The primary way I assess whether you've learned the material in CHEM311 is through exams. Like any other assessment tool, exams have their pros and cons. You might feel that your performance on an exam does not represent your knowledge of the material. (This does not mean the feeling corresponds to an objective reality.) As a Fall 2018 experiment, I will offer an alternative assessment on ONE exam. Details below.

(Exams serve another pedagogical purpose. Preparing for them helps you learn the material in a way you wouldn't otherwise.)

You may choose to replace the grade on ONE of the three in-class exams (not the Final). To do this you can turn in supporting evidence that you really do understand the material in that section. There must be a written component of the evidence. (It may be all written, but you could submit a video, artwork, etc, in addition to written work.) There must also be evidence that you have reflected and thought deeply about the material. Basically, you are trying to prove to me that you really do understand the material in a deeper way, even though you fumbled an exam. Regurgitating material from the textbook, lecture notes, or website, doesn't show me you really understand the material. That's just procedural knowledge (Category 1 below).

Each exam in the class is represented by all the material preceding it until the prior exam. Thus your assignment will cover ONE of three sections on the syllabus. You must be able to show me you know what the whole section is about.
• Section 1: 05 Sep to 26 Sep
• Section 2: 01 Oct to 29 Oct
• Section 3: 02 Nov to 03 Dec

What do I mean by going deeper? I briefly describe three categories below. You must show me evidence of both Understanding and Reflection (Categories 2 and 3 below). This information is adapted from Kember et al., Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education (2008), 33, 369-379.

Habitual action (Category 1) occurs when a procedure is followed without much thought. Novices in practice situations do this by rigidly following the steps of procedures they have been taught without thinking of alternatives or other applications. Habitual action occurs when a student responds to an academic task by providing an answer without attempting to reach an understanding of the concept or theory that underpins the topic. Such a response is consistent with a surface approach to learning. Thinking without understanding commonly occurs in response to numerical problems. Students can substitute numbers into formulae, do algebraic manipulations, and calculate values, without any real understanding of the concept. Non-reflective writing occurs when students search for material on a topic and place it into an essay without really understanding it. The material may be wholly or partially plagiarized, or sometimes paraphrased or summarized legitimately but without understanding or reflection.

Understanding (Category 2) is when the student searches for underlying meaning. A deeper approach to learning is employed, and goes beyond simple procedural knowledge. Concepts, facts, definitions, mathematical procedures, etc, are understood in the context of a larger theory or framework within the subject matter. Why is a particular definition or equation important? What does it signify in context? How does it contribute to the main story within the chapter or section? Student writing primarily exhibits a correct rendition of the theory and conceptual material. Students rely a lot on the textbook or lecture notes, but may not show deeper reflection beyond that.

Reflection (Category 3) extends concepts by relating them to personal experiences and connecting them to things you're learning beyond the textbook/notes. When critical reflecting takes place, there is a transformation of perspective. Initial assumptions or pre-conceived ideas can be hard to change because we may be unaware they exist. However to undergo a change in perspective requires recognizing and changing these presumptions. Writing that shows critical reflection provides evidence of the changes in perspective that have transpired through learning. Reflecting also helps you retain knowledge beyond just studying for an exam. By connecting what you are learning with your (other) broader knowledge, you assimilate the new concepts into your overall knowledge structure more deeply.

How can you start preparing during the semester to be successful in this assignment when later you decide you want to replace an exam?
My one recommendation is that you keep a journal for this class (starting Day 1), writing in your thoughts after each class session or at a minimum once a week. That way you can see how your thinking and learning has evolved so that you can show evidence of what and how you have learned reflectively. If you have an insight or a puzzling thought, write it down! If something clicked for you, write it down! (You're likely to find this journal practice helpful even if you choose not to replace an exam.) If you don't keep this up during the semester, pulling together a sufficiently detailed reflection at the end of the semester will be challenging. You might be able to cover Category 2 adequately, but Category 3 will be much more challenging.

If you choose this option, your assignment is due (electronically) either with a link or a file, by 11:59pm on Sunday, Dec 16. If I cannot open, assess or read what you sent, the the assignment will not be counted. (I suggest converting any static files into pdf format.)

Since this is an open-ended creative assignment, I will not give you any details of what I am expecting from you other than the two things mentioned above (a written component, a reflective component). You are free to choose how best to represent what you think you know. An open-ended creative assignment will be judged (by me) in an open-ended creative way.