4. Assessment

There is no midterm. There is no final exam.

Repositories, logs, and reflections

In each part of this course, there are things to read and reflect on, and things to do, depending on which sequence you choose to follow. Everyone’s journey is different. Digital methods are more a matter of practice and time than they are of aptitude.

You will collect all of your work together and keep track of it in an account you will create on Github.com.

On Github, you will create a repository; the example repository I created for you has four subfolders, one for each part of the course. I would suggest you use that example repository, or create four separate repositories. Into this repository you will deposit all of the digital ephemera you create, uploading it by the due date. You will then submit the link to your repository using the form at the bottom of the relevant page on this website. You may submit work at any time before the due date.

For each part of the course you will also include at least two text files: log.md and reflection.md. These are just text files that use the .md file extension to signal that you will use ‘markdown’ to indicate things like bold text, bullet points, headers, links, images. These are the most important files as they are what get assessed.

The log file is like a lab notebook - it should contain your notes-to-self that would enable you to redo any of the activities at some time in the future, or to resume where you left off.

The reflection file is the joined-up thinking that connects what you’ve read with what you’ve done. I expect you will necessarily have citations in there to the things you’ve read, or links to websites etc. You can use author-date conventions, with a full reference at the end of the file.

Because of the extremely compressed timeframe for this course, late work can be accepted only through arrangement with Dr. Graham; otherwise it will not be accepted nor graded.

If something comes up let Dr. Graham know as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made. I want you to be successful; if something comes up we can adapt accordingly. If you do not let me know, then I cannot help you.

Do not attempt to ‘speedrun’ this course (ie leaving all of the coursework for one massive push) at the last moment; that work will be considered late and will not be graded.

When work comes in on time, I can offer you feedback that will help you over the technical hurdles, and help you see the connections between the tech and the historiography. The feedback is the point.

In terms of technical work, I am not looking for ‘correct’ answers. I am, rather, looking for your evidence of thinking through the meaning of the process: what worked, what didn’t, why, and what that might mean for you as a historian. I am looking for you to tie your process explicitly to the readings. I am looking to see if the conversations you have with me or your peers (or indeed elsewhere on the web or in other courses) are causing you to reflect on the what/why/how/ of what you do.

Evidence

Therefore, I am looking for the following kinds of evidence (each part will specify what needs to be done):

  • logs that keep track of what you actually tried
  • reflection on that process
  • engagement with the readings and materials and your classmates (which might be demonstrated many different ways)
  • evidence for your growth as a historian over this course

At the end of each part, you will provide to me through a form that can be found on each relevant page the links to your evidence for me to consider, by the date indicated.

I will return feedback to you within two or three days. I will write you a note giving you my perspective on what you’ve done (using the lens of the learning outcomes), and offering advice.

This feedback will also be mapped against the learning outcomes, so that you know how you are progressing throughout the course.

The Exit Ticket (Optional)

The exit ticket can be a summary assessment exercise that pulls all the different strings of your work together into a strong cord.

This is optional, and can be used to give me greater context for your work (open format). If you opt to do this, you will reflect on where you started and where you’ve gotten to, and you will indicate how you feel you’ve done against the learning outcomes (setting your own grade); if I agree with you, the grade for the Exit Ticket can be used to override the grade suggested by parts 1-4 .

If you’ve never done digital work before, it might be that you never quite manage to get as many of the tech things working as you might’ve wanted: but you now know what you didn’t know before. That’s a win. You might be a computer science minor and the tech materials don’t present you with much challenge: but figuring out how to tell the compelling story was very difficult for you and you’re better at it now. Your ‘exit ticket’ can explain to me your particular context, and it will point to the evidence that demonstrates how you’ve moved along from where you were at the beginning to where you are now.

If I agree with your assessment, then that is the grade you will receive. When I have disagreed in previous courses this has been, 9.5 times out of 10, to raise the grade: y’all are too hard on yourselves. If I have disagreed and felt that you’ve overstated things - if you were the 0.5 out of 10 - we would talk and come to an understanding.

The Exit Ticket, if you choose to use it, should be submitted by the last day of the early summer term. If you should require more time, you need merely to let me know; no questions asked.

Grading

Below, I demonstrate how ‘Jo Q. Student’ did in the class:

Remembering the learning outcomes,

Learning Outcome A B C D eg. Jo Q Student
1. analytical ability - - - - X
2. methodology - - - - -
3. collaboration - - - - X
4. argumentation - - - - X
5. professionalization - - - - -

…5/5 would be an A, 4/5 would be a B, 3/5 would be a C, 2/5 a D.

Percentage Breakdown

I am required by the University to provide a percentage breakdown.

  • Part 1: 10%
  • Part 2: 20%
  • Part 3: 30%
  • Part 4: 40%

I reserve the right to adjust those percentages to take into account the particular circumstances of the student, or to override them completely in favour of a compelling Exit Ticket.