Assignment Overview

Learning how to design web pages using HTML and CSS is something that takes place over time. In the early stages, just getting a hang of how to upload files to the server is difficult and then at later stages learning nuances of CSS coding becomes a challenge. As a result, it is difficult to grade this work using number grades because skills vary so widely from student to student over the course of the semester.

As a result, we will be using a system that allows you to track your learning over time so we be sure that each stage of your progress is documented and appreciated—by you and BW. It also has a rather expansive understanding of what “work” is, so you are able to discuss drafts, failures, and mistakes in a way that helps you understand what you have learned and what has led to your successes.

Specifically, each student will be creating a semester-long Story of Learning in which you will keep track of your weekly activities, reflect on what you have learned, make plans for the future, and at midterm and final, make recommendations on what grade you believe you deserve using your own work as evidence.

The assignment is informed by three Course Learning Objectives:

Objective 2: Effective Communication
Students will be able to identify and employ a range of effective communication strategies to navigate audience, purpose, and context.

Objective 4: Reflection
Students will develop their understanding of the important role of reflection during the investigation, design, and communication process.

Objective 5: Risk-taking
Students will know what it feels like to step out of their comfort zones and take risks with their approaches to and understanding of web design.

Assignment Specifics

Your Story of Learning will consist of the following sections in a GoogleDoc that only you and BW have access to:

1. My Story Up Till this Moment
   In this section, you will write about your educational and learning experiences in terms of the Five Course Objectives: Collaboration, Effective Communication, Human-Centered Design, Reflection, and Risk-taking, as well as your experiences using social media and conducting interviews. This section gives us a starting point for the semester, so we can see where improvement comes throughout the semester. (500 words)
2. Weekly Updates
   In this section, you will compose short updates on what you have accomplished week to week, as well as statements about what you learned by completing that work, which of the Five Course Objectives were impacted by your work, what you learned about yourself, questions you have, and your plans for the following week. By completing these updates, you will be able to go back and see all you have accomplished when it is time to complete your midterm and final assessments. (word count will vary by week, but no more than 100 words per entry)
3. Suggestions for the Second Half of the Semester; Suggestions for the Course Next Time it is Taught
   In these sections, you will discuss any suggestions for changes or improvements to the course.
4. Plans for the Future
   In these sections, you discuss your plans for the second half of the semester and after the class is over.
5. My Story of Learning at Midterm; My Story of Learning at the End of the Semester
   In these sections, you will discuss your learning in terms of the Five Course Objectives using work you have completed as evidence.
6. Grade Estimate
   In this section, you will estimate what grade you think you deserve using the below grading criteria. The key for this section is to use the language of the grading criteria to help you make your points. 

Please create a folder on your computer and where you can keep copies of all work you complete for the class as well as a place where you have save links to what you have completed online.

Due Dates

• My Story Up Till This Moment: 2/1 by 11:00pm
• Weekly Updates: Every week by Friday at 5:00pm starting Week 3, ending Week 15
• My Story of Learning at Midterm: 3/8 3/20 by 11:00pm
• My Story of Learning at the End of the Semester: TBD by 11:00pm

Grading Criteria

A, A-
Represents outstanding participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed, with very high quality in all work produced for the course. Evidence of significant development across the five course objectives. The Story of Learning at this level demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond the required course work in one or more course objectives.

B+, B, B-
Represents excellent participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed, with consistently high quality in course work. Evidence of marked development across the five course objectives.

C+, C, 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 course objectives.

D+, 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 course objectives 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.

IN
Work for the course is incomplete and the instructor will allow the student additional time to complete it. The amount of time allowed is at the discretion of the instructor.

Acknowledgement

Portions of this assignment are borrowed from and inspired by The Learning Record assessment system.