As I read through your assignments for Unit One, I want to review and clarify my assessment process for you all. First, just as I asked you to describe your learning philosophies on your welcome pages, I want to detail my teaching philosophy, otherwise known as pedagogy:
- Learning is a process
- Writing is a complex art requiring a range of specialized techniques:
- analytical strategies
- composition skills
- creative thinking
- aesthetic techniques
- critical thinking
- digital literacy
- Students of writing need time to develop these skills and learn how to weave these skills together with confidence.
- Writing is a voice; an individual voice, each student needs to discover her or his voice [identity] within the perimeters of genre.
- Practice is the key to developing a writing voice
- Learning to write is a life long occupation
With this in mind, I design my evaluation process with a focus on encouraging practice, as much as possible. One of the ways I encourage you to practice is by allowing you to self-edit your blogs whenever you like*. The other way I encourage practice is by distributing the majority of your points at the end of the semester, after you have had ample time to practice and reflect and learn the skills of self-editing.
*Note: please do not edit your assignments on your Group Forum.
To be as clear as I can be:
- Every three weeks, at the end of each unit I begin the individual evaluation process for that unit
- It will take me at least ten days to read and comment on all of your work. You will recieve my evaluative feedback via an email message
- You are always free to edit your blog postings
- Indeed, you want to ensure your blog is perfect by the end of term; this is when you are seriously graded because your blog will transform into your web folio worth 18%.
These are my evaluation criteria for Unit one:
- Completeness: all assignments are complete
- Timeliness: assignments are on time
- Thoughtfulness: assignments are completed with thoughtful attention to instructions and readings
Point distribution for Unit One:
Memorandums and emails: 2%
Blog set-up, application letter and reflections : 10%
Peer Review & Team Forum: 5%
It is my expectation, that once you have received my evaluative comments, if necessary, you will return to your blog and self-edit. For future Units the criteria for evaluation begin to include specific writing skills.
Please do post any question on our group Facebook page, thank you.
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