That was an average score of 75% (C+) among those who did something.  Among the top scorers were some really good efforts.  We enjoyed polyphasic sleep, brain implants, and smart pills for students.  There is also some amazing stuff dug up.  My favorite was the headless chicken. Not sure I believe it though.

What takes the time grading the blog is giving the individualized feedback (students, you can see yours on the Angel site).  I really hope students read and think about those comments. Nothing is more depressing than finding myself writing the same comments to a student after the next blog period.

The most common issues were Comments that are no more than personal reaction. I do try to tell the students that this is not Facebook. Extend the discussion in new directions. That usually means bringing to bear some new sources or new arguments supported by new sources. The most common problem with the Entries is that they were too simple. The rubric says that for an A, we need entries that “are conceptually sophisticated, engaged in a substantial way with the material”…”that extends beyond the [source] material”.  For me, this is easiest done when you try to ask a question, synthesize across sources and do some serious research. Hard not to feel the majority of students just want to post the minimum required and get on with something else. I think the grades reflect that.

For students wanting to improve: read your personalized feedback, read these, and check the wise words of wisdom from your TAs. I think writing is hard work, and needs thought.  Do a post a week, and put some effort into each one.  You’ll be surprised how rewarding you’ll find it.

You might also try getting out of your comfort zone a bit.  So you are a basefall fan? Great to write about the science of baseball.  But also write about something you know nothing of…there’s magic in investigating new things.

Even though I know this, I am constantly amazed by the importance of proper data. As the first blog period unfolded, I was impressed by what the students were posting. But now that I have systematically marked it all, I discover this impression was generated by the work of a few actively engaged students (joy).  The majority weren’t engaged (the undead?).

Fails: 30 students, 10 of whom did nothing and 20 did not break a sweat. 

Passes: D (did something good, but not nearly enough), 10; C, 5; C+, 5; B-, 7; B, 13, B+, 16; and A-, 9. I was pretty generous with some of the C’s and low B’s. I used 81% (B-) as a break point: those who did enough, however shallow, got above that. Those who did less than required but did something well got above that too. But to get a B+ or A required good to excellent frequency of participation, and some great entries and comments.

Some entries really were excellent.  For example, robot intelligence, the power of playboy bunnies, sound, empathy, and Americans fake data, as well as those I mention below.  Most of the participating students did a good job on making their posts attractive with good use of images, humor, juxtapositions and snappy titles. There were also some excellent comments (e.g. immortal robots, reverse SAD, spongebob, grades versus learning, sexy male voices, sneezing, video games bad, and science and theology). Most of the students with excellent blog entries were let down by the standard of their comments. As TA Suzanne says in her excellent guide ‘How to score well on comments‘, this is not Facebook.  

How to get an A on the blog?  (1) Pay attention to the rubric in the syllabus. That’s what I’m marking off.  (2) Make sure you hit excellent on every criteria in the rubric. Participating enough is important; so too is producing excellent entries AND comments. (3) Check out the examples of good practice, including the examples I give above and below, as well as here, here and here.  (4) Work towards a portfolio of excellent work. TA Cally has some great advice on how to choose topics. A portfolio worth an A+ would likely cover a range of entries, such as gee-whizz stuff (e.g. honeyguides, circle of death, planetary diamonds), a reaction to yourself or an experience (e.g. depression), some compare-and-contrast (e.g. pain in the unborn), science and the arts (e.g. Dr Who), or important discoveries and their implications (e.g. dark matter). It might be that you don’t want to cover that sort of diversity – that’s fine, but pick topics and material that allow you to tick the “conceptually sophisticated, engaged in a substantive way with the material” and “draw upon the material to make creative and substantive points that extend beyond the material” boxes in the rubric. Controversial topics (e.g. animal testing, the Bermuda Triangle) are very welcome, but for a good mark, consider more than one point of view. 

But most important, blog.  Like life, inaction leads to failure.