Midterm Learning Record Overview
Please complete your Midterm Learning Record document, which consists of the following:
- completed parts A1 and A2
- a selection of Observations you feel represents the work you have done thus far in the semester (that is, not all of them)
- a selection of your work you feel represents the work you have done thus far in the semester (that is, not all of your work)
- completed part B1
- completed part C1
The fact that you are asked to select Observations and Work Samples rather than including all of them is important. It forces you to be a critical reader of your own work and to think about what can serve as effective evidence for the points you want to make. Observations should help create a portrait of a learner over time. They can but do not need to be quoted in Part B. All Work Samples included should be mentioned, paraphrased, or quoted in Part B. If you don’t mention it, don’t include it.
Part B1 – Midterm is a “summary interpretation of observations and evidence in terms of the major strands of work and the six dimensions of learning.” For the purposes of this class, the major strands are:
- Exploration and Curiosity
- Communication Technology
- Critical Thinking, Writing and Reading
- Reflection
- Collaboration
See the Syllabus for descriptions of each strand. The dimensions of learning are:
- confidence and independence
- knowledge and understanding
- skills and strategies
- use of prior and emerging experience
- reflectiveness (critical awareness)
- creativity, originality, imagination.
See the Learning Record template your Dropbox folder for descriptions of each of the dimensions of learning and the grading criteria. Part B is crucial to the effectiveness of the Learning Record. It helps readers understand what the bits and pieces of evidence gathered really mean for the student’s learning. It does not need to be written like a formal essay (for example, you do not need a thesis; rather you can structure it by course strand and dimension of learning) but it does need to connect and reference (yes, you must quote from your own work) the observations and samples of work explicitly to development across the six dimensions of learning in the main strands of work for the class.
Part C1 – Midterm is where you make an estimation of your grade based on the grading criteria (see the syllabus or the end of the learning record document) and make suggestions for your own further development. Part C provides an opportunity to reflect over the entire LR and the class, evaluate progress and achievement, and suggest next steps for development. Part C1 will help you take stock of your progress, estimate an evaluation in the form of a grade, and reflect on your plan of work for the remainder of the semester. I will take this opportunity to provide feedback to you regarding your work in class to this point. The midterm serves as a kind of “reality check” to prevent misunderstandings about the level of activity and progress I expect from students in my classes.
Assignment Specifics
There are many different sections of the Learning Record and it is vital that they are put in the correct location.
Note that you are supposed to select work samples and observations you believe illustrate what you have learned since the beginning of the semester. This means that you are not expected (and should not) include all of the work in the Learning Record (work not completed and not included in the Learning Record does not mean that you are excused from the assignment; all assignments much be completed to receive a certain grade). You may, however, include work that was not assigned, such as work completed for another class that uses some of the skills learning in this class, presentations you have given on other locations that use things that we have learned, and so on. For blog posts, you can include the URL in the appropriate place; no need to include the whole post. You may also put links to textual ecology spaces in it is possible to make those spaces public (not all can). Otherwise, you can include screenshots.
Getting Started
- Open the most recent version of your in-progress Word doc.
- Save the document to the Midterm Document folder as yourlastname-lr-midterm.doc or .docx
- This will be the document you use to complete the midterm.
What to Include Where
Parts A1 and A2
These should stay exactly the same as in your in-progress folder.
Observations
In the yourlastname-lr-midterm.doc or .docx file, make a selection of your observations. Delete the ones you won’t be using (make sure you are not deleting from the in-progress folder).
Work Samples
Put the actual documents, files, and so on, in the midterm-work-samples folder in the midterm document folder. Samples that are blog posts do not need to be included there. Just link to them from the Work Samples section of yourlastname-lr-midterm.doc. Remember, do not include all your work; just a selection of your work.
Parts B1 and C1
Type and save them in the yourlastname-lr-midterm.doc or .docx file (you might also copy and paste them into to their own Markdown docs to give you an extra backup).
Exemplar
Here is an example midterm Learning Record from a student in the Spring 2008 section of Writing for Electronic Communities. Note the there were 5 Dimensions of Learning instead of our 6.
Use this sample as a guide for how long and how to organize part B and C, how many observations and work samples to include, and what type of information to include with your work samples. Note that you must discuss each Course Strand and each Dimension of Learning, as this student did. However, you’ll want to be sure you are quoting your work more than this student.
Important Due Dates
- learning record midterm due: Sunday, March 16, by 11:00pm
- take-home moderations: class-time Tuesday, April 1
Please tweet any general questions with the #core2s14 hashtag so the whole class can benefit. Anything specific to your own situation, send questions via email. BW does not read drafts of learning records.
Final Learning Record Overview
The final Learning Record should thoroughly consider your development along the Course Strands and Six Dimensions of Learning for the entire semester, not just from the time of the midterm. The final Learning Record consists of the following:
- completed parts A1 and A2
- a selection of Observations you feel represents the work you have done this semester (that is, not all of them)
- a selection of your work you feel represents the work you have done this semester (that is, not all of your work)
- completed part B1
- completed part C1, including BW’s comments and grade (BW will paste the comments into your midterm document)
- completed part B2
- completed part C2
Part B2 and Part C2 are expected to be (mostly) original content. That is, do not merely copy and paste and then add to what was written in Part B2 and Part C2. You will, of course, be including Observations and Work Samples from the first half of the semester but I expect you to be adding more, as well. Because you are now considering the whole of the semester, and have my comments on your midterm to guide you, the goals and scope of the final are different from that of the midterm.
You should be thoroughly inclusive in terms of Observations and Samples of Work. You should quote and include screen shots to provide evidence for your development.
Consider your approach to be showing progression and accomplishment rather than just accomplishment (which what most of you focused on in your midterm LR). Highlight changes over time, improvement, etc. Don’t just include examples of proficiency; include examples that show your initial skill level(s) so your narrative can build to your final proficiency. Think expansively about what “work” is. Err on the side of showcasing something that could be work. If you discuss something in Part B2, the work should also be included in the Work Samples. I cannot assess evidence that I cannot see. Your discussion should be thorough, detailed, and reflective.
In Part C2, boost yourself by making the strongest case you can for the grade you think your work deserves. Be overt. Use the language of the grading criteria itself to help make your point. If you believe your work, as is required for an A-level grade, “demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond the required course work in one or more course strands,” be specific about quantity and quality. State which course strand or strands and why. This is a time for you to show what you’ve learned over the course of the semester, not a time to be bashful.
Getting Started
- Open the most recent version of your in-progress Word doc.
- Save the document to the Final Document folder as yourlastname-lr-final.doc or .docx
- This will be the document you use to complete the midterm.
What to Include Where
Parts A1 and A2
These should stay exactly the same as in your in-progress folder.
Observations
In the yourlastname-lr-final.doc or .docx file, make a selection of your observations. Delete the ones you won’t be using (make sure you are not deleting from the in-progress folder).
Work Samples
Put the actual documents, files, and so on, in the final-work-samples folder in the final document folder. Samples that are blog posts do not need to be included there. Just link to them from the Work Samples section of yourlastname-lr-final.doc. Remember, do not include all your work; just a selection of your work.
Parts B1 and C1
Copy them from your Midterm Document into in the yourlastname-lr-final.doc or .docx file. Also copy and paste my comments, which I will be pasting in by the end of this week.
Parts B2 and C2
Type and save them in the yourlastname-lr-final.doc or .docx file. Note that you must discuss each Course Strand and each Dimension of Learning.
Important Due Dates
- learning record final due: Tuesday, May 6, by 11:00pm
Please tweet any general questions with the #core2s14 hashtag so the whole class can benefit. Anything specific to your own situation, send questions via email.