E N G L I S H – 1 1 1I N S T R U C T O R : A N D R E A A N D E R S O N

UNIT #3 ESSAYUniversity Website Evaluation

A C C O R D I N G T O T H E N O R T O N F I E L D G U I D E T O W R I T I N G , A N E VA L U AT I O N I S A J U D G M E N T ; Y O U J U D G E S O M E T H I N G

A C C O R D I N G T O C E R TA I N C R I T E R I A A N D S U P P O R T Y O U R J U D G M E N T W I T H R E A S O N S A N D E V I D E N C E .

F O R T H I S A S S I G N M E N T, YO U W I L L W R I T E A N E VA LUAT I O N O F A C O L L E G E O R U N I V E R S I T Y

W E B S I T E . YO U W I L L W R I T E F R O M T H E P E R S P E C T I V E O F A P R O S P E C T I V E S T U D E N T .

UNIT #3 ESSAYUniversity Website Evaluation

Unit #3 PreparationLook at the assignment sheet in the Unit #3 folder in Blackboard

Unit #3 PreparationReading in The Norton Field Guide to Writing

According to The Norton Field Guide to Writing, an evaluation is a judgment. For this paper, you will judge a college or university website according to a set of criteria and support your judgment with reasons and evidence.

Get Started; Read Chapter 13 – Evaluations Chapter 35 – Comparing and

Contrasting Essay #3 Readings (on

Blackboard)

THE NEXT FEW SLIDES WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT

PERFORMING AN EVALUATION.

Evaluation Overview

C H O O S E A N I T E M F O R E VA L U AT I O N

D E V E L O P A S E T O F C R I T E R I A

I N V E S T I G AT E C L O S E LY A G A I N S T Y O U R S E T O F C R I T E R I A

E VA L U AT E T H E R E S U LT S

M A K E Y O U R F I N A L J U D G M E N T !

OVERVIEW: What are the steps of an evaluation?

WHAT IS AN EVALUATION?

An evaluation is a JUDGMENT. You choose something to evaluate, create a set of criteria, and evaluate the product in regards to your criteria.

You make evaluations (or judgments) every day. For example: You recommend a mystery novel to a

friend You choose to buy Nike instead of Adidas You tell the write a positive review for the

new restaurant in town You go shopping at Costco instead of Sam’s

ClubONE important question remains -

Why do you take these actions? In other words, what are your reasons for your judgments?

Criteria Example #1:Restaurants

Evaluate: Tartine European Restaurant

I think all good restaurants should: #1 Have friendly, helpful, and

honest employees #2 Have a diverse menu that

offers a variety of flavors #3 Have a peaceful and

relaxing environment #4 Offer complimentary

dessert for a guest’s birthday

Evaluate: Does the restaurant meet the criteria of a “good” restaurant? #1 – Yes, Tartine does have friendly

employees. #2 – Yes, Tartine does have a

diverse menu. #3 – No, Tartine does not have a

relaxing environment. #4 – No, Tartine does not offer

complimentary dessert for a guest’s birthday.

You make your judgment by evaluating your product according to certain criteria… YOU create the criteria.

Evaluate: Tartine European Restaurant

Analyze the results of the evaluation and make your final judgment.

Evaluate: Does the restaurant meet the criteria of a “good” restaurant? #1 – Yes, Tartine does have friendly

employees. #2 – Yes, Tartine does have a

diverse menu. #3 – No, Tartine does not have a

relaxing environment. #4 – No, Tartine does not offer

complimentary dessert for a guest’s birthday.

Tartine European Restaurant only meets 2 of the 4 criteria of a good restaurant. While it does have wonderful employees and a great menu, it does not have a relaxing environment or offer a complimentary birthday dessert.

While it only meets 2 of the 4, it is still a great choice for dinner because food and service outweighs the importance of a relaxing environment and free dessert.

Make a final judgment!

T H E N E X T F E W S L I D ES W I L L I N T RO D U C E YO U TO S P EC I F I C I N FO R M AT I O N A B O U T

T H I S A S S I G N M E N T.

FO R T H I S A S S I G N M E N T, YO U W I L L W R I T E A N E VA LUAT I O N O F A CO L L EG E O R U N I V E RS I T Y

W E B S I T E . YO U W I L L W R I T E F RO M T H E P E RS P EC T I V E O F A P RO S P EC T I V E ST U D E N T.

Your assignment:University Website Evaluation

Overview

Choose a college or university website to evaluate

A few things to consider: Look for a school site that you are interested in

writing about. Perhaps it is a school you are considering attending in the future.

Remember, you are evaluating the website, not the school.

You may not evaluate the UAA or KPC websites. Examples: look at the following slides for a few

examples to choose from.

Evaluation CriteriaYou make your judgment by evaluating the website according to certain criteria… YOU create the criteria.

For this assignment, you must think of THREE criteria to use in judging the university website.

Be sure that you choose three DISTINCT criteria.

Ask yourself – What are the qualities or features that all good collegiate websites should have?

VERY IMPORTANT – do not create criteria to make the university site look good…that would not be an honest evaluation. Create your criteria and then honestly evaluate whether or not the site meets the criteria.

Sample Criteria: Here is a list of sample criteria. You may use any these, but may also create your own.

ALL GOOD COLLEGIATE WEBSITES SHOULD: Offer prospective students a glimpse of

The different aspects of student life (clubs, dorms, events, etc.) The campus culture The area surrounding campus What current students and alumni have to say about the school

Have easy access to important information Like financial aid options and applications Degree programs and course offerings How to apply How to take a campus tour

Have a homepage that Is easy to navigate Isn’t cluttered with unnecessary information Creates a theme that is also followed on the other pages of the site Uses a color scheme that allows for aesthetic appeal and easy reading.

Is up to date and works well All links work All writing/data is up to date and written with appropriate grammar, punctuation, and word choice

Use popular social media and technology options to give better insight to future students YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

DID YOU:

Read the Unit #3 Assignment Sheet

Read the assigned Norton Field Guide readings and the Essay #3 readings (on Blackboard).

Now it is time to get started with the WRITING PROCESS

Pre-Writing Create a set of criteria

Write your thesis statement Choose a college or university

website to evaluate Evaluate your website in regards

to your criteria Make a final judgment

WRITEYOURTHESIS STATEMENTTHESIS STATEMENT:

Identifies the topic of your essay and the claim you are making.

Tells the reader what the essay is going to be about.

The thesis statement for this essay should state the three criteria you are using to evaluate the website:

Sample Thesis Statements: A positive first impression can be defined by three factors:

ease of navigation to essential prospective student information, a glimpse of academic and extracurricular campus life, and an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

To effectively influence students and parents, the website should utilize social media, have a consistent theme of color and layout, and should offer a look into life on campus.

Three essential criteria to an effective college website are that the website should be organized so that important information is easily accessible, it should reflect the college culture, and it should give a clear vision of academic degree pathways.

Pre-Writing Continued…

Write an Outline

Why outline?

Get organized BEFORE you start writing!

An outline is your blueprint for your essay.

IntroductionCatch the reader’s attention, briefly describe the school whose website you are evaluating, and state your thesis BodyParagraph #1 – State your set of criteria (at least 3) and why each is important.Paragraph #2, #3, #4 – Evaluate it against each of your criteria and provide reasons and evidenceParagraph #5 – Acknowledge highlights but suggest areas for improvementConclusionGenerate a final overall judgment and bring the essay to a close

Submit Your Topic DUE: Wednesday, October 16 ASSIGNMENT: Submit Your Topic

You need to come to class with your introduction paragraph – this includes a strong thesis statement that tells the reader your topic and angle.

This is ESSENTIAL in getting started on a good note. I will provide you with prompt feedback regarding your topics.

Just a Reminder

A F T E R P R E - W R I T I N G , C O N T I N U E T H R O U G H T H E W R I T I N G P R O C E S S

W R I T E 4 complete pages, Double-spaced

Your references page DOES NOT count in your page count!!! 1 inch margins, 12 point Arial font

E D I T A N D R E V I S EP U B L I S H ( A K A T U R N I T I N ! )

T H E N E X T F E W S L I D E S W I L L O U T L I N E T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S F O R E A C H PA R A G R A P H .

The Writing Process Continued

Essay #3 Introduction

Introduction Paragraph In your introduction paragraph, you

need to: Catch the reader’s attention Briefly describe the school whose

website you are evaluating State your thesis

Don’t state the school’s name or whether or not the school’s website meets the criteria in the thesis statement – that should be saved for later in the essay.

Body Paragraph #1

Body Paragraph #1 In your first body paragraph, you

need to: State your set of three criteria

and why each is importantThis is your chance to show

the reader why your criteria matter and how they contribute to an effective site.

Don’t evaluate your site here; save that for body paragraphs 2, 3, and 4.

Body Paragraphs #2,3, and 4

Body Paragraph #2, 3, 4In body paragraph #2, 3, and

4, you need to: Look at how your website

does or does not meet each criteria. Use reasons and evidence

from the website to prove your points.

Focus on just one criterion per paragraph.

Body Paragraph #5

Body Paragraph #5 In body paragraph #5, you need

to Quickly acknowledge highlights,

but take time to suggest areas for improvementBe sure to be constructive in

your criticism.

Conclusion Paragraph

Conclusion Paragraph Generate a final overall judgment Bring your essay to an effective close.

Using quotesThe Essay #3 Readings are available on Blackboard.

You can use quotes from these readings to help strengthen your essay.

You must use APA style in-text citations and references page to acknowledge your sources.

Be sure to follow rules for quotations when integrating a quote into your essay!

QUOTES One goal for essay #3 is successfully quoting sources

from the Essay #3 Readings in your papers. Quoting reliable sources will help to make your essay stronger. For essay #3 you are required to integrate 2 quotes

from the Essay #3 Readings (not 2 from each, but 2 total)

You may NOT use quotes from sources other than the ones provided to you in the Essay #3 Readings.

You must acknowledge the source of your quotes. In other words, you must tell the reader where you got the quote from.

There are many different styles of acknowledging your sources…For this paper, you will use APA style.

Watch the APA Lecture – Essay #3 to learn how to properly cite your sources!

PEERREVIEWGet feedback about your writing from your peers

The Peer Review will take place in class on Wednesday, October 30.

I will assign you peer review partners and will create a peer review group space on Blackboard for you and your partners. Your group space allows you to share files back and forth.

More specific directions for this assignment will be given in class the day before the peer review!

Edit and Revise

Revise Look at the advise that your classmates gave you during the peer review.

Make the changes that you feel will improve your paper. Two pieces of ADVICE:

#1: Give yourself plenty of time to revise. If you can, get away from your writing for a little while. When you return refreshed, you will be more likely to catch errors and digressions.

#2: Remember to make sure that this is a reader-centered paper not a writer-centered paper. In other words, detach yourself from your paper and revise it to assure that everything is clear and belongs on the page. Just because you spent time writing it, doesn’t mean it belongs in your final draft. If it doesn’t, erase it.

Edit Check your paper for proper grammar, punctuation, and usage.

Use your Resources…OWL @ KPC

Click icon to add pictureOWL is the online writing lab at KPC. You can submit your paper to the OWL and get feedback from KPC faculty. You let them know specifically what you would like help with! http://owl.kpc.alaska.edu

DUE DATE:The final draft of this paper

is due by November 4 @ the beginning of class.

YOU WILL SUBMIT YOUR FINAL DRAFT IN BLACKBOARD. There will be a place for you to upload your papers in the Unit #3 Folder.

The final draft is worth 150 points!

Be sure to turn it in on time, otherwise it will be considered LATE. Late papers are penalized by deducting 20% of the possible points before grading.

Publish Your Paper…aka Turn it in!

A VERY IMPORTANT note about revising…

A note about revision…you are allowed to revise the first three papers if you are interested in improving your grade.

In addition to making significant changes to improve the paper, you are also responsible for writing an in-depth explanation of the changes you made, why you made them, and how the changes improve your paper. This is a time consuming process.

In other words, it is often easier and more time efficient to turn in your best possible work the first time.

Lecture:THE ENDJust a reminder…

If you have a question, ASK!

If you have any questions regarding this assignment, please don’t hesitate to email me. Be sure that you detail exactly what it is that you don’t understand or would like help with.

If necessary, we can set up an Collaborate session to discuss your questions.

amanderson10@kpc.alaska.edu