RSS Feeds, Class Discussions, and One
Hundred Thousand Grading Schemes
Presented by Bob Hawkes
Physics and Astronomy
Bob Hawkes presented ideas on how he incorporates approaches
that give students greater ownership and “say”
in the course and in how they are evaluated.
First are RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds. Looking
for new content or real world examples to enliven your discussions
or in-class applications? Look for the orange and white striped
RSS logo on articles and journals, etc. You can have up-to-date
material delivered to your mailbox or Moodle site automatically.
Students can use these articles for online or in-class discussions.
The ability to choose from a variety of topics—or even
make suggestions for additional material—gives students
more input and greater engagement. Students can earn participation
marks by suggesting topics.
Flexibility in grading is also a hallmark of Dr. Hawkes’
courses. He allows students to choose a variety of weightings
for different course components to reflect their strengths
and preferences. As a result, marks for tests, blogs, exams,
assignments, service learning, participation, etc., can vary
from student to student. A real boost to student engagement
and ownership, this approach can lead to an administrative
nightmare for the professor who tries to keep track of the
students’ choices.
Dr. Hawkes now uses Google document forms http://docs.google.com
to set up a contract. All students then choose their weightings
for each component of the course, complete the form, and return
it to the professor. The documents create a spreadsheet of
choices from students and make administration much easier.
Click here to see Dr.
Bob Hawkes’ PowerPoint presentation.
(Summarized by Eileen Herteis and Toni Roberts, PCTC)
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