I'm trying to re-work one of my undergrad courses, and the age-old
problem (for me) of class projects has come up. I set the conventional
assignments - a term paper/essay and a final exam. While these have
their uses, including teaching students to research and write, I wonder
whether they're there simply because they are what is expected, and
because they allow me to come up with nice numerical scores to plug
into grading spread-sheets.
I wonder if people have some creative alternatives? For example, I've
noticed that one of the biggest challenges that people seem to face
(myself included) is defining a research project. The execution is
often fairly straightforward. Could the former be an assignment? Group
projects are also something I've experimented with, but while these can
be productive, I know some students find them challenging.
Nick Blomley
Nicholas Blomley,
Professor,
Department of Geography,
Simon Fraser University,
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, CANADA
604-291-3713
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http://www.sfu.ca/geography/people/faculty/Faculty_sites/NickBlomley/
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