Class participation is crucial for the development of the class and for me to be able to evaluate your performance in the class (attendance only does not count for class participation). As I mentioned in the main page, our class uses an OER site in replacement of a textbook. But OER is not just making available free materials, but it entails a shift in educational practices. It’s about students’ participation and co-creation. In order to achieve this, I designed two assignments in which you will participate posting your own response essay, but also you will provide feedback with comments to your classmates’ response essays. Additionally, you will work in groups to prepare one or two group presentations. Each group will not only present the text assigned, but also you will propose and present two additional materials to contribute to our discussion.

Thus, in this class you have response essays called formative or low-stake assignments. These are assignments that not necessarily get a grade. Working every week on this assignment throughout the summer session is what gives you a grade. But it is very important the work that you do. My hope with these assignments is that you learn techniques that will form, develop, and improve your writing habit. And for you to do so, you have to be willing to dedicate time and patience, to make mistakes, to edit your writing, to think carefully how you can put your ideas into words, how to make your ideas an argument. EXTENSION: 350 WORDS EACH RESPONSE ESSAY. YOU HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH YOUR CLASSMATES ESSAYS BY REPLYING TO TWO STUDENTS.

Additionally, each week students will be in charge of a group presentation. I will organize the groups and assign the dates and texts of the presentation the first week of class. Each group will be in charge of 1 or 2 group presentations in the summer session, depending on the number of classes and the number of students.

How can you prepare for group presentations?

1) The presentation takes 20 minutes. The week the group has to present there is a text assigned. The group has to point out the main argument of the text, main concepts, main results, and methods. Also, the group has to introduce what each member will do in the presentation. This is a collective presentation, all the members of the group work on this part of the presentation.

2) Additionally, the group makes a search for two additional materials related to the topic of the text you were assigned. The additional materials can be a journal article or a book chapter. For the presentation, the group has to relate the additional materials found with the text originally assigned. Also, you have to identify the main ideas, concepts, and findings of the text.

3) All the members of the group have to prepare the conclusion to the group presentation.

4) You organize your presentation in Power Point. For those of you who are familiar with digital technology or want to improve your skills, you can create a video for the presentation.

5) This is your opportunity to be creative, to make a search of interesting additional materials, and open the discussion of the text for the class.

Final exam on July 8.

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