all the directions first. The results were the same. It happens with their papers, too. Their first paper was a short rhetorical analysis of one chapter of The Blindside. Now admittedly, the assignment might have been a bit confusing because like the quiz, it gave them lots of options for audience and rhetorical situation. But when I presented it during class, several people kept asking about "the other chapter we do," and "I know we have to do Chapter 1, but..."

I was very confused. Finally, one girl pointed to the assignment sheet and said, "Look, it says we have to pick chapter one from The Blindside, but later you talk about whatever chapter we choose." I pointed out to her that the sentence actually read, "pick one chapter." Several people had transposed the two words. It's not that they can't read. Most of them loved The Blind Side and were very eager to share their responses to reading assignments in class discussion. I really think they don't take the time to read all the words (a particular problem in my class since my assignments are often not what they're expecting them to be). They skim everything and, as a result, frequently make those kinds of mistakes.

I used to be more cynical when students did assignments wrong, but I've noticed over the years that, really, it is quite often an honest mistake, and the student means well and has sincerely put in his or her best effort. In the case of a major assignment like a paper, I do not grade their misguided draft and let them write me another.

This sounds very generous, and I do worry that part of the point of these introductory rhetoric classes is to teach young undergrads that they must do the assignment that they are given (not just do something) in order to receive credit in college.

The thing is, though, by allowing them to redo the assignment, I'm actually forcing them to pay attention and do the assignment correctly (unless they want a zero for a major grade).

I agree that when most of the class messes up, the assignment probably needs to be rewritten. Right now, I think that when only a few mess up, you should just make them redo the assignment (unless, of course, there are so many that the grading becomes a burden for you). More and more, I think I need to create some kind of clever activity about following instructions.