Because academic years are divided into definable segments (e.g. a semester, a quarter, a trimester), it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that learning has identifiable starting and stopping points.
It seems to me, however, that it is far more useful to think of learning (a skill, a concept, whatever) on a continuum with a fuzzy starting point and a blurry end point. In other words, who knows when exactly we begin to learn something? And when we have learned it?
Quizzes, tests and exams are means by which we evaluate where we are and, thus, how far we have come. The results also allow us to speculate on far we have to go.
Regardless of subject area, then, we (the teachers) can ask you (the students) questions to determine if you have "learned" particular facts or can "synthesize" acquired information. We also can devise exercises to test your "skill" development.
Personally, at the end of this JOR 341 semester I am not concerned with facts you might memorize before Monday and forget by Tuesday. And S(t)imulation gives me plenty of opportunity to evaluate your editing skills.
What I am interested in is how well you grasp editing as a concept, how you think about editing and what you think of your own editing skills. So I have shaped your final exam experience to address these.
I will ask you to read a short article from the 8 December Providence Journal and then answer an Essay Question. At first glance, you might wonder how in the world the article relates to editing. If you truly understand editing, though, you should be able to make several important connections. So a successful answer will require a close reading of the article and critical thinking.
As you should know, the Journalism Department three years ago began to formally assess student progress toward five outcomes/goals identified for majors. Each semester, students report their progress on a form that goes into their Portfolio files.
In addition, a "narrative report card" is prepared by the instructor for each Journalism course a major takes. This form, which also goes in the Portfolio file, asks the instructor to address a student's progress on the departmental goals for the course (which are required to be on the course syllabus).
Monday, the tables will be turned when you, as part of your final exam, will do a JOR 341 "narrative report card" on yourself.
S(t)imulation will conclude with the post-publication critique.