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First-Year Writing Portfolio 2011-2012

What Is a Portfolio? What Is It For? What Should Be Included in My First-Year Portfolio?
What Is the First-Year Writing Portfolio? Writing Portfolio Checklist
Who Administers the First-Year Writing Portfolio? Section A Guidelines
How Is the Writing Portfolio Evaluated? Section D Guidelines
What Does "Resubmit" Mean? Sample Writing Portfolio
When Is the Writing Portfolio Due? What Happens After That?  
How Do I Turn In My First-Year Writing Portfolio?  Assessment Rubric in PDF file Format

 

First-Year Writing Portfolio Guidelines 2011-2012

A Part of the SpEl.Folio Project at Spelman College

 

This document provides guidelines for completing your First-Year Writing Portfolio.  If you have questions after reading the guidelines, please visit the Writing Center's website at http://www.spelman.edu/wcenter/cwp.  The website includes schedules for workshops you can attend to help strengthen your portfolio; information on obtaining one-on-one tutoring; and models of successful First-Year Writing Portfolios.

 

What Is a Portfolio?  What Is It For?

 

A portfolio is a compilation of work that has been put together for a specific purpose.  The First-Year Writing Portfolio at Spelman College has four primary purposes:

 

1.     Demonstrate your achievements as a writer and critical thinker during your first year at Spelman.

2.     Enable assessment of your work as a writer and critical thinker.  This includes your own self-assessment as well as assessment by a faculty jury.

3.     Evaluate your level of preparedness to continue in more advanced writing and critical-thinking projects as you continue your education.

4.     Determine what additional support you may need as a writer and critical thinker.

 

Strong portfolios are built through a process of collection, selection, and reflection.  In other words, the portfolio is more than just a showcase of your work; it is a location in which you make judgments about how best to present yourself as an academic "composer," and in which you provide reflective writing that helps you and your readers better understand how the portfolio was developed.

 

What Is the First-Year Writing Portfolio?

 

This year Spelman College will support the First-Year Writing Portfolio—along with other elements of the First Year Experience SpEl.Folio—with the ePortfolio2 program in Chalk and Wire.  The advantages to completing an electronic portfolio are many:  it is portable and flexible; it builds upon skills learned in first-year core classes including CIS 100, English 103, and ADW 111-112; it enables a high level of creativity in presenting your work; it builds and showcases skills which are attractive to employers and graduate schools; and, most important, it encourages you to show the connections between the many different skills you learn in your first year at Spelman.

 

Your participation in the FYE 102-First-Year Experience will include submission of this First Year Writing Portfolio by April 11, 2012.  As you will see below, the portfolio involves much of your writing experience during the 2011-2012 term.  In addition to this portfolio that will be assessed by faculty and professionals invited as the jury in the writing center, you will complete other SpEl.Folio writing projects during the year, as they appear on your FYE 102 syllabus.  Below are the directions for the First Year Writing Portfolio to be submitted to ePortfolio2 at the end of the school year.  If you have questions about this process, please contact Dr. Anne Warner (awarner@spelman.edu/ 404-270-5580). 

 

What Are the Goals for Your Learning?

 

A student who successfully completes the First Year Writing Portfolio demonstrates the ability to

1.     Conceive and develop a clear and focused central argument.

2.     Use relevant and reliable sources in support of an argument, with appropriately integrated evidence and documentation.  Evidence may be drawn from experience, research of the literature (both print and multimedia), and/or empirical investigation.

3.     analyze and synthesize  evidence.

4.     Develop a clear sense of the rhetorical choices available for varied audiences and purposes, including voice, tone, diction, structure, and format. 

5.     Develop a clear sense of the composing processes required for various genres, including but not limited to academic research papers, multi-media compositions, and oral presentations.

6.     Conduct accurate analytical and synthetic reflection on composing content and on the student's development over time.

 

What is the Administrative Process for the First-Year Writing Portfolio?

 

The First-Year Writing Portfolio is a collaborative project from the Comprehensive Writing Program (CWP), the African Diaspora and the World Program (ADW), the English Department, and the Office of Undergraduate Studies.  In cooperation with FYE 101 - 102, the CWP distributes the assignment, schedules support workshops, offers individual peer tutorials, and facilitates the evaluation process.  ADW and the English Department assign writing projects suitable to the Writing Portfolio's content.  Your submission of your portfolio is among the requirements for passing FYE 102.  In your second year, you will receive the results of the portfolio reading and either pass, or resubmit for a second reading. Resubmission occurs at the end of January. Those who do not pass the resubmitted portfolio will be enrolled in a two-credit English course, English 150. 

 

How Is the First-Year Writing Portfolio Evaluated?

 

The CWP assembles a jury of readers from across various departments at Spelman, as well as expert readers from other schools including Emory University.  Each portfolio is read by at least two jury members and is assigned an evaluation of "Pass" or "Resubmit."  If the two jury members' evaluations are in agreement, the evaluation stands.  If the two jury members' evaluations are different, a consensus decision will be reached or, in some cases, a third reader will determine the outcome.   A copy of the assessment rubric is available on the CWP's website as well as in ePortfolio2.

 

You will receive detailed feedback on your writing portfolio through the scoring record on ePortfolio2.   Remember that feedback comments on the essays as a whole, as well as on the cover letter reflection in distinctive categories.

 

A few outstanding SpEl.Folios are assessed as "Exemplary."  Authors of exemplary portfolios will receive a certificate of accomplishment as well as a small monetary award.

 

What Does "Resubmit" Mean?

 

An assessment of "Resubmit" means that the writing in this First-Year Writing Portfolio indicates that the author will need additional support in one or more area(s) in order to be prepared for her upper-level writing and critical-thinking work.  Each student whose Writing Portfolio receives an assessment of "Resubmit" also receives information designed especially for her, specifying workshops to attend and at least one visit to a Writing Center tutor.

 

Common reasons for Writing Portfolios to be evaluated "Resubmit" have included the following: insufficient citation (in-text and/or on the "Works Cited"/ "References" page); lack of central argument or thesis; lack of demonstrated ability to use references in service of the author's own argument (rather than simply "pasting in" quotations or paraphrases); lack of correct grammar and mechanics; and failure to include one or more required written pieces.

 

Resubmitted portfolios are due January 31, 2013.

 

When Is the First-Year Writing Portfolio Due?  What Happens After That?

 

          • Portfolios are due Wednesday, April 11, 2012 by 5 p.m.
          • Portfolios are assessed in June 2012.
          • Individual results will be posted in ePortfolio2 over the summer of  2012.
 

How Do I Turn In My First-Year Writing Portfolio?

 

First-Year Writing Portfolios will be submitted through your account in ePortfolio2 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11, 2012.  Early submission is desirable and welcome.  You have most of the academic year in which to decide upon appropriate essays, consult your advisor, facilitator, or instructor about them, and revise and edit them.  Section D, your response to an argumentative essay question, is featured below.  You may respond to it during a break or a weekend, and have it ready. 

 

Penalty for non-submission or late submission will be failure of FYE 101- 102.   Thus, if you do not meet the guidelines, your Writing Portfolio will be evaluated with the next year's resubmits, in spring, 2013.   

 

What Should Be Included in My First-Year Writing Portfolio?

 

Your Writing Portfolio will contain four essays, as well as the items specified in the checklist below.  Here's a summary of the four essays to include:

 

  • Section A: A letter of critical reflection, addressed to the assessment jury, that discusses the contents of your portfolio.  This letter must follow the guidelines below.  It must be at least 800 words.

 

  • Section B: An academic essay that makes a clear, debatable argument that frames the essay's purpose. This essay may or may not include research; however you must acknowledge any use of sources with documentation.  It must be at least 1,000 words.

 

  • Section C: An academic essay that makes a clear, debatable argument that frames the essay's purpose.  This essay must include evidence and documentation from at least two sources.  It must be at least 1,000 words.

 

  • Section D: An academic essay that makes a clear, debatable argument that frames the essay's purpose.  This essay must be written in response to one of the questions on the 2012 First-Year Writing Portfolio Question List.  It must be at least 1,000 words.

 

 

Checklist

 

 

 

First-Year Writing Portfolio Checklist

 

Comments

The Writing Portfolio is located in the First Year Experience TOC (Table of Contents). Be sure of your location within the FYE portfolio.

 

Each item in the portfolio is clearly distinguishable by links labeled "Section A," "Section B," etc.

 

Sections A and B should be accompanied by the exact text of the professor's assignment.

 

 

Professors' names and written comments should not appear on any items in the eFolio.

 

 

Section A letter, clearly labeled.

 

 

Section B essay, clearly labeled and accompanied by the exact text of the professor's assignment.

 

 

Section C essay, clearly labeled and accompanied by the exact text of the professor's assignment.

 

 

Section D essay, clearly labeled.

 

 

 

Section A Guidelines
First-Year Writing Portfolio 2011-2012

 

The first section of your Writing Portfolio is a letter introducing yourself to the assessment committee and offering a critical self-assessment of your work as a writer during your first year at Spelman College.  A portfolio is more than the sum of its parts; its real value lies in its ability to demonstrate the meaningful connections between its parts.  Your reflective letter is your opportunity to articulate and deepen your readers', and your own, awareness of those connections.
 

Audience and tone.  Address your letter to the assessment committee.  The tone of your letter should be moderately formal.  In other words, assume that you are addressing faculty, but don't feel you have to take a highly formal or distant tone.  Write in the first-person singular ("I").  Be as candid and specific as possible.

Structure.  The structure of your letter should be clear and simple.  This is not an academic essay, so you don't need a thesis.  If you wish, you may answer each of the questions in order. Please note the evaluation descriptors for this reflection letter in the rubric.

Content.  It's fine to address topics not included in the following questions.  However, do be sure that your letter, at a minimum, provides a full and detailed response to each of the following questions.


1.    Why did you choose the two essays in Sections B and C?  What do they demonstrate about you as a writer that you would like the assessment committee to notice?  Be specific about what you accomplished in each of these essays.
 
2.    Why did you choose the prompt you did for the essay in Section D?  What was it like to compose an academic essay without the usual structures and guidance provided in a class?  What skills did you apply from previous writing classes?  What did you learn about yourself as a writer from working on this essay?
 
3.    Which of the four pieces in your portfolio most engaged you as a writer?  Why?
 
4.    During your first year at Spelman, what writing skills have you acquired that you will carry forward into future classes?  Among these skills might be ways to draft and revise; come up with ideas; formulate a thesis; use evidence; and seek out feedback.  Explain exactly how you acquired each skill you mention.
 
5.    During your first year at Spelman, what writing skills have you realized you need more work on?  How will you get the ongoing support you need?  Explain exactly how you plan to improve each skill you mention.
 
6.    How is writing and/or critical thinking relevant to you as a student moving into your major?  How might one or both these abilities be relevant to you after you graduate?
 

 

Section D Guidelines
First-Year Writing Portfolio 2011-2012

Choose one of the following questions and compose a letter to the editor or policy argument in response. Write to a specific readership—for example, a city newspaper, a community group, or your own SSGA.

With your letter to the editor/policy argument, you are asked to incorporate an appropriate image, an image that relates to some specific detail of your topic and that appears with a caption and citation. Your letter/policy argument created for Section D will be held to the same criteria for academic writing as the essays in Sections B and C. (See evaluation rubric for details.)

Composing this piece will allow you to show your ability to produce formal, argumentative writing outside a class environment. You are encouraged to draw upon the many resources available to you as a scholar. For example, you may choose to conduct research and include outside source material; to use your own relevant personal experience as evidence; to interview appropriate people in your community; to consult with a Writing Center tutor; to attend workshops that will strengthen your skills in particular areas; or to do all of the above. Note that, unlike many letters to the editor, yours requires formal documentation and a works cited list.


Question 1.http://www.slate.com/id/2065896/view/2057069/

In July of 2011, Anders Behring Breivik conducted a terrorist attack on a government building in Oslo, Norway, and then on an island nearby where Norwegian youth were participating in a socialist camp.  Almost 100 people were killed.  At the time of the attack, there was confusion in the media about who this terrorist was and what political position he represented.  Finally, he was identified as an anti-Islamist terrorist, after his involvement with multiple conservative blogs was revealed by a “manifesto” he posted to the Internet a few days before the attacks.   In the aftermath of this violence, several conservative bloggers, especially American Pamela Geller, have been implicated, even blamed, as the inspiration for Breivik’s violence:

In a manifesto posted online, the admitted killer, Anders Behring Breivik, praised Geller. He cited her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and the writings of her friends, allies, and collaborators—Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, Islam Watch, and Front Page magazine—more than 250 times. And he echoed their tactics, tarring peaceful Muslims with the crimes of violent Muslims. He wrote that all Muslims sought to impose "sharia laws" and that "there are no important theological differences between jihadists and so-called 'peaceful' or 'moderate' Muslims."  (Saletan)

Because of this association between conservative bloggers and Breivik, at least one commentator has indicated that such anti-Islamist activists are partially responsible for the events:  “that People like . . . Pamela Geller and the right wing blogosphere who spew apocalyptic rhetoric and refuse to denounce the extremists among them now have the very real blood of children on their hands" (Saletan).  Ongoing commentaries about the manifesto, Breivik’s mental state, and the powerful rhetoric of certain blogs have given rise to broader questions of freedom of the press.

In an editorial or policy statement, take a position on the First Amendment rights of such bloggers.  Should the U. S. curtail freedom of speech or freedom of the press?  Are the conservative bloggers responsible in any way for the human devastation in Norway?  Carefully build an argument to support your case, and include a visual artifact that complements your content. 

Question 2.

The 30-year-old NASA shuttle program has ended, also ending a half-century of the U. S. government’s dramatic successes in space—also causing NASA to downsize and leaving the U. S. without transportation for astronauts to the International Space Station.  In the spring of 2011, NASA announced a commercial partnership in its future space travel programs.  NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced,

"It's difficult fiscal times and we had to make very difficult fiscal choices . . . The centerpiece is ISS. If I want to sustain it and have it safe for crew, I need a way to get cargo and crews there as quickly and safely as possible. With that goal in mind, we changed the balance of funding to commercial crew and the vehicles themselves." (Moskowitz)

In support of this new program, Bretton Alexander, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation commented, "NASA's Commercial Crew program will result in significant savings to the U.S. taxpayer, and will cut the amount of money the nation has been sending to Russia every year. Leveraging private investment is the only way NASA can make its dollars go farther in these times of belt-tightening." (Moskowitz)

Thus, one can see the government space programs, charismatic and filled with invention, will change to a cooperative commercial—not a national--enterprise.  Is this budgetary change a good policy for the Obama government?  Is the government ending a program which demonstrated U. S. inventiveness and pioneer spirit?  Or is it entering the age of finanacial reason?  Take a position in an editorial or policy statement, and include a visual artifact that enhances your points.


Question 3.

During the spring and summer of 2011, the extensive use of subsidized government-back higher education student loans by for-profit educational institutions has caused a firestorm of controversy.  The Obama Administration, through the Education Department, proposed a limit on those loans to institutions, especially for-profit vocational schools, that so not meet a “gainful employment” standard; under this requirement, the school would have to demonstrate a record of employment placement for students (Field).  The measure is largely motivated by the high loan default rates of students from these institutions.  As one online forum argued,

 The for-profit college industry is spending millions of dollars on lobbyists, consultants and advertising to block these sensible federal protections. . . . For-profit schools serve 10% of United States higher education students, but soak up 25% of federal student dollars. Many for-profit schools receive 85% or even 90% of their income from federal aid. Worse, for-profits account for 44% of student loan defaults, and taxpayers must cover the loss. (Jealous and Edelman)

 

At the same time, since many for-profits serve students from low-income environments and students of color, new government requirements may reduce access. for those students.  One survey on student loans quantifies the greater student loan debt incurred by black students, in particular, suggesting greater dependence on loans for access (Danois).

 

Compose an editorial or policy statement that addresses the change in Education Department policies regarding access to government-backed student loans, concerns about increased regulation of higher education institutions, and the broad concern about ever-increasing student debt in the U. S.  Identify a visual artifact that complements your policy statement or editorial.

Works Cited

Danois, Erica Blount.  “Blacks Accumulating More Student Loan Debt than Whites and Hispanics.”  HuffPost Black Voices. April 29, 2010.  http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/04/29/blacks-are-accumulating-more-student-loan-debt-than-whites-or-hi/.  Accessed September 18, 2011.

Field, Kelly.  “For-Profit Colleges Win Major Concessions in Final ‘Gainful Employment’ Rule.”  The Chronicle of Higher Education.  June 2, 2011. http://chronicle.com/article/For-Profit-Colleges-Win-Major/127744/.  Accessed Sept. 4, 2011.

 

Jealous, Benjamin and Marian Wright Edelman.  “Why government must rein-in for-profit colleges.”  USA Today Forum. February 7, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-02-08-jealous07_ST_N.htm.  Accessed Sept. 4, 2011.

Moskowitz, Clara.  “NASA budget still backs commercial spaceflight,” February 15, 2011.  Accessed, August 30, 2011.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41613212/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/nasa-budget-still-backs-commercial-spaceflight/

Saletan, William.  “Christian Terrorism.”  Slate.com. July 25, 2011.  http://www.slate.com/id/2299967/ Accessed, August 28, 2011.


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