Integrating writing into (even large) economics classes

All handouts available athttp://goo.gl/goGgdE

Jennifer ImazekiSan Diego State University

jenniferimazeki.com

Writing in (mostly large) classes

Writing in (mostly large) classes

• My courses:– Principles of Microeconomics (500 students)• Multiple short (one paragraph to one page) writing

assignments

– Economics for Teachers (50 future teachers)• Three lesson plans; multiple reading reflection writing

assignments

– Data Analysis (75 econ majors, taught with TBL)• Two written data projects, 3-5 pages

– Economic Literacy (W course, 40 econ majors)• Multiple short papers, 3-5 pages

Writing in (mostly large) classes

Writing to learn assignments

Peer review

Rubrics

Writing to learn

“Writing is more than communication, it is a means of learning, thinking, discovering, and seeing.” --John C. Bean

Writing to learn

• Formative assessment vs. summative• Low-stakes – credit for completion, not

necessarily graded• Enhances higher-order critical thinking skills

(application, integration, evaluation)

Examples

• One-minute papers at close of class–Many variations: ‘Muddiest point’, most important

points, connect to previous material

• Lecture/class summaries– Assigned end of class, turned in next day– Peer review: Students compare in small groups

• Reading reflections (handout #1)– Identify key points, connect to other readings or

own experience

Examples

• Give an example… (handout #2)– Requires application of material– Peer review: Students rate classmates’ responses

Peer review

• Benefits:– Students learn from each other – Opinions of peers can be a stronger incentive than

grades– Reduces instructor workload

• Challenge: Feedback might be ‘wrong’, inappropriate, useless

• Solution: Instructions must be super-clear, explicit

Rubrics are your friend

Rubrics are your friend

• Rubric = a scoring or evaluation tool

More importantly:• Rubric = a means of describing student

performance at various levels

Why rubrics?

• Benefits for instructors– Focus on student learning (as opposed to focusing

on tasks students complete)– Help ensure consistency in evaluating student

work– Save time

Why rubrics?

• Benefits for students:– Clarify what they are being asked to achieve– Help students to self-assess their work– Facilitate peer-review– Engage students in their own learning• Consider having students create the rubric!

Types of rubrics

• Analytic: categorize levels by traits/parts

• Holistic: Categorize ‘the whole’

• Generic: Describes a general performance (e.g., reading responses, class participation)

• Task-specific: Describes performance on a specific, single task (e.g., essay on chapter X in book Y)

Examples

• Handout #1: Analytic, Generic• Handout #2: Holistic, Generic• Handout #3: Analytic, Task-specific– Note weighted categories

• Handout #4 (instructions for peer review): Analytic, mixed

Making a rubric

• Describe the task or performance that you want students to undertake

• Reflect on the learning outcomes that have led you to ask students to complete the task

• Decide which of those learning outcomes are most important and if they are best expressed as a group (holistic) or individually (analytic)

• Describe different levels of performance for those outcomes (consider starting with 3 levels)

More details…

• Types of rating scales– Points– Letter grades– Criteria defined for each level of achievement– Criteria defined for excellence paired with “step down”

language

• Language for describing performance levels– Always/usually/some of the time/rarely– Fully/adequately/partially/minimally– High/adequate/limited/very limited– Meets most criteria/meets some criteria/meets few criteria

Pitfalls

• Confusing outcomes with tasks – Assignment describes task– Rubric focuses on learning outcome(s) the task

asks the student to demonstrate

• Using only an evaluative scale (grades, points, ratings) without a descriptive scale—at least for the highest level of performance

Integrating writing into (even large) economics classes

All handouts available athttp://goo.gl/goGgdE

Jennifer ImazekiSan Diego State University

jenniferimazeki.com

Blogs, Discussion Boards

Blogs: can see all posts together

BB: attach rubric, grade easily

Blogs vs. Discussion Boards

• Both allow ‘conversation’, peer ratings, attaching rubrics, easy grading

• Different interfaces– Blogs: can see all posts together– D-Boards: have to open each thread

• Blogs: class or individual

Wikis: Collaborative content

Participation summary

Individual contributions

Wikis

• Collaborative content (groups vs. individuals)– Can ‘jigsaw’ assignments so individuals

responsible for parts but group responsible for whole

• Form of peer review

Examples (more summative)

• Write test questions– Requires synthesis of material– Peer review: Students share and answer each

other’s questions

• Give an example… (handout #2)– Requires application of material– Peer review: Students rate classmates’ responses