Goal/s: Engage in self-reflection and self-assessment.
Class: Astro 16 and Astro 17
Introduction/Background: Students will have an opportunity to assess their growth within Astro 16 and/or Astro 17. Prof Johnson has his students do a quick-write that asks them to reflect briefly prior to the final exam.
Procedure:
1) Preparation for activity: At the discretion of the instructor, space can either be provided on the exam for students to document their thoughts; or students can be asked to provide their own scratch paper.
2) Steps of activity:
a.) Instructor writes the following prompt on the board:
Take 15 minutes to do a free-writing exercise on the following topic: What accomplishment are you most proud of from the past semester in this class?
b.) Students will take 15 minutes to respond to the prompt.
c.) Exams are handed out at the end of the 15-minute period.
Follow-up: The instructor can later reach out to students, if they so choose, and comment on their reflections from the course. The reflection is not graded.
Comments: This activity helps students recognize how much they've accomplished throughout the semester and builds confidence for the final exam. Professor Johnson has received positive feedback from students regarding this activity. Instructors across multiple disciplines can use this activity to engage students’ perceptions of their growth throughout the semester; both personally and in regards to their content knowledge.
Materials/Resources: Paper and pen/pencil.