I use a variety of assignments to accomplish student learning. Most of my classes feature at least these two kinds of major assignments:
- Tests and quizzes to assess understanding of course/lecture material
- Formal writing assignments, informal writing assignments, and class presentations
Exams and Quizzes
Exams and quizzes are designed to assess student understanding of course material, particularly material from lectures. Quizzes are sporadic and occasional, are introduced for a specific purpose, and are not always graded. Exams usually come twice a semester, as a midterm and final.
Exam questions take a variety of formats, depending on the skill or content they are designed to evaluate. Typical tests include a mixture of multiple choice, multiple answer, short answer, short-medium answer, and essay questions.
Multiple choice and multiple answer questions typically assess students’ ability to apply concepts and definitions correctly. Students have generally not seen the specific examples listed in the various options. So they have to apply a general concept or definition to novel situations, which tests mastery of the concept or definition in question.
Short answer questions, on the other hand, typically assess ability to recall concepts or definitions from class. I don’t expect students to memorize all concepts and definitions from class. A study sheet and review session conducted before exams helps students focus their energy on learning and understanding specific key concepts that are necessary for success in the class.
Short-medium answer questions typically test student understanding of major arguments or theories or distinctions discussed in class.
Essay questions test students’ ability to synthesize major topics discussed in class and creatively apply it. In Health Care Ethics, I might ask students to analyze a short case and explain how they think it should be resolved. In order to accomplish this successfully, they need to understand a variety of concepts discussed in class (such as the criteria for decision making capacity, or various principles of health care ethics); but they also need to develop their own arguments in order to successfully defend their answer. In Ethics (PHIL 2103), I may ask students to defend a theory of normative ethics they think most plausible, which requires knowing the basic features of the theory, understanding the arguments for and objections to the theory, and being able to explain in their own voice and using their own reasons why that theory is superior to competing theories.
For a sample test, see Appendix X.
Writing Assignments and Presentations
I use a variety of short assignments as “scaffolding” to prepare students for major assignments such as written reports and presentations.
Perhaps the best example of this is the case project in my interdisciplinary Health Care Ethics class. I will describe the scaffolding involved in this project chronologically below, in order to give a glimpse at how students grow and develop via strategically designed assignments throughout the semester. The ultimate objectives of this sequence are 1) for each student to produce a written report that applies concepts from lectures, readings, personal research, and reflection to a particular case; and 2) for students to bring the resulting expertise from this project into a group setting, where they are responsible for trying form a consensus about the case and for delivering a group presentation.
Although this is the most developed scaffolding that I use in any of my classes, I use similar scaffolding projects to build student writing in other courses as well (not further discussed, but you can see examples here).
Homework
Initially, students have two short homework assignments in which they have to read articles assigned for class and then produce a short “annotated bibliography” entry. These practice “entries” give them practice in putting together a correctly formatted bibliographic reference; in reading carefully to discover an author’s thesis and supporting arguments. We discuss the readings in class and identify more and less reasonable construals of the thesis and supporting arguments, and also discuss key ideas like what a thesis is, and what it means for an argument to “support” the thesis. This homework (intentionally) accomplishes several objectives: it exposes students to new issues in health care ethics; it reinforces theories and ideas already discussed in class; it helps to refine their understanding of thesis and supporting arguments; and it helps prepare them for the annotated bibliography assignment.
Annotated Bibliography
The annotated bibliography is the first part of the case project due. Students are assigned to a group of approximately 4 students, and the group is assigned a particular case (see a representative case here). Students pick a role (either editor, philosopher, physician, or nurse). They play this role throughout the remainder of the case project. For this assignment, students must create an annotated bibliography with 5 sources that are relevant to both their case and to their role in the case. After identifying the main claims and supporting arguments/evidence of these sources, students have to assess the relevance of the source to their case. We spend approximately 1.5 classes learning how to research and write an annotated bibliography, and students also receive companion handouts on these skills. This assignment helps them complete the major research portion of the upcoming written report.
Writing Workshop
Up until this point, students have practiced reading essays or articles by others and have learned to identify a philosophical thesis and supporting arguments (as well as conclusions and evidence, for scientific/empirical articles). A short homework assignment later in the semester asks them to begin formulating their own thesis and arguments for their particular case. Students summarize the main issue in their case, identify a draft thesis, and two major arguments they plan to use to support their thesis. They trade papers with a fellow student (not familiar with their group’s case) and spend the class critiquing each other’s work, using criteria similar to those I will eventually use when grading their papers.
Individual Written Reports
About three quarters of the way through the semester students must hand in their individual written report. The written report is the culmination of the student’s individual learning throughout the semester, applied to their assigned case, and from the perspective of their chosen role. Students are expected to give a normative recommendation in response to the main ethical issue in the case. This recommendation is the thesis of their paper, and the rest of the paper constitutes the arguments for the thesis. In this sense, every paper is an ethics/philosophy paper, even if the student’s role is physician, nurse, etc. However, students are expected only to incorporate research that is within the professional ambit of their chosen role (so physicians are responsible for incorporating the medical science research from their annotated bibliography; philosophers incorporate philosophical research from their annotated bibliography; etc). Students receive a handout explaining the major features of the paper and the general rubric that is used to assess it.
Group Presentations
Up until this point, students have been working on their own to develop their thinking about their assigned case. Now they convene with the rest of their group to discuss the case and to prepare a group presentation. This assignment is intended to replicate what actually happens in a hospital ethics committee. The objectives are twofold. First, they have to work with other students who have significantly different disciplinary knowledge in order to develop a more comprehensive undersatnding of the case. Second, they have to work productively with others who may have significantly different perspectives, values, or intuitions about the case. The group is required to provide a single recommendation, although they can note in their presentation if some group members disagreed with their final conclusion, as well as the content of their objections. The rubric for the presentation assesses both group performance as well as individual student contributions.
