ENWR 380 is a portfolio-based
course; that is, once or twice a semester, students compile what
they consider to be their best, most polished work, and instructor
evaluation of that work determines the bulk of the student's course
grade (usually between 50-70 percent in ENWR 380). Portfolios are
always collected at the end of the semester; some instructors also
collect and evaluate a mid-term portfolio.
The mid-term portfolio should contain revised versions of at least
one longer writing sample and two or more shorter assignments and
exercises. The final portfolio might include all drafts and revisions
of individual papers, shorter assignments, and exercises; some or
all of this material should be revised to the highest gloss the student
can muster. Some instructors prefer final portfolios to contain only
a sampling of the students' strongest work. Final portfolios also
generally include "process letters," in which students
explain how and why they revised particular assignments.
Why use a portfolio?
When students don't receive grades on each individual assignment,
they are able concentrate on refining their skills and revising their
work, rather than obsessing about their marks. Students in ENWR learn
cumulatively; during the course of the semester, they should develop
increasingly mature strategies for writing arguments. A portfolio
allows students to revise their work as they develop these strategies;
it enables them to apply later lessons to earlier assignments. As
a result, both students and instructors can gauge overall
progress,
rather than focusing on the absolute success or failure of individual
assignments.
How does portfolio grading work?
Though students should of course receive feedback on all of their
submitted work and students should be penalized if they fail to hand
in assignments, only the writing they include in their portfolios
should receive a grade. Read through the portfolio and assign it
a single grade based on each student's overall achievement: the author's
success in meeting the stated goals of individual assignments as
well the quality of subsequent revisions. The portfolio grades should
be holistic.
For more on grading and commenting, click
here.
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