Infrequently Asked Questions
Below are questions that I wish students would ask more frequently. If you are asking yourself any of these questions, please give yourself a pat on the back for doing so, and then look to the answers below. If you don't yet have any questions, I hope this list will give you some ideas regarding what you should be thinking about as you go through the course.
What exactly is a "self-assessment"-- and why do I have to submit to it?
-
In order to assist me in responding effectively and efficiently to all written work, I DO want you to include a self-assessment (see #24) for all assignments.
-
On the other hand, this should not take more than a short time to complete; you can write it, by hand if you prefer, after you have finished the final draft of each. papers without the self-assessment will be returned to you with a request for completion before I read them, and this will delay the grading and return of your work. Please do not forget!
- Using the back of rubric, write a self-assessment both of (a) your research & writing process (how did the paper go for you, where did you struggle or get stuck, what went well and what didn’t); and(b) the product (what do you think are the paper's strengths and weaknesses? what further revisions would you have made if you had had time?). I will read this after I read and evaluate the reflection but before I write my final comments to you; it will assist me in offering you the most useful feedback possible. Make sure to include your name on this page, as it will not be indicated anywhere else on the paper!
[Occasional statements throughout this document are derived, with permission, from a similar document written by my colleague Peter Fosl, Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Transylvania University. Much of the wording of my statements regarding academic honesty is drawn—definitely with permission!--from Patricia Keith-Spiegel, “Syllabi Statements Regarding Academic Dishonesty: Rationale and Suggestions,” distributed by Ball State University’s Center for the Teaching of Integrity.]