Assignments

1. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Class participation
Class participation is an important aspect of
student learning. When students speak up in
class, they learn to express their ideas in a
way that others can understand. When they
ask questions, they learn how to obtain
information to enhance their own
understanding of a topic.
Tips for success:
• Demonstrates excellent preparation: has analyzed case
exceptionally well, relating it to readings and other
material (e.g., readings, course material, discussions,
experiences, etc.).
• Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of case
material, e.g., puts together pieces of the discussion to
develop new approaches that take the class further.
• Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing
discussion: keeps analysis focused, responds very
thoughtfully to other students’ comments, contributes
to the cooperative argument-building, suggests
alternative ways of approaching material and helps
class analyze which approaches are appropriate, etc.
• Demonstrates ongoing very active involvement.

2. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Discussion Board
The Discussion Board is a our social media – it
mimics Facebook or Twitter, fostering
conversation online.
Tips for success:
• Post consistently: Being consistent in the quality and types of
posts you create can help people know what kinds of messages
to expect from you and how they tie to our course discussions.
• Keep post images and text fresh: The more recent your posts,
the more interesting people will find them. Post timely content.
Respond quickly to comments on your posts to let peers know
you're listening to feedback.
• Connect with words and pictures: The right combination of
images and alluring copy that reflect your ideas and connect to
the course ideas.
• Guidelines: Post at least 50 words. Make sure every word
counts - engage your peers and instructor. Create new insights
into the course topics.
• Interaction: The level of interaction is up to you. The more you
post, the more chance you have at earning the highest possible
grade. If you are unsatisfied with your initial grade, as long as
you work was turned in on time, you can add more posts!
Posting more will often raise your grade!
• Makeup Points: When you miss class (excused absences must
be checked in with your instructor) you have the opportunity to
earn makeup points. Simply keep the dialogue going in the
discussion forum. Continue to interact with peers and earn
points per additional interaction.

3. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Group Activities
Group activities are in-class activities which focus
on cooperative and collaborative learning
strategies.
Tips for success:
• Have respect for each other: respect each other’s ideas;
respect the other group members; don’t interrupt each
other; everyone’s opinion should count; and be honest
with each other
• Your group should have a common understanding of
goals that need to be achieved: help each other to
understand all concepts; all group members should do
an equal amount of work; everyone should share the
responsibility of the tasks; and don’t take over and
don’t let others take over
• Be open to compromise: be willing to cooperate with
others on their ideas; keep an open mind; and vote on
disagreements
• Effective communication: make sure everyone is able to
be vocal about their ideas and problems; give ideas no
matter how “off” you may think they are; listen
effectively; don’t be critical of others - just ideas!; and
keep on task (limit talk about non-related events)
• Be happy in the group you are in!.

4. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Journal Entries
Journal entries serve as informal papers. Although
you are expected to put together intelligent,
collegiate responses, they are typically much
shorter than a formal essay or writing assignment.
The focus is more on reflection and your ideas as
opposed to research. Address the prompt to the
best of your ability. A good rule of thumb is to look
for any specific questions or areas and provide two
to three sentence responses.
Tips for success:
• The entire journal entry should be about 100 - 150
words, give or take.
• Make sure to cite any sources, including images or
multimedia (if appropriate).
• The difference between A work from B or C work, lies
in the measure of success. Where C work would be
adequate, simply meeting requirements, B work goes
beyond this and is representative of accomplishment. A
work on the other hand is separated by the student’s
demonstration of: precision, exceptional care,
professional quality, pride, attention to detail, going
above and beyond, and overall uniqueness in concept,
quality and execution.

5. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Writing Assignments
Make sure your assignment demonstrates an
exemplary level of: written discussion on the
course topics; an engaging and informative voice;
connections to key relationships with the material;
and addressing the prompt(s). In addition, your
assignment demonstrates an exemplary level of:
developing key points; developing support for
main ideas; organization of thoughts; and
conclusionary statements.
Tips for success:
• The entire journal entry should be about 250 words,
give or take (about one page, double spaced)
• Make sure to cite any sources, including images or
multimedia (if appropriate).
• The difference between A work from B or C work, lies
in the measure of success. Where C work would be
adequate, simply meeting requirements, B work goes
beyond this and is representative of accomplishment. A
work on the other hand is separated by the student’s
demonstration of: precision, exceptional care,
professional quality, pride, attention to detail, going
above and beyond, and overall uniqueness in concept,
quality and execution.

6. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Exams
Exams are designed so that they not only assesses
students’ learning; they also teach students by
improving their skills and understanding of course
content. One fundamental aspect of such
assessments is that they are authentic.
An authentic assignment is one that requires
application of what students have learned to a new
situation, and that demands judgment to
determine what information and skills are relevant
and how they should be used.
Comparison of Test-taking:Typical tests Authentic tasks
Require correct responses Require a high-quality product or performance, and a
justification of the solutions to problems encountered
Must be unknown to the
student in advance to be valid
Should be known in advance to students as much as
possible
Are disconnected from real-
world contexts and
constraints
Are tied to real-world contexts and constraints; require
the student to “do” the subject.
Contain items that isolate
particular skills or facts
Are integrated challenges in which a range of skills and
knowledge must be used in coordination
Include easily scored items Involve complex tasks that for which there may be no
right answer, and that may not be easily scored
Are “one shot”; students get
one chance to show their
learning
Are iterative; contain recurring tasks
Provide a score Provide usable diagnostic information about students’
skills and knowledge

7. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Leading the Conversation
Student-led discussion is reminiscent of an “adult
version of show and tell.” Why do we do these
kinds of activities? The act of sharing our work
makes a difference in and of itself. Sharing
provides a sense of pride. Sharing provides
meaning. Sharing creates enthusiasm! Sharing
creates positive peer pressure. Sharing stokes
innovation. Sharing promotes momentum.
Outcomes of the activity:
• Builds self esteem
• Allows students to practice speaking in front of groups
• Provides a chance for self-discovery (by thinking about
what to bring and share)
• Helps build personal pride

8. Charges
assignments
and
assessments
Project Based Learning
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in
which students gain knowledge and skills by
working for an extended period of time to
investigate and respond to an engaging and
complex question, problem, or challenge. It is a
dynamic classroom approach in which students
actively explore real-world problems and
challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge.
The Process:
• Formulate a question which drives the project
• Conduct background research
• Develop a hypothesis
• Explore, experiment, discover and test
• Make observations
• Determine conclusions and solutions
• Communicate and present your ideas to others