I use a "4 of 6" model in most of my undergraduate classes, where
there are six due dates (one for each assignment). Students must do
at least 4 of the assignments (they sum to the equivalent of an exam
grade), but may elect to do all 6, in which case I will take the 4
highest scores. I did it initially to reduce my grading workload by
having fewer assignments handed in each due date (few students do
more than 4, and maybe 2% do all six). Additionally, once I have
created the rubric the first term, I retain them for the subsequent
times I teach the course (except for assignments I tweak or change).
Student feedback on this has been positive, and each assignment is a
bit smaller than any major assignment. Plus, the assignments tend to
really get in depth on segments of the course I might not be able to
cover in depth in class, and they tend toward critical thinking skills.
David
At 02:44 PM 12/8/2006, you wrote:
Hello,
I teach an introductory educational psychology course, and I'm
thinking of doing something new when I teach this course again this
spring.
I've been thinking a lot about what research has to say about giving
students some choices in the different assignments they work on. This is
something that comes up a lot in the current textbook that I use, and it's
something we discuss in class as a way of possibily motivating students or
giving them more of a sense of self-determination in the classroom. I've
thought of trying to "practice what I preach," so to speak, this spring,
by trying to come up with different choices for each of the major
assignments I choose to include in my course. Just as an example, I now
currently ask that students form small groups at the beginning of the
semester and work throughout the semester with their groups to create a
lesson of their choice, for any grade level, that can be presented to the
entire class at the end of the semester. I feel this assignment works
well, and I think the students enjoy it, but sometimes I have students in
class who are not necessarily planning to become teachers, and I wonder if
maybe an alternative final project might work better for them.
My concern is that practically, it might be harder for me to grade
if I have many different types of assignments that I am collecting at one
time (i.e., I'd have to create many different grading rubrics rather than
one, etc.). Plus, I would have to have a way of someone ensuring that one
assignment is not necessarily much easier than others. I like the idea of
giving students some choices because I want the course to be meaningful
(and hopefully interesting) for each student, but I'm just not convinced
right now of the best way to go about this, or even if I should go this
route. Do any of you do things like this in your courses? If so, would
you mind sharing ideas with me, or letting me know whether this has worked
well for you?
Thank you in advance for your feedback!
Sincerely,
Michelle Everson
Dept. of Educational Psychology
University of Minnesota
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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David T. Wasieleski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology and Counseling
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA 31698
229-333-5620
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski
"The only thing that ever made sense in my life
is the sound of my little girl laughing through the window on a summer night...
Just the sound of my little girl laughing
makes me happy just to be alive..."
--Everclear
"Song from an American Movie"
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