The short explanation: Each pre-session preparation will be graded as a 0, 1, or 2.  I will use your eight highest grades, so 8x2% = 16%.

The longer explanation:

We have 10 core sessions overall (plus two sessions for group work), and you will receive a grade for each of these 10 sessions. I will use the top eight (8) grades, with each of those being worth 2% of your overall grade. So, 8 x 2% = 16% overall.

The reason I give marks here is that I realize the pre-session preparation can take a long time, and I want to reward you for the effort you put in. At the same time, I also realize that life happens, and hence you can choose to not do two of the session preparations.

There will be a number of questions as part of the pre-session preparation, mostly asking your own opinion, thoughts, or insights; e.g. they are not factual, but are open-ended. This is what will be graded.  The key reason I ask these questions is that it helps with your learning; research on learning generally shows that having to apply the knowledge you've just learned helps develop your understanding, while also pointing out what you may not yet understand.

You will get an overall grade of 0, 1, or 2 for each pre-session preparation; e.g. it is not that each question is graded, but rather than your overall preparation is graded. The focus is on the effort you've put into learning, rather than the articulation of your answers, so do not spend lots of time polishing answers.  All I'm looking for in the answers is 2-3 sentences showing that you're engaging with the learning; don't think about these the same way you would a test question, as the standard here is lower.

  • 2 = Thoughtful responses to questions. Clear that learning effort was put in.
  • 1 = Adequate response to questions. Clear that some
  • 0 = Not completed, or inadequate response to questions.  Inadequate response means that, for instance, you gave one word answers, or didn't seem to answer the question being asked.  I do not want to give out any 0s for completed preparation, but must leave this possibility open.

Generally, my preference is for everyone to get a 2 for pre-session preparation, as I think it is a crucial part of your learning.  The only reason I leave open the possibility of getting a 0 or 1 is simply out of fairness; someone who is putting in concerted effort deserves a better grade than someone giving on minimal effort.

To get credit for completing the pre-session preparation, it has to be completed before the session starts. 

To be clear about grading, here are some examples. Let's say you got nine 2s and one 1 on your preparation.  I would take the eight highest grades, all of which are 2s.  Thus, you would get 16/16 on your pre-session preparation.

If you receive six 2s, 1 one, and 3 zeroes (perhaps because you did not do the preparation), your eight highest grades would be use, give a final mark of: 6x2% + 1x1% + 1x0% = 13%

Last modified: Wednesday, 26 October 2022, 10:09 AM