The official STW syllabus states:

In this essay, students make arguments about how their writing has improved, using course objectives, specific quoted examples from your STW work, and analysis of those examples.

This essay is a persuasive essay, demonstrating your mastery of everything you have learned about MLA style, a good thesis statement that advocates a debatable position that a rational person could disagree with; evidence that demonstrates how your argument overcomes objections (the opposing views); supporting paragraphs that advance your main argument, and a conclusion that does more than restate the thesis. 

The evidence that you use will include direct quotations from your own work, arranged to demonstrate that you have learned important course concepts (review the syllabus for ideas).

• The paper requires you to quote from your STW assignments. (I also encourage you to draw from Moodle activities, emails, the syllabus, the textbook, or your classroom notes.)
• The paper requires you to use course objectives (as presented in the syllabus).
• The paper requires you to analyze (a more complex intellectual task than summary, definition, or application.) Review Bloom’s New Taxonomy.
• The paper requires you to make an argument about how you improved (and proving that argument would involve quoting from an earlier assignment that illustrates a problem, and a later assignment that demonstrates your progress).

Focus in detail on a few important examples, rather than fill the paper with a long list of flat references or general statements.

General tips:

• Writing a Personal Essay
• Show, Don’t (Just) Tell

Schedule your oral presentations (use the arrow buttons to navigate to the right date, and click a button labeled “5-min presentation”).

The rubric will be the same as the 2-min version:

• Length: 5 min
• Topic: Your term paper
• Depth: Use of sources, academic tone, etc.
• Voice: Loud and clear; not too fast
• Body: Minimal fidgeting, good eye contact, professional appearance

Note the addition of “professional appearance” to the “Body” item. Men do not have to wear a suit and tie, and women do not have to wear power suits with hose and heels; however, wearing a hoodie and jeans, or leaving your shoes at home, sends the message that you don’t think this speech is important.

Please do not read your term papers. You are permitted to use visuals, but please review this video showing you how not to use PowerPoint.

Schedule your oral presentations (click a button labeled “5-min presentation”).

The rubric will be the same as the 2-min version:

• Length: 5 min
• Topic: Your term paper
• Depth: Use of sources, academic tone, etc.
• Voice: Loud and clear; not too fast
• Body: Minimal fidgeting, good eye contact, professional appearance

Note the addition of “professional appearance” to the “Body” item. Men do not have to wear a suit and tie, and women do not have to wear power suits with hose and heels; however, wearing a hoodie and jeans, or leaving your shoes at home, sends the message that you don’t think this speech is important.

Please do not read your term papers. You are permitted to use visuals, but please review this video showing you how not to use PowerPoint.

To receive attendance credit, schedule and complete a satisfactory 15-minute office visit on the 18th, 21st, or 22nd.

Update, Nov 14: I’ve stretched the appointment time slots to 15 minutes, in the hopes that we’ll have a bit more time to strategize about your revisions.