Policies

As composition theorist Peter Elbow has written in a number of places (see especially his “Ranking, Evaluating, and Liking”*), grades are a surprisingly crude way of measuring or producing learning: they reduce complex phenomena to a single letter or number, and thus obscure the differences between, say, proofreading skills and ability to support an argument. Some teachers might try to get around this by assigning percentages of their grades to particular skill-sets, but I find I can’t know, in advance, what any one of you will need to work on: I want us to be free to give more targeted feedback, and set more targeted goals, than any pre-set percentage allows us to do. As I see it, each of you is here to become better than yourself, not better than anyone else. Grades distract from that, and distract from the particular reactions and suggestions that can help you improve.

So to shift our attention away from grading – and therefore toward thoughtful assessment – I’m going to do several things. First, I’ll put the bulk of your final grade into process and participation: concrete, observable behaviors, not subjective judgments of quality. No matter where you start out, this playing field is level. Second, for each major unit of the course, we’ll work as a class to develop the baseline criteria needed to demonstrate competency (not necessarily excellence) in that unit. If you participate consistently at this minimum level, I’ll guarantee that your minimum grade for the course is a B. Your grade can go up from there for excellent work, toward which we’ll set flexible and optional aspirational criteria within each unit – one of which will always be trying something new or risky, even if it doesn’t pay off.

Lastly, I’ll keep the final tally of those criteria open until the end of the semester, as measured in a final portfolio. My goal is to help you develop competencies for which it may take several failures to reach success, and I don’t want to penalize you by over-weighting an early project for lacking some skill you attained later on.

I hope you take this as an opportunity to explore, to experiment, and to trust that you will learn something in the process: even if you try a new move and fail, you can (in the words of Samuel Beckett) "fail better" next time, without being penalized.

* Elbow, Peter. “Ranking, Evaluating, and Liking: Sorting out Three Forms of Judgment.” College English 55.2 (1993): 187-206. This grading contract, including some of the language, has been adapted from Danielewicz, Jane and Peter Elbow. "A Unilateral Grading Contract to Improve Learning and Teaching." College Composition and Communication 61.2 (December 2009): 244-268, as well as the online appendix to that article (see their note 1); and from Reilly, Colleen A., and Anthony T. Atkins. “Rewarding Risk: Designing Aspirational Assessment Processes for Digital Writing Projects.” Digital Writing: Assessment and Evaluation, edited by Heidi McKee and Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, Computers and Composition Digital Press, 2013, http://ccdigitalpress.org/dwae/04_reilly.html.

Approach the work

1. Engage actively to make the most of class-time. Everyone has an off day now and then, but to the best of your ability, you should be putting in the full 75 minutes of work for each class meeting or asynchronous assignment period. (I’ll do my best to ensure you have a clear sense of what to work on, including extensions for if you finish early.) This means you must also be consistently prepared for class: read, annotate, and bring any required readings, and bring a notebook and whatever drafts, files, or research you'll need.
2. During every workshop, push yourself to provide your class- and group-mates with thorough, thoughtful feedback. Taking their work seriously enough to both describe it and think hard about how it can be improved is crucial for your success, as well as theirs, in becoming better composers throughout this course. Note that this is not just about praise or criticism: ask questions, make connections, explore possibilities. Open space for them to do or say more.
3. Work with your group-mates to complete group assignments and exercises to the satisfaction of everyone in the group. Divide group assignments and time fairly, and complete, on time, all the work you take on. Note that this also means demanding satisfaction from your group mates: if one of you is slacking off, the whole group suffers. Let that person know.

Write and revise

4. For every assignment, produce a substantial, thoughtful product that follows the guidelines in the prompt – including deadlines and all baseline criteria.
5. Complete all assigned readings attentively enough that you could provide examples of key concepts; you may wish to mark up the readings or take notes as you go.
6. Help to vet baseline criteria for each major project, so that you are confident you can meet those criteria in the time allotted. If something proposed seems aspirational, more of a stretch goal than a requirement, say so.
7. Use the feedback provided by your instructor and your classmates to improve your projects. You don't have to make every change suggested, of course, because your work is yours, and after all, audiences will sometimes disagree. But you must take all feedback seriously, and your drafts (or reflections; see next bullet) should show evidence that you’ve carefully considered your respondents’ suggestions: if a reader is confused or has an objection, don't ignore it, but instead try to clear up the confusion or incorporate and respond to the objection.
8. When turning in revisions (as well as for any earlier draft on which it feels appropriate), attach a brief note reflecting on what in particular you were trying to achieve in that draft. e.g., Were there particular comments you were responding to? A genre feature or model you were trying to emulate? You can also use this note to acknowledge suggestions you consciously decided not to take, explaining your reasons. (This may, in fact, help you to discover your reasons.)
9. Proofread final drafts to eliminate surface errors and typos to the best of your ability. Use style guides and talk to classmates, me, or a Writing Center Consultant if you have questions.

Build a class community

10. Show respect for your classmates and your instructor. This includes taking each others’ ideas seriously; using language that honors others’ racial, ethnic, religious, political, economic, sexual, and gender identifications or positions; and refraining from distracting behaviors, such as gossiping, reading the news, or using electronic devices for non-class-related activities. Ensure that your cell phone doesn't ring during class.
11. Attend scheduled conferences with me or your Writing Center Consultant (if applicable), and come prepared to use the conference time productively. If I indicate in feedback that I would like you to schedule an appointment to talk with me, please reply within one week. A missed conference counts as 2/3 of an absence (see #13).

12. Avoid plagiarism by (a) taking careful notes to help you distinguish between your own ideas and language and those you have borrowed from sources; (b) being generous about attributing ideas and acknowledging those whose work has influenced your own, i.e. by attempting to cite all sources correctly, even in first drafts; (c) mastering citation conventions and citing all sources correctly in all final drafts; and (d) never attempting to disguise another’s work as your own, never purchasing someone else’s writing services online for course credit, and never engaging in any other act of academic dishonesty.

    This is a collaborative class, in which we offer each other suggestions and constructive criticism. But we do so to clarify the expression of original ideas – never to substitute someone else's ideas for our own, or to impose our ideas on someone else. If you feel you’re making a Fair Use of someone else’s intellectual property, include a rationale for your use in a reflection that accompanies your drafts (see #8). This applies as well to AI-generated source materials you incorporate into projects you'll take credit for: provide your prompts, name your tools, explain your use.

13. Be present. For synchronous participation, be consistently on time for class, and be absent very rarely; for asynchronous participation (e.g. a makeup class after illness), complete a check-in at the beginning and/or end of your work-time, no later than five days after the equivalent class-meeting. Each missed class is equivalent to three “absence tokens,” and vice versa. Joining class after activities are underway earns one absence token, and missing more than 20 minutes of class – or completing async work between 5 and 7 days after it’s assigned – earns two absence tokens (though you're still always welcome to come in, quietly).
    Twelve absence tokens throughout the semester, nine during any one unit, or failing to turn in a timely peer review is a major breach of contract (see next section). Having more than 18 absence tokens (equivalent to six absences, or ¼ of the classes for the term) could be grounds for failure, given the hands-on nature of the course. Please talk to me before we get to that point!
14. Submit a complete, revised portfolio that meets all outlined requirements by the due date. The portfolio for this class will consist of three major projects (featuring sound, image, and web design), at least one with revision history and a selection of feedback; one additional consolidation project to which you have contributed significantly; and a reflective portfolio introduction. Details to follow, closer to the deadline.

If you fulfill all of these expectations, you are guaranteed a grade of at least a B overall. I will do my best to keep you informed and afloat with regard to your successful participation. If you're ever in doubt about your contractual status, feel free to email me and/or drop by my office hours.

If you don’t keep the contract, your contracted minimum grade for the course will be lowered as follows:

• For minor breaches (e.g. missing or not bringing in a short homework exercise, missing up to one sixth of the baseline criteria, or failing to acknowledge direct revision-suggestions): in each Unit, I will permit you one “Mulligan” – one minor misstep that will not break the contract. But two minor breaches during any Unit will lower your minimum grade by ⅓ of a letter, i.e. to a B–; another breach in the same unit or two minor breaches during the next Unit, and your minimum grade will be lowered further to a C+, and so on. These lowered minimum grades can still be exceeded by an exceptionally strong portfolio.
• For major breaches (e.g. missing more than one sixth of a project’s baseline criteria, failing to participate in peer review, not turning in a project reflection): no Mulligans; your minimum grade will immediately be lowered to a B– after the first major breach, C+ after the second, and so on. These lowered grades can still be exceeded by an exceptionally strong portfolio.
• For the final portfolio: each day it is late, the minimum grade drops ⅓ of a letter.
• The attendance policy is outlined above, in item #13 (though see also #11).
• A minimum grade falling below a C-minus is grounds for failing the course. Please talk to me before we get to that point!
  

I want to emphasize that I can empathize: I know there may well be important reasons in your life that you're not able to participate as fully in this class as may be my ideal or yours. 

If you have extenuating circumstances, and especially if you are having trouble accessing or processing the course materials, please let me know; setting up the conditions for your success is important to me!

Again, I will do my best to keep you informed and afloat with regard to patterns that threaten to break the contract: my goal is to keep everyone engaged, active, and learning. If you are ever in doubt about your contractual status, or want to talk about possible extensions or extenuations, feel free to send me an email or drop by my office hours.

There are two ways to earn a grade above a B: by demonstrating Excellence and Quality in your final products, and by demonstrating ambition in your process by meeting aspirational criteria. The best portfolios will likely involve both.

While the former terms are, unavoidably, rather fuzzy, in my defense I can say only this:

• First, most grades in writing, even digital writing, are somewhat subjective – and at least by using this contract and the baseline / aspirational guides, I'm doing my best to limit and control the arbitrariness of such judgment. We will also collaboratively adjust the aspirational criteria for each unit, as they should vary with the genres, tools, and skillsets at hand.
• Second, I promise to do my very best to articulate, in particular instances, what I think would most help the piece in question achieve Excellence and Quality, and to invite peer feedback I can see, so my perspective isn’t the only one considered. One of the characteristics of Excellent, High-Quality work is that it tends to stand out as its own self, original and often surprising, and it is therefore far harder to give guidance in general terms.

To earn a grade above a B for ambitious process, you must make the case in your project reflections (or final-portfolio reflection) for how you have met the aspirational criteria.

If your work is trending towards a better-than-B portfolio, I will do my best to let you know where you've leveled up over that line, so you can try to recapture and consolidate whatever was working so well. (Don't worry, I'll keep giving suggestions for where you can improve, as well, because I believe that even the best of us can.)

Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications.

The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e- mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address. To forward e-mail sent to your University account, go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, log into your account, click on Edit Forwarding Addresses, and follow the instructions on the page. Be sure to log out of your account when you have finished. (For the full E-mail Communication Policy, go to www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/09-10-01.html.)