EpiNotesProtected
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Epidemiological Thinking and Public HealthNOTES ON TEACHING/LEARNING INTERACTIONSincluding
Written assignmentsIndividual assignments are not given a grade, but students may often be asked to revise and resubmit in response to the instructor's comments before the assignment is deemed complete (see dialogue around written work).a. Weekly additions to glossary of terms from chapters of the Gordis text illustrated by examples from the student's field (weeks 2-14). (Include in Portfolio, rationale and guidelines) b. Weekly sketches of ways that the concepts, methods, and problems of that week might be applied to a project in your own area of interest (for weeks 2-13; submitted the following week). (Include in Portfolio with copy to instructor, guidelines) c. Weekly annotations of references, either the common readings when the student is leading the discussion or the supplementary or additional references for other weeks (weeks 2-14). (Add to course wiki, rationale and guidelines) d. Final portfolio selection and essay. (guidelines) Participation and contribution to the class process (19 items)e. Prepared participation in class meetings (14 items)Prepared participation and punctual attendance at class meetings are expected, but allowance is made for other priorities in your life. I do not require you to give excuses for absence, lateness, or lack of preparation. Simply make up the 80% of participation items in other ways (f-h).
f. Conferences (at least twice -- one before Columbus day; at least one more before Thanksgiving; 2 items; ) for discussion of comments on assignments (see Dialogue around written work), your portfolio projects, discussion leading, and the course as a whole. They are important to ensure timely resolution of misunderstandings and to get a recharge if you get behind. g. Discussion (co-)leading (2 items) (feel free to experiment based on experience of what worked well and what could have been improved in previous sessions or courses)[insert from 07 syllabus & Epi07Eval] h. Peer commentary (1 item) After the draft portfolio selection and essay is completed, you should comment on another student's draft and send me a copy. Keep Elbow's Varieties of responses in mind when you decide what approaches to commenting you ask for as a writer and what to use as a commentator. In the past I made lots of specific suggestions for clarification and change in the margins, but in my experience, such suggestions led only a minority of students beyond touching up into re-thinking and revising their ideas and writing. On the other hand, I believe that all writers value comments that reassure them that they have been listened to and their voice, however uncertain, has been heard. Other Processes in the CourseChecklist Keep track of your own submissions etc., so time talking with the instructor can be spent on content, not checking on what assignments you have completed, etc. Workshop The workshop period allows for one-on-one interaction with instructor, peer input/support/coaching, and some structured activities to guide your work. It is expected that the definition of the research/policy question will not be clear at the start but will become focused as the course proceeds. Details of activities to be added as we go. Submission of Writing in a Professional and Instructor-friendly manner Students should submit two copies of all sketches -- I want to give you one back with my comments so you have it when you read them. and I keep the other plus a carbon copy of my comments in a portfolio that I can refer back to. Ditto, two copies if you do your portfolio offline, i.e., not on a wiki. Submissions made on the course wiki or personal wiki do not have to be printed out and handed in in hard copy. Let me know if there is work on the wiki that you don't think I have looked at. See also general guidelines about format on hard copies and writing in general. Dialogue around written work Rationale for the Assessment system The different assignments are commented on then "graded" either OK or revise & resubmit. An automatic B+ is awarded for 80% (approx.) of written assignments OK/RNR and participation items fulfilled. The rationale for this system is to keep the focus of our teaching/learning interactions on your developing through the semester. It allows more space for students and instructor to appreciate and learn from what each other is saying and thinking. My goal is to work with everyone to achieve the 80% satisfactory completion level and not really think about grades at all during the semester. Students who progress steadily towards the automatic B+ goal during the semester usually end up producing work that meets the criteria in the syllabus for a higher grade than a B+. Please keep track of your own progress (perhaps on a printout of this checklist). To gauge whether you are on track for at least a B+, simply note whether you have submitted 80% of the assignments and attended 80% of the classes to date. If you are behind do NOT hide and do NOT end the semester without a completion contract. You are free to do more than 80% of the assignments and fulfill more than 80% of the participation items, but it does not hurt your grade to choose strategically to miss some in light of your other work and life happenings. Ask for clarification if needed to get clear and comfortable with this system. Learning Community and email group/list Individually and as a group, you already know a lot about health sciences. You can learn a lot from each other and from teaching others what you know. The email group or list (i.e., emails sent to epicourse@googlegroups.com) can be used to help the community develop. Taking stock (both of student's development and of course) during semester ("formative evaluation")
at end of semester
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