Faculty Services

• Research proposal using certain number of library sources (1 article, 1 book)
• Submit a topical or concept map
• Free-writing exercise or discussion post
• Debate: students produce 2 different hypotheses and debate them using presearch
• Group brainstorming
• Peer to Peer Interviews: students interview one another about project ideas and give feedback. Rotate partners at least 2 times

• Revise research proposal using additional library sources
• Class presentation on basics of research topic using new findings or questions discovered
• Write a book review of a background source (strengths, weaknesses, scope, breadth, etc.)

• Reflective diary/log on the process and strategies for finding specific source type (newspaper article, book, scholarly article, etc.)
• Paper Slam: present on source and highlight key findings and ideas using 1 powerpoint slide

• Annotated bibliography
• Compare/contrast sources on the same topic using different source types (scholarly vs popular)
• Pros/Cons of a source (critique a source)
• Investigate a scholar/scholar biography of a source

• Submit an outline
• First Draft
• Peer review

• Final draft with self-assessment or personal reflection
• Gallery Walk: present paper as poster with students giving feedback in real-time

Concern

Possible Solutions

• Yes, it takes time in design, but it will save time and most importantly frustration when grading, particularly large final assignments.
• Use technology such as Canvas, to make things easier
• Build learning communities in the class so peers can offer one another feedback

• Be explicit about process and value of working step by step towards goals; explain that it isn't really MORE work, just organized differently
• Students report that scaffolding reduces stress
• Emphasize connections to course learning objectives

• Not everything has to be graded or graded individually; give group feedback. 
• Give pass/fail grades for less consequential assignments. 
• Stagger assignments 
• Give early feedback 
• Have students review their peers' papers 
• Focus feedback on learning objectives
• Develop and use grading rubrics to facilitate the process

• Give pass/fail grades for early drafts—or take off grades if students don’t submit a draft.
• Include global recommendations for improvements as well as specific ones.
• Make clear criteria for actually getting a better grade (i.e. a revision rubric).
• Define revision and discuss process and expectations explicitly; show examples of drafts of your own writing.
• Make final step worth the bulk of the grade.

• Do it in class and introduce by discussing the professional peer review process. 
• Ask student reviewers to answer specific questions on a handout (broad questions around thesis, argument, and organization tend to be better than grammar) and give you a copy of this feedback. You can then grade the feedback.

• Scaffolding does not just break down the process, it supports learning. If every stage has a learning goal, even the brightest students can push themselves further at each stage.
• With the structure scaffolding provides, you can make assignments much harder and more interesting, which will challenge and satisfy the best students, while still making it possible for everyone to succeed.