Rubric for Evaluation of Written Assignment

Online Rubric for Written Assignment

Such evaluation in abstraction (at the mercy of the will of teacher)  does not help students. It must be concretized in definable terms 

Time and again, friends and fellow teachers have inquired about the way to evaluate Written Assignment. Whether it is ongoing Assessment  or final Evaluation, both require criteria, measures and it should be evidence driven. Moreover, the abstract marking or grading of student's performance should be defined in concrete terms. Some definable criteria should be set which can be used as measures and which can be supported with evidence. Here is an example which can be of some help to all those who are concerned with assessment and evaluation of Written Assignment.

We have used Google Forms for online rubric. If you are interested and want to customize it  as per your requirements, I can make you owner of the Google Form and you can use it as per your convenience. You can contact me by putting your message on the contact form given on right hand side panel of this blog. Please give your Gmail email id to become owner of the Google Form.

This 'Online Rubric is used at Dept. of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar (Gujarat - India) for:

• Peer Evaluation (Student's Written Assignment evaluated by student)
• Teacher Evaluation (Teacher's evaluation of student's Written Assignment)
• Self-evaluation (Student evaluates her/himself)

(If the form do not open within a few seconds, click here to open online evaluation form)

If you are preparing rubric in Google Classroom, click here for help

This online rubric to evaluate Written Assignment is prepared with the help of evaluation criteria used by An American University of Rome (http://www.aur.edu/)

Mind Mapping - New Admission in PG Programme (English Literature)

Mind Mapping - New Admission in PG Programme 

(English Literature)

All students taking admission in M.A. English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (Bhavnagar - Gujarat - India) shall appear in this online Mind Mapping Test.

Instructions for Semester 1 (Batch 2024-26) students:

1.     Join this Google Classroom (If Google Classroom app is not installed in your mobile phone, download it from Play store)

Scan this QR Code to Open Google Class

Or

Click this link

https://classroom.google.com/c/Njk2OTA5ODk4MzU3?cjc=6mnrreu

2.     The class code is 6mnrreu

After joining the class, explore the assignments. You will find two assignments.

4.     Assignment 1:

Online Test: You shall open the link of Online Test and appear in the test. There are 42 questions. You can take help of internet to reply the answers. On submission, you will get auto-generated reply in your mail with the score. Type this score in private comment in this assignment in G-Class. Type correct email id to receive auto-generated email. Click here to open the test page.

5.     Assignment 2: In the second task, you have to hand-write a few paragraphs on

a.     What is literature?

b.     The literary text I liked the most . . .

c.      Three reasons for my liking of this literary text . . .

6.     Make PDF of this hand-written answer and upload it in the Google Classroom as assignment submission.

7.     Your admission process will not get completed until you have not submitted both assignments in Google Classroom.

STC Research Methodology

Researcher’s Attitude, Ethics, and Digital Profile Essentials 

In today’s rapidly evolving academic landscape, mastering research methodology and ethics is crucial for scholars across disciplines. During the Short Term Course on Research Methodology, participants were introduced to key aspects of developing a strong research attitude, adhering to ethical guidelines in publishing, and leveraging digital tools to enhance their scholarly work. Through three insightful presentations, the course covered fundamental topics such as the vocation of a researcher, the importance of publication ethics, and the use of modern digital platforms for creating a robust academic profile. This blog shares the highlights from these presentations, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of how to conduct ethical and impactful research in the digital age.

1. Research Attitude and Ethics in Research​

This presentation covers the fundamental aspects of research attitude and the role of ethics in the research process. It highlights the difference between a researcher and a scholar, emphasizing the vocation and spirit of scholarship. Participants will explore the mindset required for conducting genuine and ethical research, including the principles of evidence-based research and intellectual curiosity.

Key Concepts:

• Vocation of a Scholar: The presentation distinguishes between mere research and the higher calling of scholarship, highlighting the historical sense and intellectual breadth that define true scholarship.
• Mental Temperament: Law and Journalism

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the key differences between a researcher and a scholar, and explain why scholarly habits are essential for long-term success in academia.
2. How does Law and Journalism help in mental makeup of a research scholar in writing thesis / dissertation?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/attitude-ethics-and-journal-finder-research/271864413

2. Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) and Finding Quality Journals​

The final presentation deals with ethics in research and publication, providing guidance on selecting appropriate journals for publication. Ethical issues such as falsifiability, the philosophy of science, and the proper conduct of research are covered.

Key Concepts:

• Philosophy of Science: The importance of falsifiability, testability, and verificationism in scientific theories is discussed, alongside the challenges of justifying scientific beliefs.
• Publication Ethics: Ethical guidelines from organizations like COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and WAME (World Association of Medical Editors) are introduced, along with the risks of predatory publishing.
• Journal Selection: The presentation highlights tools like journal suggesters (e.g., Springer, Elsevier) to help scholars find high-quality journals for their work.

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the concept of falsifiability in scientific research and its importance in establishing the validity of scientific theories.
2. What are the main ethical considerations in academic publishing, and how can researchers avoid falling prey to predatory journals?
3. Describe the process of selecting a journal for publication. What tools and strategies can a researcher use to find a reputable journal?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/research-and-publication-ethics-ugc/250427934

Research and Publication Ethics | UGC from Dilip Barad

3. Digital Tools for Research and Researcher Profile​

This presentation focuses on the modern tools available for research, including databases, reference management tools, and plagiarism prevention software. It also addresses the creation of a digital researcher profile on platforms like ORCID, Scopus, and Google Scholar to maintain an online academic presence.

Key Concepts:

• Research Tools: Various tools for conducting qualitative and quantitative research are introduced, such as Zotero, Mendeley, and Turnitin. Databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Web of Science are discussed for accessing high-quality academic papers.
• Researcher Metrics: The importance of metrics like the h-index, g-index, and journal impact factors is emphasized for evaluating research impact.
• Digital Profile Management: Scholars are encouraged to create profiles on platforms such as ORCID, Scopus, and Google Scholar to interlink their research accounts and track citations.

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the role of digital tools in modern research and how they help streamline the research process.
2. How can a researcher effectively manage their digital academic profile, and why is it important for career development?
3. Compare different research metrics such as h-index and g-index. Which metric do you think is the most reflective of a scholar’s impact?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/digital-tools-for-research-and-researcher-profile/271864414

UGC-RPE: Research and Publication Ethics

 A Course on Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) - for Ph.D. Students

University Grants Commission (UGC) in its 543rd meeting held on 9th August 20-19 approved two Credit Course for awareness about publication ethics and publication misconducts entitled "Research and Publication Ethics (RPE)" to be made compulsory for all PhD students for pre-registration coursework. Click here to download the syllabus.

In view of the above, many PhD scholars as well as resource persons may be in need of the recommended books to carry out this coursework. All these resources are in public domain and can be downloaded from below given links:

UGC has prepared a booklet in which all these resources are compiles. Click here to download UGC-Academic Integrity & Research Quality 

1. Beall, J. (2012). Predatory publishers are corrupting open access. Nature, 489(7415), 179-179. https://doi.org/10.1038/489179a
2. Bird, A. (2006). Philosophy of Science. Routledge.
3. Chaddah, P. (2018). Ethics in Competitive Research: Do not get Scooped; do not get Plagiarized. ISBN: 978-938748086
4. Indian National Science Academy (INSA) (2019). Ethics in Science Education, Research and Governance. ISBN: 978-81-939482-1-7. http://www.insaindia.res.in/pdf/Ethics_Book.pdf
5. MacIntyre, Alasdair (1967). A Short History of Ethics. London.
6. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine (2009). On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. National Academies Press.
7. Resnik, D.B. (2011). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 1-10. Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/index.cfm

Testing and Evaluation

Testing: Assessment & Evaluation

• Testing for Language Teachers by Arthur Hughes (1989, CUP) 
• Teaching and Testing (pg 1 to 6) 
• Kinds of Test and Testing (pg 9 -­ 21) 
• Validity (pg 22-­28) 
• Reliability (pg 29-­43) 
• Achieving Beneficial Backwash (pg 44-­47) 
• Stages of Test Construction (pg 48-­58) 
• Test techniques and testing overall ability (pg 59­-74) 
• Testing W­S­R­L )pg 75­-140) 
• Testing grammar and vocabulary (pg 141­-151) 
• Test administration (152-­154) 

• Difference between Assessment and Evaluation 
• Defining Good Assessment by Martin Covington 
• Alternative Assessment and Second Language Study: What and Why? by Charles Hancock
• How do you Determine if a Test has Validity, Reliability, Fairness, and Legal Defensibility
• Integrating Testing with Teaching by Herbert Rudman 
• A Case Study ­ IELTS Test 

Washback / Backwash

Review of Washback and its Pedagogical Implications

Handouts - by Dr. Atanu Bhattacharya

• Basic concept of Testing & Evaluation

Rubrics for Assessment

• Rubric: Spoken Skills
• Rubric: Oral Presentation
• Rubric: Written Assignment
• Evaluating Criteria: Written Assignment

Click on the title to view this presentation on Validity, Reliability, Practicality of Test & its Washback Effect:

Presentation Validity & Reliability from songoten77

Check your progress:

Click here to appear in online test

Research: The Review of Related Literature (The Literature Review)

Cedalion standing on the shoulders of Orion from Blind Orion

New Testament Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) on the shoulders on Old Testament Prophets (Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses)

Review of related literature: 

• This makes for the foundation - the stepping stones - for new research. It is like standing on the shoulder of the giants so that we can see farther than the giants (previous scholars) have visualized.
• One should have birds-eye-view of the work done in the area of research which is to be explored. After understanding the work done, the research scholar should think of taking a step further in new direction in the research under consideration. The road-map of this new direction should be chalked out in research proposal. (While doing an online open course (MOOC) on Coursera - offered by University of London, i came across these articles on Literature Review. All three of them are worth reading: 
• Andrew Booth, Diana Papaioannou, and Anthea Sutton, 'The literature review: its role within research' from Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review (SAGE, 2012), pp.1-16.
• Chris Hart, 'The literature review in research' from Doing a Literature Review (SAGE, 1998), pp.1-25.
• Robin Kiteley and Chris Stogdon, 'What is a literature review?' from Literature Reviews in Social Work (SAGE, 2014), pp.5-22.

The Examples of Literature Review:

1. Summarize
2. Tabular Format
3. What to do and what not to do
4. Step by step guide

Important Steps in the Process of Literature Review

1. Make a table of all works reviewed or considered for review

2. Annotated Bibliography of selected works: It can be in chronological or alphabetical order.

3. Reorganise the 'order': Your 'hypothesis' shall guide you in reorganizing. This re-ordering depends on the flow of your arguments. Make your own trajectory.

4. Now write introductory and concluding lines. These lines shall be written to 'hook paragraphs' with each other. Write in such a way so the 'transitions' from one paragraph to another helps the 'flow of ideas'.

5. Now write 'Concluding Paragraph' of the 'Review of Related Literature'. Start with clear, strong and concrete statement. Make your conclusions about your 'Literature Review'.

6. Now, write 'Introduction'. The thesis statement shall be 'last' in the Introduction and 'first' in the Conclusion.

Video recording of the sessions on 'Literature Review'

Part 1: Ontology & Epistemology

Part 2: What, Why and How of Literature Review:

Part 3: Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Literature Review

The Presentation:

Literature Review (Review of Related Literature - Research Methodology) from Dilip Barad

1. A focused reading with a specific purpose2. WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW? • Many students are instructed, as part of their research program, to perform a literature reviewliterature review, without understanding what it is. Read more: http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-a-literature-review.html#ixzz1QGfAxinx3. Sources essential for LT • Sources are generally described as primary, secondary, or tertiary. • Primary: Primary sources are “materials that you are directly writing about, the raw materials of your own research.” • Secondary: Secondary sources are “books and articles in which other researchers report the results of their research based on (their) primary data or sources.” • Tertiary: Tertiary sources are “books and articles based on secondary sources, on the research of others.” – Tertiary sources synthesize and explain the work of others and might be useful early in your research, but they are generally weak support for your own arguments… at times they are challenged in your argument!4. What is Literature Review? • A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. • Occasionally researchers are asked to write one as a separate assignment (sometimes in the form of an annotated bibliography), but more often it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or also a chapter in M.Phil/Ph.D.thesis.5. What is the purpose ofWhat is the purpose of Literature Review?  • Purpose - to convey what knowledge and ideaswhat kn owledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and whathave been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.their strengths and weaknesses are. • As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding conceptdefined by a guiding concept (e.g., our research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). • It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries6. What is ‘not’ Literature Review? – Not - chronological catalog of all of the sources, but an evaluation, integrating the previous research together, – But - it is to explain how it integrates into the proposed research program. All sides of an argument must be clearly explained, to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted. • Not - collection of quotes and paraphrasing from other sources. • But - good literature review should also have some evaluation of the quality and findings of the research.7. Why do a Literature Review? • to identify gapsidentify gaps in the research area • to avoid reinventing the wheelavoid reinventing the wheel • to carry on from where others have alreadycarry on from where others have already completedcompleted • to identify other people working in the sameidentify other people working in the same fieldsfields • to fathom the depth of knowledgefathom the depth of knowledge of your subject area8. Why do LR? • to identify opposing viewsopposing views • to put your work into wider perspectiveput your work into wider perspective • to identify methodsmethods that could be relevant to your project. • to identify seminal worksidentify seminal works in your area • to provide the intellectual context for your own work, enabling you to position your project in relationproject in relation to other work9. Two important objectives of LR:Two important objectives of LR: • Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature review lets you gain and demonstrate skills in two areas: 1.information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books 2.critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies10. A literature review must doA literature review must do these things:these things: • be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question we are developing • synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known • identify areas of controversy in the literature • formulate questions that need further research11. Ask yourself questions like these: • What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review helps to define? • What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative research (e.g. on the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g., studies )?12. Ask yourself questions like these: • What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g., Engineering, Psychology, Humanities, Pharmacy, Management)? • How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material? Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper?13. Ask yourself questions like these: • Have I critically analysed the literature I use? Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? • Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses? • Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective? • Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?14. Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include: • Has the author formulated a problem/issue? • Is it clearly defined? Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance) clearly established? • Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective? • What is the author's research orientation (e.g., interpretive, critical science, combination)? • What is the author's theoretical framework (e.g., psychological, developmental, feminist)?15. Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include: • Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue? Does the author include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with? • In a research study, how good are the basic components of the study design (e.g., population, intervention, outcome)? • How accurate and valid are the measurements? Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question? Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?16. Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include: • How does the author structure the argument? Can you "deconstruct" the flow of the argument to see whether or where it breaks down logically (e.g., in establishing cause-effect relationships)? • In what ways does this book or article contribute to our understanding of the problem under study, and in what ways is it useful for practice? What are the strengths and limitations? • How does this book or article relate to the specific thesis or question I am developing?17. Four Examples of Literature Review • Step by Step – drafting LR: Psychology. Systematic arrangement… • Ph.D. Thesis on ELT – Engineering Colleges in Tami . Summarizing… • Example with teacher’s remark on LR. What to do and what not to… • CALL – The best of all examples…18. Web Tools for LR:19. Web Tools helpful in LR: • Bookmarking sites: e.g. www.delicious.com/ • Google Docs – www.docs.google.com - Prepare a ‘form’ – easy to manage records in auto-generated spread sheet. - https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDBCQi1PeVduZTFTVHY3WnFyWktCY3c6MQ20. Reference: • Read more: • http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-a-literature-review.html#ixzz1QGfmJZeW • http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review • http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html • http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/write-a-literature-review • Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination (Published in association with The Open University) Dr. Christopher Hart. • Any book on Research Methodology for respective subjects deals with ‘Review of Literature’. • Cooper, H. (2010). Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-By-Step Approach. Los Angeles: Sage. (call number McHenry Stacks H62 C5859) • Machi, L.A. (2009). The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. (call number McHenry Stacks LB1047.3 M33) • Deakin University. (2009). The Literature Review. Geelong, Victoria, Australia: Author. Retrieved 4th September 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center. (2009). Writer's Handbook: Common Writing Assignments: Review of Literature. Madison, Wisconsin: Author. Retrieved 4th September 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html • http://www.writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html • http://library.ucsc.edu/print/help/howto/write-a-literature-review • Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional And Systematic Techniques (Paperback)by Jill Jesson, Lydia Matheson, Fiona M. Lacey (Sage Pub)21. Works cited:Afolabi, M. (1992) 'The review of related literature in research' International journal of information and library research, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 59-66.Bourner, T. (1996) 'The research process: four steps to success', in Greenfield, T. (ed), Research methods: guidance for postgraduates, Arnold, London.Bruce, C. S. (1990) 'Information skills coursework for postgraduate students: investigation and response at the Queensland University of Technology' Australian Academic & Research Libraries, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 224-232.Bruce, C. (1993) 'When enough is enough: or how should research students delimit the scope of their literature review?', in Challenging the Conventional Wisdom in Higher Education: Selected Contributions Presented at the Ninteeth Annual National Conference and Twenty-First Birth . pp. 435-439.Bruce, C. S. (1994) 'Research student's early experiences of the dissertation literature review' Studies in Higher Education, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 217-229.Bruce, C. (1994) 'Supervising literature reviews', in Zuber-Skerritt, O. and Ryan, Y. (eds), Quality in postgraduate education, Kogan Page, London.Bruce, C. S. (1997) 'From Neophyte to expert: counting on reflection to facilitate complex conceptions of the literature review', in Zuber-Skerritt, O. (ed), Frameworks for postgraduate education, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.Caspers, J. S (1998) 'Hands-on instruction across the miles: using a web tutorial to teach the literature review research process' Research Strategies, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 187-197.Cooper, H. M. (1988) 'The structure of knowledge synthesis' Knowledge in Society, vol. 1, pp. 104-126Cooper, H. M. (1989) Integrating research : a guide for literature reviews, 2nd ed, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, Calif. • Leedy, P. D. (1997) Practical research: planning and design, 6th ed, Merrill, Upper Saddle River, N.J.Libutti, P.& Kopala, M. (1995) 'The doctoral student, the dissertation, and the library: a review of the literature' Reference Librarian, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 5-25.Mauch, J. E.& Birch, J. W. (2003) Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: a handbook for students and faculty, 5th ed, Marcel Dekker, New York.

Rang Mohan Youth Festival 2019 - task to write reflective blog

Rang Mohan Youth Festival 2019 - task to write reflective blog

Youth Festival is an amazing opportunity to experience various artistic expression of the young generation. It has almost all sorts of artistic events and hence it becomes 'fair of art' and 'fountain of youthful exuberance'.

Youth Festival shall never be missed out by students of art, literature and literature. It provides rare opportunity to apply literary theories on the artistic expression on the university campus by students of their own age. The critique of the artistic expression of students by students is an ultimate test of Matthew Arnold's 'personal fallacy'.

The following task was given to students to write reflective blog based on below given points to ponder:

All students shall write at least one blog on their observations of various Youth Festival activities. Here are some points to ponder upon:

1. Themes represented in various tableaux of Kala-yatra - 25/9/2019 - From Samaldas Arts College to Law College, Sardarnagar. 4 pm to 6 pm.

2. Major themes in dramatic events like One Act Play (एकांकी), Skit (लघु नाटक), Mime (मूक अभिनय) , Mono-acting (एक पात्रीय अभिनय).

3. Can you apply dramatic literary theories propounded by Aristotle (Tragedy), Ben Jonson (Comedy of Humours), Dryden (Play), Martin Esslin (Absurd theatre), Irving Wardle (Comedy of Menace) on the dramatic events presented in Youth Festival?

4. Can you categories One Act Play or other dramatic events as sentimental / anti-sentimental comedy, comedy of manners, classical tragedy, modern tragicomedy or bollywoodish theatre performance?

5. Poetry: In poetry, we have only one event in Youth Festival. સ્વ રચિત કાવ્ય પઠન: If you get chance to listen poems (as it will be in classroom and may be all do not get chance to occupy space) - write on themes, metaphors used in the poems, types of poems (sonnet, lyric etc).

6. On last day, before or after valedictory, all art events like cartooning, painting, collage, poster making, clay-modelling, installation will be open for public display. You can study themes, satire, didacticism, aestheticism in all these artistic expressions.

7. Lastly, write on which ever other events you attend and along with it, overall feeling of experiencing Youth Festival - ponder upon this - it is known as 'festival of youthfulness' - युवानी का महोत्सव.

Submit the link of your blog/s as assignment submission. If you are writing more than one blog, submit all links together.

Here are some worth reading blogs by students:

1. Kavisha + additional blog
2. Mehal
3. Nirali
4. Ravina
5. Rohit
6. Samiya
7. Sanjay J
8. Tamsa

Avoid Plagiarism - Research in Digital Era

 Understanding Unintentional Plagiarism | Research in Digital Era

Avoid Plagiarism - Research In Digital Era from Dilip Barad

How do students research in the digital age? (Source: Turnitin)

The Pew report shows that the ease with which information “appears” online allows students to avoid any of the questions that may surface concerning the quality and intent of information they “research.” The Pew survey revealed that only one percent of those surveyed reported as “excellent” the ability of students “to recognize bias in online content.” As for their “ability to assess the quality and accuracy of information they find online,” only three percent reported that they found students to be “excellent.”

This data supports the following insights into student research behavior, specifically:

 

• Students appear to value immediacy over quality in online research 

The ease with which “the answer” may be found online places sites such as Wikipedia, homework help sites, answer sites, and other social and content sharing sites to the top in terms of source matches. 

• Students often use cheat sites and paper mills as sources 

Less a research competency issue than a moral and ethical one, the significant number of sources that match to cheat sites and paper mills suggest that for students there is a bias towards immediate outcomes and results rather than towards concerted effort to meet assignment goals. 

• There is an over reliance on the “wisdom of the crowd” 

Students appear to demonstrate a strong appetite for crowd-sourced content in their research. Though it is not immediately evident why students seek these sources out, the strong reliance on these types of sites indicate difficulty assessing the authority and legitimacy of the content these sources present. 

• Student “research” is synonymous with “search” 

The frequent and uninhibited use of sites with limited educational value (as defined by the quality and authority of content) in student work underscores a preference for “searched,” rather than “researched” content. 

• Existing student source choices warrant a need for better search skills 

In addition to a preference for immediacy, the popularity of crowd-sourced content online indicates that a majority of students are engaging in cursory or shallow searches for content. At play may be an absence of awareness of how search engines work and how to effectively conduct searches to find appropriate content. What also appears to be absent is the use of criteria (whether internally—or externally—defined) to judge that content.

Evaluating Online Sources

The Source Educational Evaluation Rubric (SEER) represents the evolution of the critical approach that Turnitin has adopted and used to categorize websites in our analysis of student sources. The rubric was designed by academic experts and used by secondary and higher education educators who field-tested the rubric by using it to evaluate over 300 of the most popular student sources (which will be shared in a follow-up white paper.). 

The rubric is built on five criteria: 

• Authority: Is the site well regarded, cited, and written by experts in the field? 

• Educational Value: Does the site content help advance educational goals? 

• Intent: Is the site a well-respected source of content intended to inform users? 

• Originality: Is the site a source of original content and viewpoints? 

• Quality: Is the site highly vetted with good coverage of the topical area? 

These criteria are evaluated along a numerical scale anchored by an explicit call out to “credibility,” a move to make the scores more informative for students. 

Instructors and students who use SEER can quickly arrive at an easy-to-interpret score based on the commonly used 4.0 grade point scale. By adding up all criteria values and dividing by five, users will generate a readily-understandable grade for sources. If so desired, the weighting of the criteria can also be adjusted to reflect varying evaluation-directed objectives (see the accompanying SEER Worksheet in the appendix). 

• 3.0 - 4.0: highly credible, quality sources 

• 2.0 – 3.0: credible sources 

• 1.0 – 2.0: questionable sources 

• 0.0 – 1.0: unacceptable or inappropriate sources 

The rubric, in its entirety, appears below. Following the rubric are a few examples of sites and how instructors have scored them. 

Downloads

1. The Plagiarism Spectrum: 10 Types of Unoriginal Work

2. Source Educational Evaluation Rubric (SEER) Worksheet

Memorabilia 2015

Dr. Vedant Pandya releasing Memorabilia 2015

The publication of Memorabilia is one of the many traditions of the Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University. For last five years, students are publishing this booklet. The booklet is collection of creative and critical writings of the students. Poems, short stories, paintings, pencil sketches, cartoons, posters, abstracts of research papers published by students, reviews of books / movies, critical observations of current affairs etc are some regular columns in this booklet. The Compilation and Editing, which is very difficult task, is also carried out by a group of students. They have to collect contents from students, compile it, edit it (where ever necessary), convert into common format and make it ready for publication on the Annual Function Day. The Memorabilia is released by the guest on this day.  The Memorabilia is one of the many ways to evaluate students' creativity and critical acumen. It gives platform to students to publish their critical thoughts and creativity. That's fine. But what is more important is the ability of the chief editor and the team working for the Memorabilia. It is ultimate test of this group of students. From working in team (getting works done by each other, persistently requesting classmates to give their contributions, managing time from regular lectures and other learning assignments) to solving problems of compilation, editing and working on front page design to people-problems which are the most toughest nut to crack, these students have wonderful learning of 21st century skills. Yes, we, at Dept. of English, believe that the students in today's classrooms are going to work and live in 21st Century. Hence, the learning of these skills should be incorporated in daily activities and routine teachings at the Department. For this purpose, we have identified the 21st Century Skills Map which is the result of hundreds of hours of research, development and feedback from educators and business leaders across the nation (USA). The Partnership between 21stcenturyskills.org and National Council of Teachers of English has come up with interesting map of these skills. They are: 

1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Information Literacy
5. Media Literacy
6. ICT Literacy
7. Flexibility and Adaptability
8. Initiative & Self-direction
9. Social & Cross-cultural Skills
10. Productivity & Accountability
11. Leadership & Responsibility. (Curios to know more about these skills, click here)

It is this group of students who work on this Memorabilia, who are not only tested on these skills, but it also provides them to hone these skills. This year, Poojaba Jadeja and group of students have done quite satisfactory work. You can have a look at Memorabilia 2015 here under. As it is embedded from slideshare.net, if it takes time in loading, you can click here to open Memorabilia 2015 in new window. 

Click here to download.

From the Desk of the Head of the Department (Form Memorabilia 2015)

The withering signifies an end of things. The end suggests new beginning. Nothing ends in itself without stirring up the trace of new beginning. Now, as the batch 2013-15 is passing out, we look forward to see them marching ahead in their lives with renewed power, vitality and energy. As we have seen in past for some years, the number of girls in the department are outnumbering boys. What was so curious to observe was that they did not outnumbered boys only in arithmetic numbers, but also in classroom discussion, interaction and in debating views and counter-views. It obviously proves that given an opportunity, the female of the species would outsmart their male counterpart!

Questions! Yes, it is the questions raised by students, which make teachers happier than happy. This year, in both classes, there were several such happy moments. Especially, the participation of Riddhi Jani, Poojaba Jadeja and Lajja Bhatt was noteworthy. Yes, we missed Amrutha Reddy, who surely would have raised the level of interaction in the subsequent semesters, had she not left during second semester.

Overall, the participation of students was encouraging. They were always on their toes, rushing to complete several offline and online tasks, apart from managing several other affairs of Department. With all the burden of routine work, they actively participated in co-curricular activities. The students in the year 2014-15 represented in 39 events! We are proud to see that Saryu Baraiya and Kaushal Desai represented department in 11 events, each.

We run Online Discussion Forum, to engage students with learning and to connect classroom with ‘real life’ situations. During the year 2014-15, twenty-four discussion threads well opened for email discussion. We are glad to see 402 emails being exchanged with total of 75,355 (seventy five thousands three hundred and fifty five) words used by students. Drashtri Mehta remained most active student on this forum with 5,882 words written in various email discussions!

Apart from the academic activities, if there is anything that recurs in my memory, at this moment, it is Gardening and Library Committee. Under able guidance and leadership of Sejal Vaghela and Saryu Bariaya, both committees did extraordinary work. Sejal Vaghela was, always, found forward thinking and planned all days of gardening quite meticulously.

I remember in no particular order the shining examples like that of Pratiksha Solanki ( in displaying situational leadership in managing Picnic), Namrata Gohil (in quest of difficult topics for presentation and assignment), Vinod Rabhadia (commitment to participate in Cross Country at Botad), Kaushal Desai, Shubhda Parmar and Lajja Bhatt (reading and publication of research papers), Hitesh Parmar (for his passion for General Knowledge), Arati Maheta (for her punctuality) and many other students whom I miss to mention here, which does not mean they have not contributed. There were many other talented students in the class but, may be, because of other priorities, they were not able to give their 100% to the Department. It is our loss and failure to see that we could not get 100 % engagement form 100% students.

I would like to give special congratulations for the perseverance of Shabana Khalani - the Malala of our class -  for her persistence efforts to continue with study in spite of her marriage, becoming a mother of a child and failing in exams. It requires out-of-the-world courage and bounce-back ability to do what she has done! 

It would be nothing less than ingratitude if i do not thank all those students (Kinjal Patel, Urvi Bhatt, Shital Italia, Drashti Mehta and Kaushal Desai) who spent their valuable time for Murals. A special thanks to Sejal Vaghela for an innovative idea to draw colourful mural near the entry of the Department.

This memorabilia is the hard work of Poojaba Jadeja. Without her painstakingly collecting content form all students, minute editing and creative organization, this Memorabilia would not have seen the light of the day. I am thank full to all other students who helped in this Memorabilia (they are acknowledged in her note so i am not repeating names), specially for the creativity in designing front page.

Shubhda Parmar, the G.S., should be commended for her able leadership qualities. She managed all the affairs and activities efficiently. She led from the front and kept the class together.

Being a believer in the Darwinian theory of evolution, I firmly rely on the fact that every new generation is smarter than the previous. Similarly, this batch was better than the previous batches. We hope to see new batch of students outsmart this batch . . . but till then we will relish the memory of live interaction and healthy discussion . . . and will miss the hungry haste and tireless striving to learn . . . which we have seen in your eyes!

On behalf of all the teachers of Department of English, I feel privileged and pleasure to wish you all exceptional academic career. We wish you best wishes to lead the word wherever you are, whenever you get an opportunity, in what so ever role future makes you accountable, with moral scruples, dignity and faith in self! 

Thank you.

~ Dilip Barad

The Image of the Front Page of Memorabilia 2015