Assessing student work marks the end of a developmental process that begins with course and rubric design. All course syllabi contain detailed rubrics for each assignment required throughout the courses. Detailed assignment guidelines for essays, presentations and projects are presented in the course syllabi and also on the website for each course. For presentations and projects, students are required to write a proposal that must be submitted and approved before work on the final presentation/project can begin.
For courses at the 1000 level, it is common for students to submit two drafts of course-related essays. In addition to encouraging critical thinking skills and research, students are introduced to a digital work-flow that requires them to submit all documents digitally. PDFs are returned with feedback for the initial draft, and with the exception of online courses, the grading rubric presented on the syllabus is included so that students can rewrite and gauge whether or not they are meeting the grading criteria for the assignment.
Below are samples of graded essays from an Ethics class (PHI1010) and project proposals with feedback from an Environmental Ethics class (PHI3100).
Ethics – PHI1010
- Student 1: This paper was written by a student with strong research skills. The feedback is directed at strengthening the organization and presentation of ideas.
- Student 2: This paper was written by a student with strong research skills and poor presentation skills in so far as the student included far too much material for the assignment in question. The feedback is directed at helping the student narrow down the thesis and supporting research in order to strengthen the presentation of ideas.
- Student 3: This paper was submitted by a student with weak research and presentation skills. The paper also evidences a lack of clarity in critical thinking. The feedback offered is generally directed at strengthening the clarity, focus and presentation of ideas to meet assignment guidelines.
Environmental Ethics – PHI 3100
- Student 1: This proposal was written by a student who did not use the standard RFP for this project. The feedback is directed at encouraging the student to use the standard RFP and relate the content of the project to the material we are studying in the course.
- Student 2: This proposal was written by a student with strong research skills and good presentation skills. The feedback directs the student to make connections to environmental ethics and the theories that we have studied in the course.
- Student 3: This proposal was received for a group project collaboration by three students. It is a strong proposal and only minor suggestions appear. Most of the discussion regarding this project was done face-to-face with the student group in question.
