the writing centre, stfx 2006-20071 professor expectations evaluating your own work exploring...

The Writing Centre, StFX 2006-2007 1

Professor Expectations

Evaluating Your Own Work

Exploring Assumptions


#1 Strategy for Success: KNOW YOUR PROFESSOR The first four weeks of classes: make sure your

professor knows you and your goals Before the first major assignment is due Before the first quiz or exam After midterm results Near the end of the term before midterms

WHY

Personalizes your learning; gives you a clear idea of their expectations; possible reference letter…


What Students Should/Can Expect of Professors1. FAIRNESS in assignments, tests, and grading2. Professors are not teachers. They are not simply passing

on knowledge or skills, but professing something – a set of ideas and understandings, a world view they advocate. You do not have to agree with them, but you must understand their point of view

3. Intellectual rigor in the material they present. They will not accept a simplistic understanding of the material by you

4. A sincere desire for you to learn about and understand the content of their courses

5. Many professors want to challenge your beliefs and values, not necessarily to change them, but to get you to think about them explicitly and make well reasoned decisions


Student Actions: Professors Expect you to: Demonstrate in class that you are genuinely

interested in course material. Participate actively Prioritize: education first and non-academic

activities second Take his/her course as seriously as any other

course Demand excellence of yourself Seek help if you are confused, fall behind, or are

uncertain Come to class prepared. Edit your assignments carefully before you turn

them in Recognize that all course material is cumulative


Student Attributes: Professors Expect From You: The ability to apply critical reasoning to issues

through independent thought and informed judgment

The ability to evaluate opinions, make decisions and to reflect critically on the justifications for decisions

The ability to: identify and pose research problems and questions make a critical analysis of the literature conduct an appropriate analysis of data collected;

and draw logical conclusions from findings.


Professor Assumptions

All students have the same understanding of these expectations

This understanding is shared within the academic community

Once students understand the expectations, they will be able to do it

Our experience shows that these cannot always be assumed.


Therefore:

The aim of this session is: to identify possible problems by clarifying

what professors really mean to remove what may be a mystery for some

students or even a fear for others to start you thinking about how you can

meet professor expectations to provide information about the help

available


Resources

Check with the professor Check with people in your class Check with people who took the class before (notes?, midterms?) Pay a tutor [email protected]

Free service Math Learning Centre Writing Centre Society members Study with a group Internet (textbook sites, general knowledge sites, teacher sites, the

PROFESSORS’ sites On Reserve at the Library (old tests)


Basic Requirements of Academic Writing Strictly observe layout conventions Check spelling and grammar Observe a formal style of writing Avoid repetition and stereotype phrases Arrange your paragraphs according to logical

criteria and link them by observing cohesion and coherence

Discuss the facts you are dealing with from a critical standpoint

Quote conflicting arguments in an orderly manner Present your own opinions concerning an argument

in a well structured and meaningful way


Poor Academic Writing VS Good Academic Writing POOR ACADEMIC

WRITING Descriptive Summarizes or

paraphrases sources one by one

Sweeping statements and over-generalizations

o

GOOD ACADEMIC WRITING

Central argument Analytical Evaluates, selects,

interprets sources Integrates sources

seamlessly

Structures the evidence to support the argument


Example of Poor Academic Writing

Asia has been the world’s most rapidly expanding “market for food … Australian consumers are only predicted to spend an additional US$6 billion per year on food by the year 2000” (DPIE, 1994). Japan is the dominant importer, accounting for 49.2% of Asia’s total imports … a slight increase from 4.4% in 1990 to 7.1% in 1994 (DPIE, 1994). The Asian population is also starting to eat different types of foods … increasing interest in fresh fruits and vegetables (DPIE, 1994).


Marketing of Asian Food Example

No context given (why is the writer telling us this?)

Single source – not justified (Is it the only source? The best source?)

Raw data – no interpretation (So what does it all mean?)

Referencing deficiencies (A reference at the end of a paragraph does not “cover” the whole paragraph)


Problem: No Academic Voice

When a student over-uses secondary sources in a paragraph it may simply read as a string of quotations, devoid of the student's academic voice that “ties” the ideas together into a coherent argument.


Expressing Your Academic Voice

It is important that your “academic voice” is present in your writing.

The writer's academic voice or argument is evident in the way the student introduces and interprets the evidence that supports his/her point.

The paraphrased material does not dominate the paragraph, but rather is secondary to and supports the student's argument.


Example of Strong Use of Academic Voice: Say It; Support It; Explain It

The inequity in the distribution of wealth in Australia is yet another indicator of Australia’s lack of egalitarianism. In 1995, 20% of the Australian population owned 72.2% of Australia's wealth with the top 50% owning 92.1% (Raskall, 1998: 287). Such a significant skew in the distribution of wealth indicates that, at least in terms of economics, there is an established class system in Australia. McGregor (1988) argues that Australian society can be categorized into three levels: the Upper, Middle and Working classes. In addition, it has been shown that “most Australians continue to remain in the class into which they were born” (McGregor, 1988, p. 156), despite arguments about the ease of social mobility in Australian society (Fitzpatrick, 1994). The issue of class and its inherent inequity, however, is further compounded by factors such as race and gender within and across these class divisions.


Example of Good Academic Writing

Family studies have confirmed that the majority of canine red cell antigens are inherited as simple Mendelian dominants (Colling & Saison 1980; Ikemoto, et al. 1978;. Kamel & Ezzat, 1968; Vriesendorp, et al. 1973). Exceptions to this mode of inheritance include the closed system of NF6 and 7 (Suzuki, et al., 1975) and the Japanese D1 and D2 system (Ejima, et al., 1976), both of which appear to be controlled by codominant alleles.


Canine Red Cells Example

In this example: the author has consulted a number of

sources and compared them with respect to the inheritance of canine red cell antigens.

The author then presents the agreement first (simple Mendelian dominant inheritance) followed by the exceptions (rather than going through each source separately, summarizing the results and leaving it to the reader to do the comparison and interpret the findings).


Meeting the Expectations

Understand what you read in relation to the set task, i.e. read with task in mind.

Be active in your approach. This means you need to engage and interact with sources, eg., ask “What does this mean in relation to my argument/ my task/ what I want to say?”

Tell your reader why the evidence is relevant and what conclusions you want them to draw.


How Do You Know If You Are Meeting the Expectations? You can assume if your mark is high then

you have met the expectations! Written feedback should allow you to find out

how you could better meet the expectations for each task.

It is worth spending time reflecting on the feedback.

The goal is for you to be able to judge for yourself the standard of your essay, lab or assignment.


Getting Help

Talk to your lecturers and professors (by email, or during office hours, etc.)

Visit academic instructors (by appointment) Attend workshops and use self-help material Develop your own criteria and system for

assessing your final drafts before you hand them in. This requires that you do not even attempt to do an assignment at the last minute.


Strategies: It’s 4:00 am and the Paper is Due at 9:00 am.

Outline your paper: Can you find the introduction? The thesis? Does each paragraph have a topic and ONLY ONE topic?Can you mark the topics down the side of the paper beside each paragraph?

Grammar and Spell CheckRead it out loud – Someone reads it to you…2

copies, so you can edit as you hear it.


Review of Professor Expectations for Academic Assignments Critical analysis Appropriate paraphrasing and referencing Incorporation of sources Organization Proper grammar and sentence structure Strong Use of Academic Voice, Tone, Style:

Controlling thesis Concrete and specific evidence to support your

thesis Clear logic and structure to your paper such that it

is a pleasure to read Useful and relevant exploration of a topic


In the Words of One Professor…

“It's unlikely that you will amaze your instructor with a radically new interpretation of a topic (although you never know!), but this isn't what you are being asked to do. You are being evaluated on the quality of critical thinking you demonstrate in the essay. Have you taken account of the evidence? Do you forge relationships between facts that broaden their significance? Do you persuade the reader of the logic of your argument instead of merely assuming it's obvious? Accomplishing these tasks in your essay is what will impress your instructor.” (From: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html)


Assessment Criteria

A (80-100%) Thorough analysis, well organized, clearly presented, accurate, concise, creative and thoughtful.

B (65-79.9%) Accurate analysis of material but it could be improved by including better reasoning of arguments – critical thinking.

C (60-64.9%) Poor. Inadequate analysis of material with little or no evidence of reflection.

D (50-59.9%) Unacceptable. Poor or careless description of material with no evidence of reasoning.

the writing centre, stfx 2006-20071 professor expectations evaluating your own work exploring...

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