C8 - Self-Assessment - Example 1: Essay Assignment

Why Are We Doing this Assignment?

Typically, most college students have always had their work evaluated by others. They have not had to make decisions about its quality. It is true that it can be challenging to evaluate one’s own work objectively; however, it is necessary to develop this skill. As you move into the workplace, you will need to have the ability to honestly evaluate the work you do by “stepping into the shoes” of another person. This is the skill this assignment is designed to cultivate.

The Assignment:

Using the Evaluation Criteria (at the end of these instructions) evaluate your final draft of that assignment and give yourself a grade. For each of the evaluation criterion, give yourself a score and provide a written justification for your score. In your justification, be specific.

      Effective Justification Example:

I gave myself 12 out of 15 points in the Evidence and Examples category because I felt that I did a good job of providing specific, relevant details about my subject in my body paragraphs. Furthermore, I used appropriate examples to illustrate my points. However, as I look back on my paper’s body paragraphs now, I see that some of the examples I chose to focus on were not the best ones I could have used. In fact, I have discovered that some of my examples did not, in fact, focus in the ideas I thought that they did.

     Less Effective Justification Example:

I gave myself 12 points in the Evidence and Examples category because I think I did a good, but not great, job at it.

Some Guidelines:

First, re-read your final draft through at least once before you do this assignment.

Second, feel free to use the rubric descriptors I've created for this assignment to help guide you in evaluating your own essay. (You'll have to adjust for the total point differences and extrapolate for the different criteria but it's a starting point! =-))

A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69

Third, do not be afraid to ask questions if you are having trouble making judgments about your writing. 

Submit your evaluation in Canvas as a Word of PDF file.

Will I use the grade you come up with?

The answer is “it depends.” Just to be clear, I hold the power of the grade. I am the one who is ultimately responsible for the final evaluation of your draft. If I think that your evaluation is wildly unrealistic, I will say so and give you the grade that I feel your performance justifies.

Having said that, though, I am frequently surprised by how close students’ judgments of the quality of their work are to mine. In most cases, it has been my experience that your judgment of your paper’s grade will not be far from mine. Surprisingly, students often give themselves lower grades than I would give.

How will I evaluate this assignment?

I will evaluate your self-assessment on the following criteria:

• Length
• Spelling, punctuation, grammar
• Use of supporting details
• Honesty and thoroughness

Please click the assignment settings to view the specific rubric criteria and point values.

Essay Self-Evaluation Template