Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Directions for Self-Evaluation Essay Developed by Kelli Sellers

™First, you want to revisit your original documents
™Consider what you’ve learned this year and my feedback
™Review the assignment sheets for the projects you have chosen
™Review the Student Learning Outcomes outlined in your syllabus
™Make a revision plan to provide you with direction
™Revise your projects
™Consider visiting the Writing Center and/or office hours for additional feedback

™Then, write your self-evaluation essay


When writing your self-evaluation essay, consider the learning outcomes and ask which ones you have met:
™See that writing is a form of social interaction;
™Analyze rhetorical situations and make effective choices based on audience and context;
™Responsibly synthesize material from a variety of sources;
™Make claims and support them with appropriate evidence;
™Use writing to critically explore, explain, evaluate, and reflect on their experiences and on those of others;
™Understand and effectively use a range of genres/forms;
™Use conventions of expression appropriate to situation and audience;
™Effectively revise and provide substantive feedback to others on their writing;
™Articulate a revision strategy based on an understanding of their own writing processes;
™Recognize the importance of technology in research, writing, and other forms of social interaction.

The Reflective Essay

™Has a Persuasive Focus
™Explains your writing projects and assignments this semester
–What you are most proud of, your challenges, what you learned
™Discusses your writing process and revision process:
–For this section, I would like you to focus on the revisions of the included essays
–Explains which documents you revised and why
–Details what changes you made (and why you made them)
–Notes how these changes reflect the goals of the course
™Addresses the student learning outcomes listed on your syllabus
™Evaluates your participation in class
™And explores your progress through the course this semester
™What composition project, section, paragraph, or even sentence are you most proud to have produced this year?  What do you think is your biggest strength as a writer as we complete this semester?  What factors—if any—contributed to this improvement?
™Given the feedback you’ve received on all or most of the projects and writing assignments for this course, what do you think your most significant challenges as a writer have been this semester?  Please cite specific examples that support your assessment.
™What assignment or series of activities turned out to be the most difficult for you?  Why? 
™What assignment or series of activities taught you the most?  What sorts of things did it teach you? 

More Questions

™Consider the projects you revised for the portfolio. Think in detail what you felt was lacking in these essays and what you were trying to accomplish in your revisions.
™Are you more, or less, confident about your abilities as a writer after completing these revisions?  Why?
™We have talked at length in this course about writing and thinking as recursive processes in this class. What exactly does this mean to you? What has writing and/or revising this project taught you about the relationships between writing and thinking? How might this affect the way you write in the future?

Even More Questions

™Identify three or four learning outcomes that you feel you successfully accomplished in this year.  Please provide specific examples of pieces of writing that you feel reflect your success with each. Use your revised essays to provide evidence for your claims.
™If you had to take this course over again, would you change anything about how you went about preparing for class each week?    How would you honestly rate your overall participation this semester? 
™How conscientious were you in completing your homework—specifically the readings and your journal entries?

And Finally

™What are some of the most important things you feel you’ve learned in this class?  What, in detail, do you feel as if you’ve gained over the year?
™In what ways do you feel this class has (or has not) prepared you for your future writing courses? 
™What grade do you honestly feel you have earned in this class?  Why?  What grade do you think you will receive?  Upon what criteria/expectations do you think I will base such an assessment?
™Given your participation, reading habits, journal, performance on projects, and your revisions, how would you honestly characterize your performance, learning, and writing in this class this semester?

The Introduction

™The reflection for your final portfolio makes an argument about your experiences, progress, and outcomes in this course.
™The introduction should include:
–An introduction to yourself and your project
–Your purpose for the portfolio
–Background information
–Main point/Thesis (You want to include the learning outcomes you want to address)

The Body

Should:
™Provide specific and thoughtful evidence from your projects to support your claims (quote yourself!).
™Discuss your revised projects in specific detail
™Describe how your work this semester illustrates that you have successfully met the student learning outcomes listed on your syllabus and discussed in class.
™Addresses the topics listed on the previous slide and on your portfolio assignment sheet

The Conclusion

™The conclusion should offer last thoughts and any other information you think I should consider as I read the portfolio.
™Some things to consider for the conclusion:
In terms of writing skills, where were you at the beginning of the fall semester? Where are you now? How will the skills you have learned help you in the future? In your coursework? What have you learned about yourself as a student and writer 

No Disneyfied Self-Evaluations

™Keep in mind that you are making an argument about your work and writing processes this semester
™Be honest! I’m asking you to reflect on your learning experiences. We all make mistakes as students and as writers. The important thing is to learn from them. We also grow and succeed. Don’t shy away from celebrating your successes or acknowledging your challenges. 
™Don’t place blame!
™And finally, keep your tone formal and academic

Summary

™Keep in mind that you are making an argument about your work and writing processes this semester
™Be honest! I’m asking you to reflect on your learning experiences. We all make mistakes as students and as writers. The important thing is to learn from them. We also grow and succeed. Don’t shy away from celebrating your successes or acknowledging your challenges. 
™Don’t place blame!
™And finally, keep your tone formal and academic
Questions

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