Final self-analysis/self-assessment for introduction to philosophy

PHIL 101

Description:

For this final self-analysis/self-assessment, you’ll analyze and assess your work and progress for the whole course. At the end, you’ll recommend a course grade. The whole thing should be under two pages single-spaced, but you can go longer if needed.

General directions:

Deadline: The deadline varies by the exam day of your course section. Those are:

MWF 11:00-11:50 am (section 09), Wednesday, Dec. 7

MWF 2:00-2:50 pm (section 05), Monday, Dec. 12

MWF 3:00-3:50 pm (section 07), Wednesday, Dec. 7

I have to put a deadline on Moodle, and that will say Wednesday, December 7. You have until the 12^th if you’re in the 2 pm section.

Since this is right at the end, we have to be short on a grace period this time, say only until noon the day after your exam day.

Organization and what to address: Put your analysis together according to the following general headings:

1. What got completed (and there are two new things to do, see below)
2. Progress on the class goals and your own (from the syllabus and the planning assignment)
3. Weaknesses, challenges, and how they got met
4. A final recommendation on the course grade

On revising: You’ll get some feedback, but we can’t do revisions this time (we’re at the end of the semester) unless it’s an extraordinary situation.

More details:

Write 100 words at least on each of these four items (it’s best to separate them by section to be clearest), and you can go much longer if you have a lot to explain:

1. What got completed. Say what got done on all of these: attendance and attentiveness in class, participation in and leading discussion, the readings, the three exams, revisions of them, and the planning assignment.

Two other things to do, and note in your self-analysis that you completed them:

Course survey: This is at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=a4Ufv_iOUk6-k4fTw2Inl7OMYzkAa6dAqAj1KmvTrjlUN1JMNVFNODRMUUg2U1BUQUYyQUdHUVMxTS4u. It’s anonymous, and it’s about our grading system and our discussion-based format.

The CCU course evaluation: That’s at https://coastal.campuslabs.com/courseeval. These close at the end of Tuesday, December 6, the last day of classes (before exams!).

2. Progress on the class goals and your own. How well have you made progress toward the class goals and your own? It may help review your initial planning assignment and the metacognition question on Exam 2. If you need to review the learning goals from the syllabus, that’s all spelled out for you in detail there. Be specific about what went well for you.
3. Challenges and where things could have gone better. Everyone has weaknesses and challenges. Our class is no exception! Where did things fall short, and what did you do about making course corrections? Be specific about this.
4. Recommendation for the final course grade. Make a reasoned judgment as to what your overall course grade should be. Lay out the reasoning for that judgment.

Other notes on the grade judgment:

• Try not to think in terms of justifying a grade you want or need, for then your ‘reasoned judgment’ becomes a game of rationalizing instead of working honestly from the evidence. This being a philosophy course, you do want to show you can give a reasonable argument for something!
• I do have the right to adjust grades if needed, but I don’t typically do it much. In what cases might that happen? There are really just three:
  • A case where someone underestimates their learning, and thus underestimates on the grade—here it’s a revision upward. This is the most common kind of change.
  • A case where the recommendation is obviously wildly off base, for example if not much got done very well and yet the student recommends an A—we all know that’s not going to work, and it’s thus a needed revision downward. (Really, almost no one self-assesses like this.)
  • A case of recommending a pass without doing the minimum required for passing. (The minimum was to complete all of the exams and the planning assignment, and attend class regularly and participate.) If stuff is missing, incompletes are possible if the situation is reasonable.

Last suggestion for your self-analysis: This is a reflective exercise on what you’ve learned and how it all worked out on your end. You have a lot of freedom about what to cover, but do have your discussion hit what you think is important. As long as you’re earnest and honest in your analysis, you’ll be good. If you want on other things about the course or about your learning, feel free to do so.

The final requirement for the course: A short meeting on Zoom with me (5-10 min.) for a final check-in and a final Q&A. I may have questions for you on your final analysis, and this is the time to cover that if needed.

Make your appointment for after when you’ll have submitted your final analysis. There will be lots of slots available during exams. You’ll sign up at the online portal where you can make advising appointments. I think this is it: https://www.coastal.edu/app/scheduleadvising/#, and use the drop-down menu to find ‘Philosophy & Religious Studies’, and then me.