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Assessment Updates

November 25, 2019 Derek Sherman

Three updates as we near the end of Fall 2019:

Norming, reading, and rating, Spring 2020

As in Spring 2019, we will be reading and rating Fall 2019 work as a large group. This process will begin with norming at our Spring 2020 Convocation (January 10, 2020, 11:00am) and will continue into the Spring 2020 semester. 

We will have four sessions before Spring Break. Please plan to attend at least two.

  • February 4: 9:00 to 11:45a (KRAN G002) 
  • February 5: 12:30 to 3:20p (REC 309)
  • March 2: 12:30 to 3:20p (REC 309)
  • March 5: 9:00 to 11:45a (KRAN G002)

If you teach English 106 and need to cancel conferences to make attending these sessions easier, please do. (Make sure to let Joy Kane know, of course.)

Student guide for creating the portfolio is ready

The tech mentors have graciously created a guide to creating the portfolio for students (PDF). In this guide, students will find information on how to create, combine, and format PDFs. In addition, students will find information on how to make the portfolio readable for accessibility purposes. Please inform your students of this guide to help them compose the final portfolio. 

Standardizing the Portfolio Format: Spring 2020 and beyond

Based on our assessment of the Summer 2019 portfolios, ICaP and the Assessment Committee have agreed that working with portfolios would be easier if the format and organization were  standardized to some degree. We ask instructors to use this format and organization in Spring 2020 if possible. We will gather feedback and finalize guidelines to be used by everyone in Summer 2020 and beyond. 

We request the following format guidelines: 

  • Title page with student name, instructor name, and course number 
  • Table of Contents with all writing projects  and their respective parts listed 
  • Clear labels within the portfolio for each part of each writing project  (e.g., proposal, rough draft, final draft, etc.)
  • Each component should start on a separate page 

We also ask that this organization be used: 

  1. Title Page 
  2. Table of Contents 
  3. Final Reflection 
  4. Course Writing Projects in chronological order
  5. Each writing project should also include its components and/or milestones in chronological order, i.e.
    1. Brainstorming 
    2. Rough Draft(s)
    3. Feedback (Peer and/or Instructor)
    4. Final Draft 
    5. Mini-reflection (memo in English 106Y)  

Again, this change is voluntary for the Spring 2020 semester. 

Update: Additional Voluntary Changes

Based on feedback from the portfolio submissions from Fall 2019, instructors are welcome to make the following additional changes to the portfolio assignment. This handout summarizes them.

  • Final Reflection: You may create your own prompt that focuses on some outcomes rather than all
    • Throughout the semester, however, students should have reflected on each outcome once
    • Continue to use the same rhetorical moves suggested in the Instructor’s Guide to the Portfolio
  • Final Reflection Audience: You may change the audience from an employer to an audience that more closely fits your syllabus theme or preference
    • You will need to submit this assignment sheet to Qualtrics
  • Reflective memos/logs: You are free to create your own prompt that fits the major assignment
    • Continue to use the same rhetorical moves suggested in the Instructor’s Guide to the Portfolio
    • Make sure these remain relatively small
  • Beyond the PDF Portfolio: Some instructors in Fall 2019 experimented with digital/web-based portfolios, so you may also use this format. Please see any of those instructors for advice
    • All components of the portfolio would remain the same
    • Submission would require a link

Thank you!

We would like to thank all Summer 2019 instructors for their commentary on the portfolios, especially those who attended the norming session on October 22, 2019. The commentary and suggestions we received have helped us continue to refine our assessment process.

The Assessment Committee is also hard at work at creating additional resources for teaching the portfolio and reflection. We will share those materials with you as soon as we can. 

If you would like to further contribute to the assessment conversation, please join the Assessment Committee. Please contact Derek Sherman (sherma11@purdue.edu) for more information. 

Thank you all for your hard work!