Seeking clarity on standards, deliverables, and process is different than expecting everything to be defined in black and white. Students in the classroom, people in the workplace, faculty at a university — the expectations tend to be the same. “Tell me exactly what you want me to do, and I will do it.”
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a black and white universe. We have to learn to cope with shades of grey. We don’t live in a mechanical world, and patterns of behavior are as much defined by culture as they are by stage of life. Let’s leave the robotic mindset to the robots. For the rest of us, dealing with broad guidelines and creative energy may be the way to go. People should be permitted to color outside the lines.