Announcements

Brown Bag Workshops, Fall 2008
(in Humanities shared faculty lounge)

Wed. 10/15--Ron Overton:
"The I-Search Essay"

Wed. 10/22--Astrid Wimmer:
"An Option for Teaching Analysis: The Zones Workshop"

Wed. 11/5--Richard Buch:
"Writing Across the Curriculum: Making the Connection"

Wed. 11/12--Rita Nezami:
"Bringing Visual Rhetoric to the Classroom"

Writing Center

center

 

 

Portfolio

I. Completing the WRT 102 Portfolio
II. Meeting Portfolio Standards
III. WRT 102 Portfolio Format
IV. Questions About WRT 102 Portfolio Evaluation


1. Why do we work all semester on many papers and end up being evaluated on only a few, plus an online essay?
2. Why do other 102 teachers read a random sample of portfolios at the end of the semester?
3. Why can’t our teachers decide by themselves what we should be doing in class?
4. How can there be consistency in grading?

At the end of the semester you will select—with your teacher’s and classmates’ help—several pieces of writing for your portfolio and an in-class essay. The papers must have been written as part of the course, and teachers must have seen earlier drafts of each portfolio piece. No new pieces on new topics submitted at the last moment will be accepted. In order to get a C or higher in the course, these papers must meet program expectations in four key areas: critical thinking, genre knowledge, rhetorical knowledge and mechanics and usage. (You must repeat the course if you do not get a C or higher.) IMPORTANT: You are not guaranteed a C if these portfolio papers pass; your grade is based on all your work plus other factors such as missing classes or missing deadlines, lateness and so forth.


In order for the faculty in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric to maintain a standard of excellence in its teaching and grading policies, the faculty will also select a substantial random sample of all portfolios submitted to be used for program-assessment purposes at the end of the semester. Portfolios will be returned to students no later than the week of final exams.

I. Completing the WRT 102 Portfolio (rev. January 2008)
All portfolios (in order to meet the state mandate) must include:

    1. One paper in a college-level genre.
    2. One research paper; this can be an I-search paper provided citations and a “Works Cited” page are required.
    3. One paper with an earlier draft.  (See your instructor for details.)

Note:  The final draft of (c) may also serve as paper (a)

    1. One in-class piece. 
    2. A free-choice paper. (See your instructor for details.)
    3. A total of 15 finished pages, not including the draft and the in-class piece.


II. Meeting Portfolio Standards
A passing portfolio will meet program expectations in each of the following areas:

• Critical Thinking: reasoning and analysis, engagement with sources
Competent analysis of writer’s own ideas and source material: Writer signals engagement, questioning, or nuanced relationship with her or his thoughts and the materials being incorporated into her or his argument. The essay communicates an ability to interact with ideas, but it lacks the sophistication of a more mature writer.

• Genre Knowledge: engaging an academic audience in argument
Competent knowledge of the conventions of the academic essay: Writer shows some ability to use content (e.g., quotes, examples, hypotheticals), diction, and tone to engage an academic audience with a plausible argument appropriate to an academic audience. Essay’s form of presentation fits with task.

• Rhetorical Knowledge: organizing to achieve rhetorical effectiveness
Competent knowledge of rhetorical organization and paragraphing: Thesis drives flow of essay, though content may on occasion wander from its focus. Paragraphs are usually clear and unified. Evidence within paragraphs usually links to the main idea, and paragraphs have adequate detail. Transitions usually operate as simple signposts to link ideas, so the writer’s ability to use them is not sophisticated.

• Mechanics and Usage: Using appropriate sentence structure , punctuation, & documentation
Competent ability with sentence structure, sentence boundaries, and language usage (especially punctuating clauses and using correct verb forms). Sentences are clear and syntactically correct but may lack variety and suffer from wordiness or imprecise diction. Errors are infrequent and do not interfere with reader’s understanding or attention. Formatting of references usually fit with assigned style.


III. WRT 102 Portfolio Format

  1. Submit a clean, stapled copy of each paper, i.e., no editing, pencil or pen marks, no previous drafts attached, etc. Your instructor's name should not appear on any of the papers.

  2. Put them in a plain 9 x 12 or 10 x 13 manila envelope. (No folders please!)

  3. Only your instructor can submit your portfolio, so give your completed portfolio to him or her by the designated day. See your instructor for the specific deadline time and for further details about formatting.


Questions About Portfolio Evaluation in WRT 102

1. Why do we work all semester on many papers and end up being evaluated on only a few, plus an online essay?

These pieces are supposed to be representative of all your writing in the class. That is why we require that they be different kinds of writing. Your instructor has the option of not passing you if he or she thinks that the pieces in the portfolio do not represent the rest of the writing you have done in class. That is, if your other writing in the class is poor and you have not revised these with as much care as your portfolio pieces, your instructor can give you a U. And once your portfolio passes, your instructor is the one who decides on your class grade.

2. Why do other 102 teachers read a random sample of portfolios at the end of the semester?

In the “real” world, the only sorts of writing that are done for just one person are probably letters and love notes! It is only in school that other sorts of writing are done for one reader: your instructor. We believe that reading essays by students we have not personally coached in writing and revision during the semester helps us clarify the standards we uphold in our own classes. This calibration process allows us to view our own students’ essays with fresh eyes and a clearer sense of the program expectations in the four key areas. The reading process also promotes dialogue about student writing and the best practices to improve our own teaching.

3. Why can’t our teachers decide by themselves what we should be doing in class?

As you know, WRT 101 and WRT 102 are the only classes required of virtually every student at Stony Brook (except for transfer students who have taken an equivalent course at another school and a few freshmen who score 5 on the placement test). Because of this, the University believes that we must establish some sort of consistency in curriculum and evaluation. Asking for certain genres in the portfolio and following a grading rubric establishes consistency in curriculum and overall instruction.

4. How can there be consistency in grading?

All those teaching for the first time in our program must attend a graduate teaching practicum in which they discuss assignments and writing standards every week. In addition, we schedule meetings every semester for all instructors where we all read and judge the same papers and talk about why we have reached the judgments we have. Individual judgments will always vary somewhat; we really do not want instructors who all think alike. Still, our meetings give us the opportunity to share judgments and learn from one another.