Grading Policy: Grades in this course will be determined by use of the Learning Record (LR). The LR requires you to compile a portfolio of work throughout the semester, record brief observations on your work, and to compose formal reflections on your work at the midterm and at the end of the semester. As documented in your portfolio and observations, your work in class (formal and informal writing assignments), group activities, and relevant work outside of the class will provide the evidence from which you will build an argument about your performance in the course.
In almost every learning situation, there are multiple dimensions by which the learner’s experience can be gauged confidence and independence, knowledge and understanding, skills and strategies, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflection. Your Learning Record reflections will discuss how your work measures on these dimensions in terms of the Course Strands. We will discuss the LR in detail at the beginning of the semester, and we will have various conversations about compiling the LR as the semester progresses.
After reviewing your argument, I will either agree with or revise your self- assessment based on the evidence provided in your LR. You will create this argument by relating the evidence from your portfolio to the four Course Strands (broad-level goals that cover a variety of skills): (1) Rhetoric, (2) Writing Process, (3) Research, (4) Digital Literacy.
You will submit three Learning Record documents to Ms. Barta.
- Initial Learning Record baseline — Due January 23, 2017
- Midterm reflection & assessment — Due March 10, 2017
- Final Portfolio — Due May 5, 2017
The grade criteria are as follows:
A Continual participation in all course activities, perfect or near perfect attendance, and all assigned work completed on time. Excellent quality in work produced for the course along all dimensions of learning and in all Course Strands. LR reflections cite explicit and accurate evidence for quality of work. LR demonstrates both an awareness of student’s place along the dimensions of learning and development along the dimensions throughout the semester, showing an awareness of both strengths and areas to work on in the future.
B Almost continual participation in all course activities, near perfect attendance, and all assigned work completed on time. Good quality in work produced for the course along all dimensions of learning and in all Course Strands. LR reflections cite explicit and accurate evidence for quality of work, but do not provide the most appropriate evidence or fail to connect some claims about quality of work and development to evidence in the LR. LR demonstrates both an awareness of student’s place along the dimensions of learning and development along the dimensions throughout the semester, showing an awareness of both strengths and areas to work on in the future.
C Varied participation in all course activities, minimal absences, and all assigned work completed on time. Average quality in work produced for the course along all dimensions of learning and in all Course Strands. LR reflections cite explicit and accurate evidence for quality of work, but do not always provide appropriate evidence or fail to connect some claims about quality of work and development to evidence in the LR. LR demonstrates some awareness of student’s place along the dimensions of learning and development along the dimensions throughout the semester, but does not describe development fully.
D Intermittent participation in course activities, poor attendance, some late, incomplete or missing assignments, and/or below-average quality of work produced according to the Course Strands. LR provides little evidence of awareness of development along the dimensions of learning, not discussing one or more dimensions and/or Strands.
F Minimal or no participation in course activities, poor attendance, several late, incomplete or missing assignments and/or well below average quality of work produced according to the Course Strands. Evidence of development across the dimensions of learning is not given or does not support claims made in the LR reflection, and LR does not discuss multiple dimensions and/or Strands.
Plus and minus grades will be awarded where LR evidence falls between the criteria for two whole letter grades.