Today’s Plan:
- Resources for Surveys
- Peer Review Sheet
- Homework
Resources for Designing a Survey
Since a number of you are working on designing surveys or questionnaires, I wanted to spend a bit of time in class discussing them. Let’s take a look at Survey Monkey’s Best Practices page as a starting point.
- Survey Question Types
- Survey Questions Do’s and Don’ts
- Privacy and Personal Information
- Response Collection Tips
- Balancing Qualitative and Quantitative Questions
- Analyzing Survey Results
- Templates
Peer Review Sheet
Over the next few classes I will be developing and sharing the grading rubric for the final papers as we are reviewing paper progress in class. For our first session, I want to pay attention to two primary areas of the final rubric: argumentation and evidence.
Argument and Paragraphs
- Every paragraph makes a claim and
- Has a topic sentence (i.e., there is one sentence that tells a reader why they are reading that paragraph)
- Every claim has some support or evidence backing it up and it is clear when that evidence is from a source (see below) or is the writer’s own argument (or anecdote)
- Every paragraph ends with a sentence that connects back to the opening topic sentence (and that paragraphs don’t end on quotations)
- Sources are introduced (author, time, publication venue) and cited correctly in text (whether direct quotation or paraphrase)
- Source material is integrated into the discussion and not just dropped into place because…
- The writer provides sufficient context regarding a source that a reader understands its purpose and significance
- The writer differentiates between what sources are saying and why they think that those sources are significant, important, or wrong
- Underline topic sentences/claims in every paragraph. Be on the lookout for why you are reading a paragraph–what it wants to prove, what it has to offer. If you can’t find one, or think that a paragraph has more than one claim/topic/issue, then let the writer know.
- Place checkmarks in the margins where sources are adequately introduced.
- Place question marks in the margins where you have some questions about a source and/or need more information to judge it (ethos) or understand what evidence it is offering (logos).
- Place an asterisk at the end of a paragraph that either ends with a quote or doesn’t touch back on the topic sentence–make sure the writer is “finishing off ideas” and not expecting a reader to do that work for her.
Evidence and Sources
Additionally, I see peer review as a way for you informing an author where you were head nodding (easily following along/agreeing with the argument) and where you had some dissonance–whether it is disagreement (in which case the author might need to consider different viewpoints/anticipate disagreement) or confusion (where you were having a hard time understanding what the author was trying to say).
So, as you read today, please:
Homework
Draft another five pages of your essay for peer review on Tuesday. Again bring 3 copies of your paper to class. In addition to paying attention to argument and evidence, make sure you have formatted your paper and your citations in a research format (MLA, APA, etc).
If you are planning on using a survey or a questionnaire, make sure you have a draft of all the questions by Tuesday (include it somehow with your draft material–perhaps in the write up for your methods section).
