Assessment
Last updated
Last updated
Most first-year classes in History are full year (two semester) courses. We do this so that students who arrive at university have time to settle into class and get accustomed to the expectations of university. The First-Year Seminar program is designed specifically to address this, focusing not only on disciplinary content (i.e. teaching you facts about the past) but also teaching skills fundamental for academic success.
This is why this class is designed to start off slow, getting you to question what you already know about the Middle Ages and teaching you the building blocks of historical analysis/writing. I hope that you are able to experience the class as collaborative, not competitive. You are all starting off together and I want you to see each other as peers, colleagues and potential friends from whom you all can learn. Assignments are thus designed with the expectation that you can work together with others or that you see/read other students' work and learn from it. Your peers can be inspiring.
This "Making of the Middle Ages" is likewise designed for gradual entry, with the first term designed to have no formal grades assigned for work, but rather there is a mixture of required and optional work that you can use to earn points.You have many different ways of gaining points, and once you reach different levels, you are worthy to win new titles and honours (see table below). If you want, you can tell yourself that these correspond to different grade levels. At the end of the term, you also will be responsible for writing up a evidence supported self-assessment of your participation and work (see Process Letter), taking your point level , your academic reputation and other qualitative features into account. I am using this system in order to avoid a system of grading that has the potential to make you all less collaborative and more competitive. For more on why I am not using traditional grading, see the next page, "Why are there no grades".
In the second term, together as a class we will decide whether to retain a non-grade system, or whether you corporately wish to return to a more familiar system.
From 0-600 XP, you are considered a normal run of the mill Acolyte.
† I haven't really used this system before so I might need to adjust these numbers if I've set them too high (which depends on how The Seeking goes).
In addition to earning the right to be addressed with different honorifics, once individuals, houses or the whole class reach different XP totals, new rewards, challenges and possibilities will be unlocked.
All students start out the class with 0 XP. As you complete quests and assignments, students will rise up and begin to differentiate themselves from one another. The professor also may assign bonus XP at his discretion in recognition of a student's unexpected effort or activity.
Every point values below are doubled if I assess it to be done exceptionally. Thus, if someone produces a piece of writing that succeeds above my expectations, I will double the typical XP value as recognition of your accomplishment (e.g. a Profile done exceptionally earns you 2xN XP).
Generally, each week you will login to the online class, write one piece of writing, do an exercise and complete the assigned readings. So each week you should typically gain 50 points (or roughly 600 over the course of the first term). Your number total will be increased with XP gained during "The Seeking" and from completing individual quests.
Experience Points†
Titles and Honours
1200
His/Her/Their Eminence, the Acolyte [ name here ]
1100
Venerable Acolyte [ name here ]
900
Right Reverend Acolyte [ name here ]
800
Reverend Acolyte [ name here ]
700
Honourable Acolyte [ name here ]
600
Acolyte [ name here ], F.O.C. (Frater Ordinis Corvorum)
XP Gained
Task
15
For each piece of writing (as assigned weekly, e.g. Profile, Character Profile) on time
15
For each exercise completed on time
10
For reading and annotating the assigned readings each week on time
10
Attending synchronous class portions
Usually 10
Individual Quests