Today’s Plan:
- Reminder: Labor-Based Grading
- Project Two: Developing a Proficiency Grade
- Reminder: Advising WEP Major / Writing Minor
- Community Engagement Project Deliverables and Work Logs
Labor-Based Grading
I wanted to review the syllabus and this course’s idiosyncratic assessment system. Remember that this course is built around labor-based grading, and the syllabus indicates that you will receive a base grade of a “B” if you turn all assignments in, relatively on time, and they meet base expectations for quality.
To earn an “A” in the class, you have to engage in extra-labor. The syllabus lists the following options:
- For Project 1, submitting revisions until they reach a 90% on the rubric and/or address instructor comments
- Visiting office hours in order to share drafts or ask meaningful questions about a project/reading/work (1-2 visits per semester)
- Bringing drafts of Project 1 or Project 4 to the Writing Center
- Making consistent and meaningful contributions to class discussions (especially when we are reviewing scholarship or are grade-norming)
- Showing leadership and responsibility in group projects
- Going above and beyond during our Community Engagement Project (noting what extra work you did in your self-reflection)
- Developing a professional portfolio and/or online presence in the Job Materials project
Yesterday I awarded extra-labor credit in Canvas. 4 people have completed a revision of their Job Report (or produced an excellent job report that already spoke to a significant labor investment). Only one person attended the Writing Center. I awarded
Project 2 Grades
Since I changed the Project 2 format, I decided to simply base the grade on the number of the assignments you completed over those three weeks. There were 5 total assignments:
- Fadde and Sullivan Discussion Questions
- Marisol’s Email
- Lauer and Brumberger Reading/Discussion Post
- Grant Writing Program Revision
- Revised Flyer
So, if you completed 5/5, then you got a 90%. If you completed 4/5, then you got 84%. If you completed 3/5, then you got a 72%. If you completed 2/5, then you got a 50%. I awarded some bonus points here (over the LBG standard 85%) because I thought the quality of work and discussions over those weeks was strong.
Community Engagement Project Deliverables and Work Logs
Before break, you had an opportunity to meet with your team and review your organization’s assets and/or needs. Today, I’d like you to meet with your team and sketch out your goals for the next two weeks. I awarded 6 people credit for leading class discussions (if you feel you should qualify for this and I didn’t award credit, then send me an email and I will both reconsider and pay extra attention to your contributions the rest of the way).
Organizations often using something called a gantt chart to help organize and facilitate team projects; they are a core element of project management. A gantt chart identifies key stages in a project, the deliverables for that stage, and the person(s) responsible for completing it.
I don’t think we need something as complicated as a gantt chart for these projects (though as potential professional communicators and researchers, it is important that you know what they are). I do need to know on what your team will focus, and what each member will be responsible for.
Deliverables
Given the time we have this semester, I’m setting up the following deliverable due dates:
- Deliverable #1: April 3rd
- Deliverable #2: April 17th
In some cases, I have a clear idea what your deliverables might be. For instance, Grant Writing: your Deliverable #1 will be a funding report and your deliverable #2 will be a draft of a Colorado Common Grant Application (likely for the Poudre River Trail Corridor Inc–I have a lot of material of theirs that you can revise into a grant application). For other groups the future is more wide open. I’ll be coming around today to meet with each group to help identify goals and responsibilities.
Work Logs
Given how idiosyncratic the team projects can be, I’ve devised a system for rewarding your investment and labor: work logs. Logs are generally quick memos that your write me each week that documents what you did for the 4 hours you worked on the project. In your first work log (due this Sunday), I would like you to identify the days/time you will invest your four hours every week: make a clear schedule. This can be one four hour block, though I recommend establishing two 2-hour blocks a week, or one 2 hour and two 1 hour blocks (in addition to Project Management, this is an exercise in Time Management and Deadlines).
You can share URLs to work-in-progress for my review, describe reading and learning you did (say a new technology) with details on how that work shows us in your deliverable drafts, etc. These work logs will be due on Sundays at midnight, and I will review them every Monday morning, so you can also include questions you might have or identify work that you want me to review before our Tuesday meetings.
Note that work logs are also an anonymous way for you to inform me that someone else is late with progress on a deliverable. But, also, note that you are responsible for doing 4 hours of work a week regardless of what other people have done.
Homework
Make sure your team emails me a memo by the end of today’s class indicating what deliverables you will have completed by April 3rd and who is responsible for what elements of that/those deliverable(s).
Start working on those deliverables in preparation for Thursday’s class (location TBD–I have to put in a computer lab request today).
