Final Reflective Essay

Instructions

In lieu of a final exam, you will write a reflective essay that should include reflections on each major assignment in the course and the feedback received for them. You’ll also tell me what you think a fair final grade (A-F) for the course would be and provide a rationale for that grade. Further guidance will be provided when we get closer to finals week.

This self-grading concept may seem odd to you, and that’s okay. Please feel free to email me or schedule a meeting if you have questions about it. Think of it as something similar to a salary negotiation–you go to your supervisor, ask them for a raise, and explain why you deserve that raise. Then your supervisor decides if they agree with you or not and adjusts as needed. You are essentially negotiating your grade in this class by explaining to me how you earned that grade.

I do reserve the right to adjust that grade up or down based on your work and engagement throughout the semester. Note, however, that I typically only do this when the requested grade is unreasonable–for example, if you argue for an “A” but didn’t complete all the assignments. Be honest with yourself (and me) on the grade you truly feel you’ve earned, and it’s unlikely that I will disagree.

Use the following rubric to help guide your final grade self-assessment:

A: The student completed all course readings and activities, submitted all assignments on time, reviewed all feedback received, and improved their skills with each assignment based on the feedback and course content. All course learning objectives were met.

B: The student completed most of the course readings and activities, submitted all assignments on time, reviewed all feedback received, and improved their skills based on the feedback. The student might have made repeat mistakes on assignments, missed a few weeks of course content without reviewing what they missed. All course learning objectives were met.

C: The student completed many of the course readings and activities, submitted all assignments on time, reviewed some of the feedback received, and improved their skill some based on the feedback. The students might have made repeat mistakes on assignments, missed a few weeks of course content without reviewing what they missed, or did not review all of the instructor’s feedback to improve their skills. One or two of the course learning objectives were not met. OR the student did not make an argument for a final grade in their final reflection (C will be the default grade if this is missing)

Note that if you are ineligible for a passing grade in the course, you will receive an F grade. Review the course syllabus for final grade eligibility.

If your final grade argument and rationale are missing from your final reflective essay and you are eligible for a passing final grade in every other way, the default passing grade will be a C. Make sure you include this essential part of the assignment!