Final Feedback for Final Blog Cycle
Yr 1 Campers!!
The quality of blogs/comments this week was amazing. You should all be very proud of yourselves. Thus, as this is the last lot of feedback from me this year I just want to tell you all to keep doing what you are doing in Yr 2 because you are doing it well. For anyone who has seen an increase in their grade across this semester, or for those who have not seen a change, please remember to always revisit your feedback from each blog/assignment and incorporate this feedback into your plan for the next blog/assignment.
Finally, I would just like to take this opportunity to tell you all how much I have enjoyed teaching you this semester. You have been a great group to teach and I hope that you have learnt as much from me as I have from you. I wish you all the very best in your exams and hope to see you all, roaming around the corridors, next year 🙂
Till the next time…..signing out
Nic
Moderating Comments – final time!!
I am getting a lot of emails about comments awaiting moderation. If you have this problem please could you forward me your comment in an email so when I get to the blogs tomorrow afternoon I have all legitimate comments ready to be marked as well.
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If you are one of those who currently need to approve a comment please do so ASAP
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Thanks to those of you who have already done this, and thank you in advance for those who need to do so 🙂
Additional Thought – Self-Reflection
I know I say this time and time again but as we are nearing the end of the semester I would like you all to reflect on how much you have developed your writing/critical evaluation skills this year. Once your grades are available this week I advise you all to go back to your first blog this semester (even the first blog of semester 1) and compare this to blog submitted for cycle 4. I’m sure you will all be surprised at the difference in writing style from then to now. Self-reflection is a key form of feedback that we are trying to encourage in this module and this method can be generalised across ALL modules, and across ALL years. Once you can start to identify your weaknesses, not just your strengths, you can make constructive changes and (hopefully) will be on the path to success!!
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See you all Thursday
Feedback for Weeks 9 & 10
The short lived summer sun seems to have lit a spark in a few of you for this last blog cycle!! Really impressed by the standard of the blogs and the variation of topics which were being discussed, well done! I have now sent the marks off for moderation so these should be available to you in due course.
Just a few niggles (for both blogs and comments) to point out that may be of benefit to you during your report writing:
Be sure to discuss an idea in full, and in turn, solidify your argument. A few of you are making fantastic points only to move swiftly onto the next point without really giving the reader the full story. As a means of practice try to discuss one/two points per paragraph instead of trying to cram in several points in only two sentences. Although you do not want to flog a dead horse your main body of text should not be an exhaustive list of points each followed directly by a reference. Instead, explain each point in relation to your question (title), and/or how this relates to the general field of study. If using this method you feel that you have waffled by the end of the paragraph then you probably have –Â this is where your skills of being able to edit effectively will come into play. You will also find that by using this method your entry will move away from being merely descriptive to being a more robust piece of critical evaluation.
Work towards a strong conclusion. Much like your practical report introduction you need to start (fairly) broad to finish narrow. By finishing narrow you will be reiterating the aforementioned evidence in a concise summary that leaves the reader in little doubt as to what the main point of your argument is. Practice this skill now as this is something which occurs across all essays/reports/long answer exams.
As always study the APA manual for references in text and in a reference section.
Be consistent throughout. If you have used the term Autism with capitals first time then please continue to use capitals throughout.
Familiarize yourself with how to use shorthand. For example, the term Specific Language Impairment can be shortened to SLI. However, if using such you will need to put the shorthand in brackets after the first use of the term before you can continue to use the shorthand throughout.Â
So, first time = Specific Language Impairment (SLI), second time = SLI
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As I have said I was really impressed with the blogs this week so selecting one or two that stood out was quite a difficult task!! Having said that I fully recommend reading lj33.wordpress.com blog for a spot of pure genius during a moment of procrastination. In addition, if you’re in the need for a little bit of sunshine please check out jrwpsychology.wordpress.com entry.
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Before I sign off I would just like to recognise those of you who have already submitted your next blog entry. From what I have seen so far I am really impressed. Keep it up for year 2!!
I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday – complete with a box of chocolates (if I don’t eat them all first) to share for the most dedicated of students 🙂
If in the meantime you have any questions about the next blog cycle, or the practical report, please do not hesitate to contact me 🙂
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Feedback for Weeks 7&8
Overall I am super impressed with how far the blogs and comments have come along this semester….2 more to go so keep it up!
Best bits this week:
The session on critical evaluation has clearly helped, and I am pleased to say that you are all now exercising these new skills. Fantastic!
The diversity of blog topics within our group is brilliant and I am pleased to note that many of you are using current media topics as inspiration for your blogs.
Listed below are the links to four students blogs that impressed me the most this week, and which I feel we can all learn from. These students have shown exceptional improvement throughout the semester, have exercised fantastic critical evaluation skills and have blogged on really interesting subjects.
bpmjb.wordpress.com
CJH26@wordpress.com
sapphire93.wordpress.com
psuf2e.wordpress.com
Just a few things to note:
Arguments need to be solid throughout the blog/comment. A few of you are losing focus half-way through and it maybe suggested that you need to plan your blog in bullet points before you start writing.
Evidence needs to be evident. This means that you need to be citing authors and dates in the blog/comments in order to support your claims, or counteract your argument.
Just tell me the story. I am not interested as to why you picked this topic to blog on so don’t tell me the story before you tell me the story. Just tell me the story and save yourself 100 words.
Be conclusive. Round your argument off with a concluding statement, don’t leave the reader high and dry half-way through your argument.
Link your titles to your blogs. There have a few incidents this week where I have been really excited by the title of the blog only to be let down by the content which does not actually relate.
Reference sections. See APA manuals for correct referencing as it is not enough to put in a http:// link
Remember there is no lecture or session this week BUT a blog is due this Sunday 25th March so don’t go home for Easter and forget!!
Week 9/ Moderating Comments/ Week 10
For those of you in the session today I would just like to say that I am very proud of you all for accomplishing what was a very challenging task in a very calm and professional manner. You all deserve the break next week and a massive pat on the back!! Well done!!
For those of you not in the session today can I just inform you that there will be no session, or lecture, in Week 9, but you may need to seek advice from someone who was in the session today as Signal Detection Theory and d’ prime may just appear on your final exam! You have been warned!
Little note to ask anyone who is having problems with comments not showing up on other peoples blogs to go back to basics, copy and paste into an email and send that to me ASAP – I will be starting to mark as of tomorrow so you have approx 12 hours to make sure that your comments are going to be included in this weeks marking process.
Heads up that in Week 10’s session we will be holding a formative. You will need to submit a FULL draft (inc. abstract/intro/methods/results/discussion/references) of your practical report as a HARD COPY ONLY on the Monday of that week. We will then, as a group, be marking a few practical reports in the session so that you all understand what the markers are expecting and what they do not expect from this assignment.
Finally, to end on a positive note….have a fantastic Easter break whatever you do, or where ever you go, and I hope to see you all refreshed and re-energised on Thursday 19th April!!
Prep for Week 8
Campers!
This week we will be running some data transformation using d prime that Jesse spoke of in this weeks lecture.
I strongly advise all of you to read the lecture notes from Monday and do some further reading (using google) around this subject prior to attending our session on Thursday. Those of you who come prepared will find this session a walk in the park and will be subsequently rewarded for your efforts in Week 9!
Thus, the mantra for this week is:
Failing to prepare IS preparing to fail!
See you all Thursday 🙂
Feedback for Weeks 4 & 5
Afternoon everyone!
I would just like to say well done to you all for another week of impressive blog entries and comments. Keep it up…only another 3 blogs to write this semester!!
The blogs and comments have now been marked and the grades have now gone for moderation so you should receive your grades in due course.
Overall, the standard of blogs was high. Students obtaining the higher marks this week produced a clear, well-reasoned, logical argument, with concrete evidence drawn from the literature to support their claims (both in the text and in a separate reference section). These students also wrote a solid argument on an interesting, yet research method related topic, that went beyond merely describing studies, writing concisely within the word limit. Below are links to four exceptional blogs from our group which I would highly recommend reading for any student wishing to achieve higher grades in forthcoming blogs.
bpmjb.wordpress.com
jessica.bibby.wordpress.com
psuef8.wordpress.com
snoito.me
Before I blog-off for the weekend I would just like to re-iterate that every student needs to be making at least 4 comments to achieve a grade. I realise that it takes a significant amount of time and dedication to make a thorough comment but it is advised that you all at least try.
I would also like to re-iterate that every comment counts. If you are replying to someone’s comment on your blog then do not waste a mark by halfheartedly responding. Make each and every comment count by putting as much effort into comments 2,3 & 4 as you have for comment 1…this is where the majority of you are losing sufficient marks!!!
Your next blog is due on the 11th March (that is in two weeks time). You now have ample time to plan and execute a perfectly poised blog. For this due date, and those thereafter, I will no longer be accepting any excuses for failing to hand in on time unless it is of exceptional circumstances!
One final reminder…as it is assessment week next week there is no session for our group on Thursday…but you are all more than welcome to keep practicing your SPSS skills between now and the 8th March when we reconvene.
I wish you all the very best of luck for your midterm exam next Monday/Tuesday
Have a great weekend and I will see you all in two weeks time 🙂
Feedback for Weeks 2 & 3
Morning Campers
I apologise that this feedback has taken a while to get back to you but hopefully it will arrive in just enough time for you to make changes (if you need to) to your blogs for this week!
Overall I was really impressed with the standard set for this semester! You all chose very good, interesting topics, and I felt that overall you dealt with them well.
A few things to say about the BLOGS:
Please avoid describing studies – In order to critically evaluate a piece of research you need to go beyond describing the methods and results sections and explicitly explain what they mean in light of your argument.
Where you state your argument (and some of them have been brilliant) you need to back this up with evidence i.e. reference an author in text AND in a reference section. One lone reference, in a 500 word argument, is not enough.
Learn to paraphrase. Do not use direct quotations as these break down the fluidity of your argument and suggest that you have not thought clearly about what you are trying to say.
Write scientifically and avoid the use of I/you/he/she etc etc.
Be concise – max word count is 500 words – stick to it!
A few things about COMMENTS:
This week there were some exceptional comments, but generally I feel this is an area you all need a little bit more practice.
It is not enough to say “I agree”/”you write so nicely” – avoid personal opinions at all costs!
When you are agreeing with someones blogs introduce new evidence – do not repeat what has already been stated in the blog/other comments.
Reference – in text, and in a reference section.
Finally, and this goes for both BLOGS and COMMENTS, proof-read, spell-check and word-count. I emphasize this point as you will find in other modules, where it counts towards your overall grade, you will be losing silly marks, for very silly mistakes. Make it part of your routine now and save yourself a lot of hassle in the future.
See you all later on today 🙂
Week 3 General Info
Hey Guys
This is just a quick post to reiterate the message from Tracey and Mike given in today’s lecture for those who attended, and a heads up for those who didn’t:
Please could you update your data for SAFMEDS prior to attending this weeks session as we will be working with this data in Thursdays class.
Please could you all bring your laptops to this weeks session as well.
Finally, could you all please start to sign up to experiments on SONA. As the semester progresses you will begin to get busier so now is the ideal time to wrap up some easy marks 🙂
Thanks
See you all on Thursday 🙂
ngridley 