BIS 490C (LN 8544)

Senior Seminar:

Postmodern American Literature

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

Learning Portfolio Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with a chance to reflect upon what you have learned, to critically analyze your work, and to practice the selection of and presentation of your work to an audience.

You will submit your portfolio electronically, using the Catalyst Portfolio tool.  I use electronic portfolios for several reasons:

• They eliminate the use of paper, because I can read and comment on your portfolio's comments online;
• You do not have to worry about printer problems, which are much more common than other computer problems;
  
• You and I can work on portfolios from anywhere in the world where we have Internet access, without having to haul papers around;
• You can submit your portfolio without being on campus;
• Neither you nor I can lose your documents.

Downloading and submitting the portfolio: When you are ready to submit your portfolio, log onto the Portfolio tool at <http://portfolio.washington.edu/optin.cgi?owner=davidgs&id=3017>. You will need your UW Net ID to log on.

Under "Choose a portfolio location," please choose the default location and then click the "Continue" button. After receiving a confirmation that your portfolio was installed, you will see the main portfolio page. You do not need to click on the instructions, because that link will just take you to this page.

First, under "Options" or "Preferences," please enter your full name.

Then, one by one, you will add content to your electronic portfolio. Refer to the specific instructions below for each item.

1. Essay. Your latest version of your essay is the first component of your midquarter learning portfolio. Your Word file should be named exactly in this format: LastnameE (note the use of capital and small letters). For example, if you name were Mary Husky, your filename would be "HuskyE" (but without quotation marks). Note that there is no space between the last name and the "E" (which stands for Essay). Your file name cannot have a space in it. To submit this artifact, click on the blue "Essay" phrase from the main portfolio menu. Click on the blue "Attach artifact" button. In the pull-down menu following "Artifact type," choose "A file from your hard drive." Then use the "Browse" button and locate the file on your computer. In the next box, name your artifact "Lastname Essay," using your last name in place of Lastname and omitting the quotation marks. Don't change the artifact location (leave it "My Artifacts"). Then click the "Create Artifact" button. When you get to the next screen, click on the "Finished" button. With this item and all of the others, you can click the "Save" button periodically to make sure you don't lose your work, but when you are all finished, you must click on the "Finished" button. That should take you back to the main portfolio menu.
2. Contribution Self-Assessment. To begin your contribution self-assessment, click on that blue phrase. In the provided dialogue box, write two substantial paragraphs that explain (a) which of the participant profiles described in the course's contribution document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html> best fits you so far, and why you think so; b) which of the small group roles, described in that same document, you have already tried; and (c) based on those two things, what you would give yourself so far as a contribution letter grade.  Please note that I expect this short response to be carefully written and proofread. I recommend composing your short response in Word so you can edit, proofread, and spellcheck, and then paste your finished response into the space in the Portfolio.

It does not matter when you submit items into your portfolio.  You can submit them one at a time, or all at once.  I will not be able to see any of them, though, until you submit the entire portfolio to me for review.  This means that you can change things, add things, edit things, etc., without worrying about me seeing your work until it is ready for me.  It also means, though, that even if items are in your portfolio by the deadline, they do not count as "on time" unless the entire portfolio is submitted to me by the deadline.  It is like putting things into a folder to turn in to a professor.  He or she does not care when you put your work into the folder.  He or she cares only when the folder gets submitted.  Please make sure you do not submit the portfolio until it is ready, and when you do submit it, please make sure that it contains everything that is supposed to be included.

When you have submitted both of the elements of your portfolio, you need to click on the green "Submit" button to submit the entire portfolio to me for review. When you click on that button, you will see a list of the artifacts that you have submitted. Click on the "Check ALL pages" button just below the list. PRINT THIS PAGE! The printed list will be the only proof you have that all of the documents were submitted in the portfolio! Then click on the "Submit" button. You should get a pop-up confirmation that your portfolio has been submitted. Then log out and close your browser window to protect your UW Net ID. Important: Once you click the "Submit" button, you cannot go back to add anything, so make sure everything is in its final form and that all of the documents are included before clicking on "Submit."

Your midquarter learning portfolio is due online at 1:05 p.m. sharp on Monday, November 1. Within one week, I will return your portfolio (follow the same link as the one you used to get to the Portfolio before), with my comments.  I will not comment on midquarter portfolios submitted after the deadline, so please do not bother to submit a late midquarter portfolio.  I will deduct ten percentage points from the score of final portfolios that did not have a corresponding midquarter portfolio submitted.

Final Portfolio

First, gather all of your work that is to be included in your course-end learning portfolio. The guidelines for what to include are listed below. I strongly recommend downloading the learning portfolio items from the Catalyst Portfolio tool (see "Downloading and submitting the portfolio," below) so you can see what you will need to respond to, so you have time to think about and draft responses.

Then, write a formal, reflective paper of about 800 words (no fewer than 600 and no more than 1000) that discusses, in an order that makes sense as the best way to present your thinking:

• your reflections upon what you feel you have learned in this course, with a focus on your performance rather than on the course itself
• how you think you learned what you learned
• how you feel about the various aspects of your work, including, but not limited to, the degree to which you have made progress in the following areas:
  • critical reading
  • formal writing
  • small-group and full-class discussions (if you have more to say than you were able to in your course-end questionnaire)
    
  • understanding of the aims of education and your relationship to them
• what you feel you will carry into your future courses and into your lifelong learning
• what your priorities are for continuing improvement and learning

Comparing your pre-course and course-end questionnaires is a good way to prepare your reflective paper.

As a formal piece of university writing, your reflective essay should be typed and double-spaced throughout, using a standard font (like Times) in 12-point size, and with margins of one inch all the way around each page. By "formal," I mean that I expect carefully considered and carefully written work, which should be formally formatted, including double spacing. This probably requires some writing and revision before you can produce a high-quality, final product to include in the portfolio. First-person ("I") statements are fine. Please re-read "Tips for Better Prose" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html> after getting your main ideas down on paper but before submitting your final version of your reflective essay. Provide a meaningful but brief title for your paper (not "Reflective Essay" but rather a short hint of your paper's main point or thrust).

Just before you submit your reflective paper online, do a final word count (in the Tools pull-down menu of Microsoft Word) to make sure you meet the 600- to 1000-word parameters. You do not need to type the number of words; I will be able to do my own word count of your paper.

Needless to say, your work must be entirely original. Using another person's ideas or words without proper attribution, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes plagiarism, and will result in a zero on this assignment. Please re-read "Maintaining Academic Integrity" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>.

Downloading and submitting the portfolio: When you are ready to submit your portfolio, log onto the Portfolio tool at <http://portfolio.washington.edu/optin.cgi?owner=davidgs&id=3017>. You will need your UW Net ID to log on.

Under "Choose a portfolio location," please choose the default location and then click the "Continue" button. After receiving a confirmation that your portfolio was installed, you will see the main portfolio page. You do not need to click on the instructions, because that link will just take you to this page.

First, under "Options" or "Preferences," check to make sure that your full name is still entered from when you completed the midquarter portfolio.

Then, one by one, you will add content to your electronic portfolio. Refer to the specific instructions below for each item.

1. Essay. Your final version of your essay is the next component of your learning portfolio. Your Word file should be named exactly in this format: LastnameE (note the use of capital and small letters). For example, if you name were Mary Husky, your filename would be "HuskyE" (but without quotation marks). Note that there is no space between the last name and the "E" (which stands for Essay). Your file name cannot have a space in it. To submit this artifact, click on the blue "Essay" phrase from the main portfolio menu. Click on the blue "Attach artifact" button. In the pull-down menu following "Artifact type," choose "A file from your hard drive." Then use the "Browse" button and locate the file on your computer. In the next box, name your artifact "Lastname BIS490 Essay Final," using your last name in place of Lastname and omitting the quotation marks. Don't change the artifact location (leave it "My Artifacts"). Then click the "Create Artifact" button. When you get to the next screen, write in the dialogue box whether or not you have revised the essay since the version that I saw in your midquarter portfolio.  A simple "Revised" or "Not revised" is sufficient.  Then, click on the "Finished" button. That should take you back to the main portfolio menu.
2. Contribution Self-Assessment. To begin your contribution self-assessment, click on that blue phrase. In the provided dialogue box, write two substantial paragraphs that explain (a) which of the participant profiles described in the course's participation document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html> best fits you now that we have reached the end of the course, and why you think so; b) which of the small group roles, described in that same document, you have tried this quarter; and (c) based on those two things, what you would give yourself as a contribution letter grade.  Please note that I expect this short response to be carefully written and proofread. I recommend composing your short response in Word so you can edit, proofread, and spellcheck, and then paste your finished response into the space in the Portfolio.
3. Research Paper. Your final version of your research paper is the next component of your learning portfolio. Your Word file should be named exactly in this format: LastnameP (note the use of capital and small letters). For example, if you name were Mary Husky, your filename would be "HuskyR" (but without quotation marks). Note that there is no space between the last name and the "R" (which stands for Research). Your file name cannot have a space in it. If you completed your prospectus as part of a group, every group member's name should appear on the document itself, but you still should name the file using only your own last name. To submit this artifact, click on the blue "Research Paper" phrase from the main portfolio menu. Click on the blue "Attach artifact" button. In the pull-down menu following "Artifact type," choose "A file from your hard drive." Then use the "Browse" button and locate the file on your computer. In the next box, name your artifact "Lastname BIS490 Research Final," using your last name in place of Lastname and omitting the quotation marks. Don't change the artifact location (leave it "My Artifacts"). Then click the "Create Artifact" button. When you get to the next screen, click on the "Finished" button. That should take you back to the main portfolio menu.
4. Reflective paper. Your reflective paper is the next component of your learning portfolio. Your Word file should be named exactly in this format: LastnameReflect. For example, if you name were Mary Husky, your filename would be "HuskyReflect" (but without quotation marks). Note that there is no space between the last name and the "Reflect." Your file name cannot have a space in it. To submit this artifact, click on the blue "Reflective Paper" phrase from the main portfolio menu. Click on the blue "Attach artifact" button. In the pull-down menu following "Artifact type," choose "A file from your hard drive." Then use the "Browse" button and locate the file on your computer. In the next box, name your artifact "Lastname BIS490 Reflective," using your last name in place of Lastname and omitting the quotation marks. Don't change the artifact location (leave it "My Artifacts"). Then click the "Create Artifact" button. When you get to the next screen, click on the "Finished" button. That should take you back to the main portfolio menu.

It does not matter when you submit items into your portfolio.  You can submit them one at a time, or all at once.  I will not be able to see any of them, though, until you submit the entire portfolio to me for review.  This means that you can change things, add things, edit things, etc., without worrying about me seeing your work until it is ready for me.  It also means, though, that even if items are in your portfolio by the deadline, they do not count as "on time" unless the entire portfolio is submitted to me by the deadline.  It is like putting things into a folder to turn in to a professor.  He or she does not care when you put your work into the folder.  He or she cares only when the folder gets submitted.  Please make sure you do not submit the portfolio until it is ready, and when you do submit it, please make sure that it contains everything that is supposed to be included.

When you have submitted all of the elements of your portfolio, you need to click on the green "Submit" button to submit the entire portfolio to me for review. When you click on that button, you will see a list of the artifacts that you have submitted. Click on the "Check ALL pages" button just below the list. PRINT THIS PAGE! The printed list will be the only proof you have that all of the documents were submitted in the portfolio! Then click on the "Submit" button. You should get a pop-up confirmation that your portfolio has been submitted. Then log out and close your browser window to protect your UW Net ID. Important: Once you click the "Submit" button, you cannot go back to add anything, so make sure everything is in its final form and that all of the documents are included before clicking on "Submit."

Your learning portfolio is due online at 1:05 p.m. sharp on Monday, December 6. Because I have provided the maximum amount of time to complete this assignment, because I need to return graded portfolios before grades are due, and because I need to ensure an equal amount of time to be fair to everyone in class, I will accept late portfolios submitted after 1:05 p.m. on December 6 but no later than 1:05 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, for full credit.  However, I will be an absolute stickler for that grace period.  Let me be clear:  A portfolio submitted at 1:06 p.m. on December 7 is not one minute late, but rather is twenty-four hours and one minute late, and I will not accept it. I will accept no portfolios after 1:05 p.m. sharp on December 7 for any reason, which probably will result in a 0.0 for the course, so I strongly recommend finishing early to avoid any unforeseen problems.  Try not to count on the twenty-four hour grace period.  Think of the deadline as 1:05 p.m. on Monday, December 6.

Basis for grading your learning portfolio:

Completeness (responds appropriately to the assignment in form and content)	20 percent
Depth of response (quality of detail and support; sophistication of ideas and argument)	70 percent
Quality of writing (organization; spelling, grammar, diction, punctuation)	10 percent

Although your portfolio will not receive a grade per se, its overall quality will help determine where, within your final grade category, your final grade will fall.  (See the syllabus for a fuller explanation.)  Note that the evaluation of your learning portfolio is entirely independent of your score on your paper revisions. Those will be graded separately and the grade and comments will be returned to you as part of the returned learning portfolio.

Let me emphasize that I expect your best effort in this and every exercise. My expectations are high because your ability to produce outstanding work is high.

Some additional advice:

• Save your work often (maybe every ten minutes) so you do not lose everything when your computer freezes.
• Visit the Writing Center (see <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/writingcenter/>).
• I do not have time to read rough drafts, but I am very glad to discuss your portfolio or its components as you work on them. You would be wise to visit me during office hours (see syllabus) to make sure you are on the right track, and to get advice about any particular difficulties you might be encountering.
• Re-read this assignment sheet just before assembling the final portfolio to make sure it meets all of the requirements.

This page last updated November 22, 2004.

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