Reference no: EM133585996

Homework: Assessment Portfolio

What is an assessment portfolio?

A collection of documents from a class (with a reflective letter) showing learning and understanding

How is the assessment portfolio used by English department faculty?

The assessment portfolio is read by faculty who teach Upper Division writing classes at NDSU. We are looking for trends about student writing and understanding of our class outcomes. We use the portfolios to assess how effectively we are teaching and how much our students understand and can apply the concepts core to our upper division writing classes. All portfolios read by faculty are anonymous. After assessment, all printed portfolios are securely shredded/recycled.

Task

Components of the Assessment Portfolio (3 parts):

I. Table of Contents

A. A Table of Contents with project titles, genre types, and page numbers

II. Reflective letter:

A. Addressed to Assessment Readers, the letter will be 1-2 single-spaced pages long and will show professionalism. As a whole, it will discuss two topics: how to communicate effectively in various genres for different audiences, purposes, and situations; and your understanding of the incorporation and use of knowledge and ideas.

Your letter should demonstrate knowledge and awareness of;

A. genre (reflective letter),

B. audience (me and other assessment/department readers - we are looking at broad trends in our students' performances),

C. purpose (to reflect and persuade; to enhance your own awareness of your learning, your understanding of concepts, your strengths and weaknesses; to self-evaluate),

D. style (first-person, mid-formal, reflective),

E. and context (English writing professionals will be reading and assessing your learning; school, where demonstrating learning and reflecting on it for personal growth are valued and being evaluated).

Reflective Letter Format

Your letter should follow the following format:

A. single spaced
B. approximately 1-2 pages
C. paragraphs are not indented
D. one extra space between paragraphs
E. remove extra .5 space between paragraphs (an automatic Word thing; if you're not sure how to do this, just look it up in a Google search)
F. sign your letter (electronic signature - optional)
G. page numbers
H. sans serif font

Use letter format:
Your street address
City, State Zip
Date (written month (spelled out) day, year)

Upper Division Assessment Readers
English Department
NDSU
Fargo, ND 58108

Dear Assessment Readers:

Introduction material

Body (in several paragraphs)

Conclusion

Closure (sincerely, etc.)

E-signature (optional)

Your name

Enclosure [this is a cover letter, after all]

Content:

1. Explanation of your ability to use genres for diverse audiences and purposes. (The following are possible topics for discussion. Choose 1-3 or so).

A. Define genre in your own words. (no dictionaries)

B. Give a recent example of you writing something which required you to choose a genre to convey your message. Explain how you came to your decisions and how effective your document was in communicating your message.

C. Explain how you, in general, make decisions about what genre to use and why.

D. Reflect on why there are so many different genres we can choose from to communicate.

E. Explain methods you used to adjust your writing in this English class as you moved from one genre and/or audience to another. How did your writing have to change to fit the new genre or the new audience?

F. How do specific examples from your work in this English class reflect your learning about the use of genres? Provide specific references to work you have written in this class.

G. Where do you see your strengths when selecting and writing genres?

H. Where do you see your weaknesses?

I. Include ideas for further revision of your English work this semester. What changes would you make (give specific examples) to the homeworks you submitted for grading, if you could? Why?

J. What do you NOT understand about genres and their use? What remains a question or is unclear about this topic? Provide specific examples, if possible.

2. Explanation of your understanding of how to use sources effectively. (The following are possible topics for discussion. Choose 1-3 or so).

A. Define source use, in your own words (no dictionaries, please).

B. Explain how you used sources (including personal experience) to write one of the homeworks for this English class. What was your thinking process?

C. What does it mean to integrate sources and how do you do this? Provide specific examples from your homeworks in this class.

D. How well did the sources you choose for one homework support the points you were trying to make? Where were the strengths? The weaknesses?

E. Where do you see your strengths when choosing and using sources?

F. Where do you see your weaknesses?

G. How do you determine if a source is credible?

H. What formatting style did you use for one homework this semester? Why did you choose that style and how did you use it? Give specific examples.

I. What do you NOT understand about using sources and/or giving credit for borrowed information? What remains a question or is unclear about this topic? Provide specific examples, if possible.

III. Portfolio:

The writing you include for the portfolio may be collaborative and must include a variety of genres. You need CLEAN copies of your work-without previous comments from grading or peer review.

Include the following:

A. At least three pieces of writing, which are of at least three different genres, including their works cited pages (as appropriate)

B. A total of 18-25 pages of your writing from this class; when counting pages, single-spacing counts as two pages, so the resume is worth two pages, a brochure is worth four pages, and so on. Anything you wrote in class counts for this requirement.