Grades in this course will be determined by use of the Learning Record, a system which requires students to compile a portfolio of work at the midterm and at the end of the semester. When you submit assignments, I will provide written feedback, but I won't provide a grade.
LR portfolios present a selection of your work, both formal and informal, plus ongoing observations about your learning, plus an analysis of your work in terms of the five dimensions of learning and the goals for this course. You will evaluate your work in terms of the grade criteria listed on this page. I will provide written comments on your LR and determine whether you have made a convincing argument.
The LR has four main components:
Part A: Interview
This is an informal interview with someone who is familiar with your learning processes. After the interview, you will summarize it briefly and then offer your own reflections on that interview. Part A is only completed once, at the beginning of the semester.
Observations
At least twice per week, you will record observations about your learning. These aren't observations about the course content but are instead observations about your own learning processes. So, an observation wouldn't be "Booth's arguments about rhetoric are useful for understanding propaganda." Instead, an observation would be more like, "I'm having a hard time understanding Booth's explanation of rhetoric" or "I'm finding myself more interested in the Booth reading than I expected to be."
Part B: Analysis
Part B is completed twice, once at the midterm and once at the end of the course. This is an analysis of your learning processes in terms of five dimensions of learning and the learning goals of this course.
Dimensions of Learning
The five dimensions of learning have been developed by teachers and researchers, and they represent what learners experience in any learning situation:
1) Confidence and independence
2) Knowledge and understanding
3) Skills and strategies
4) Use of prior and emerging experience
5) Reflectiveness
You can find detailed descriptions of the dimensions of learning on the Learning Record Website.
Course Goals
Your analysis will also consider the specific goals for this course:
1) Rhetorical Analysis Use the tools of rhetorical analysis to analyze the problems of misinformation, propaganda, and verifying truth in digital environments
2) Ethical Analysis Recognize the complex ethical obligations of the producers and consumers of information
3) Analysis of digital technologiesExplain the roles certain digital technologies play in the problems of misinformation, propaganda, and verifying truth
4) User of digital media to express ideas Create digital works that to express arguments about misinformation, propaganda, and verification of truth
Your work in class (and in other classes during this semester) along with the observations you record throughout the semester will help you build an argument that shows learning development across the dimensions of learning and course goals.
Part C: Evaluation
Part C is completed twice, once at the midterm and once at the end of the course. You will evaluate your work in the course (assignments and observations as well as work you have completed in other courses this semester) in terms of the below criteria to make an argument for your grade.
A
Represents outstanding participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed and submitted on time, with very high quality in all work produced for the course. Student has perfect or near perfect attendance. Evidence of significant development across the five dimensions of learning. The Learning Record at this level demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond the required course work in one or more course goals.
B
Represents excellent participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed on time, with consistently high quality in course work. Student has near perfect attendance. Evidence of marked development across the five dimensions of learning.
C
Represents good participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed, with generally good quality overall in course work. Evidence of some development across the five dimensions of learning.
D
Represents uneven participation in course activities; some gaps in assigned work completed, with inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of development across the five dimensions of learning is partial or unclear.
F
Represents minimal participation in course activities; serious gaps in assigned work completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is not available.
