SelfAssessCharley

Marisa S. Charley
Exit Self-Assessment

I. "My Synthesis Product Shows That..."
(adapted from the "Phases of research and engagement" in the Practicum course because these are also relevant goals for students' work in moving towards the synthesis product)

A. I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose).

I have continued to revise my governing question and work in order to thoroughly address this issue. It has brought me to a point where I can determine that my work will first and most directly impact my on actions, and that the opportunity and intention is there to let the piece influence without being designed as a argument for or against any particular action. That said, it is difficult for me, as the writer, to determine the effectiveness of this strategy.

B. I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now.

I have done considerable work exploring what types of work others have done around the development of psychosocial outcomes from community engagement. However, because this is an ever-changing field, it is possible that I have missed the opportunity to explore the more current work.

C. I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide the most important direction.

I feel that I was able to work through a number of possible iterations of my vision for the project and settle on one that is clear and manageable within the scope of the term. I also know that this work falls under several larger umbrellas of areas worth exploring. While I have identified and addressed some of these, I do not feel that this has been an exhaustive process or a particular focus of my work.

D. I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.

This was certainly among the most difficult parts of my synthesis work. The counter premises and propositions to my own are plentiful due to the fluid definition of some of my key terms. That said, I worked diligently to address the most well-articulated and widely-consumed works, and believe that the way I addressed this in my synthesis was clear and thorough. That said, the research I did on counter proposals was not exhaustive, but rather was, in my mind, sufficient for the scope of the term and project.

E. I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence (with realistic deadlines) to realize these objectives.

I have worked hard to maintain a sequence of work that could benefit my development as a reflective practitioner despite the barriers to my doing so in terms of time. I have been deliberate about designing and adhering to a timeline that was manageable for my needs this term. I do wish that circumstances had allowed me to go deeper with some of the activities and experiences related to development as a practitioner.


F. I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources.

My work has resulted in both an amalgamation of existing knowledge and a completely original series of assessments, results, and strategies for increasing the likelihood of achieving particular student learning outcomes. Had time allowed, I may have been able to further develop these strategies into templates or specific changes to my teaching materials, but I see this as future work.

G. I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports.

I feel that I have laid out a clear progression from question, to gathering of knowledge, to development of new strategies. My hope is that this progression is clear in the layout I selected for my synthesis work.

H. My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to.

My focus has been on creating work that is compelling, but not because it is designed to compel. In other words, work that speaks for itself in terms of modeling the significance of the topic and its outcomes. The GOSP framework has helped me to do this. I would say that the area that is strongest are the orientation, and that the others were perhaps more difficult for me to achieve.


I. I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.

The new avenues for participation have been created most clearly for my own navigation, and in turn I hope to invite others into this work in more deliberate ways.


J. To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing.

I have a good sense of what is to come in terms of the work I will do to address the weaker areas of my practice, including working to share more broadly my work and the strategies others can use to employ it, as well as creating intentionally convincing arguments to help increase interest in doing so.


II. Developing as a Reflective Practitioner, Including Taking Initiatives in and Through Relationships
1. I have integrated knowledge and perspectives from CCT and other courses into my own inquiry and engagement in social and/or educational change.

My work in CCT has dramatically impacted my engagement in social and educational change, particularly in the ways that I see the two as linked. While I have long understood education as a tool for effecting social change, the specific avenue through which I might do this has always felt unclear. Through the CCT program, and particularly through my synthesis work, I have gained greater clarity.

2. I have also integrated into my own inquiry and engagement the processes, experiences, and struggles of previous courses.

I think regularly about the many frameworks and strategies we have explored together when I face challenges or areas of inquiry that are new to me. I hope to distill this collection of tools for more deliberate use in the future.

3. I have developed efficient ways to organize my time, research materials, computer access, bibliographies, etc.

Once I found a tool that worked for me, everything flowed. Staying organized, particularly in my research, through Evernote has helped me tremendously.

4. I have experimented with new tools and experiences, even if not every one became part of my toolkit as a learner, teacher/facilitator of others, and reflective practitioner.

Our work with the UMB library has helped me to experiment with a more open mind, and I was able to test and explore a variety of tools, particularly in 692.

5. I have paid attention to the emotional dimensions of undertaking my own project but have found ways to clear away distractions from other sources (present & past) and not get blocked, turning apparent obstacles into opportunities to move into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory.

Taking the emotional aspects of my work and leveraging them as a means to explore the role of emotional development in students has offered me the opportunity to gain further clarity in my work, rather than feel that emotions are something that need to be eliminated or blocked.

6. I have developed peer and other horizontal relationships. I have sought support and advice from peers, and have given support and advice to them when asked for.

This is the area of CCT which has most surprised me. The ability to connect with peers in intentional and perhaps unintentional ways has offered me a great deal both in our work and in my personal and professional life outside of the program. These relationships have been critical to my growth.


7. I have taken the lead, not dragged my feet, in dialogue with my advisor and other readers. I didn't wait for the them to tell me how to solve an expository problem, what must be read and covered in a literature review, or what was meant by some comment I didn't understand. I didn't put off giving my writing to my advisor and other readers or avoid talking to them because I thought that they didn't see things the same way as I do.

This is an area that I have been better or worse at during different times in my course of study. I certainly feel that when I hit a true road block I was able to get in touch with my advisor and utilize their expertise, but I am not sure that I made the most of the regular check-ins that were required by the syllabus or course structure.

8. I have revised seriously, which involved responding to the comments of others. I came to see this not as bowing down to the views of others, but taking them in and working them into my own reflective inquiry until I could convey more powerfully to others what I'm about (which may have changed as a result of the reflective inquiry).

My revisions have been a thoughtful combination of feedback from peers and advisors and my own processing of their thoughts. I have worked to not just address their comments, but to consider them in the broader scope of my work and learning.

9. I have inquired and negotiated about formal standards, but gone on to develop and internalize my own criteria for doing work--criteria other than jumping through hoops set by the professor so I get a good grade.

It took me several courses (and perhaps semesters) to stop repeatedly calculating my perceived success “by the numbers.” Coming to understand my work as part of a process, and my growth as a significant product of this process, has been monumental in my understanding of work as a practitioner in CCT.

10. I have approached the CCT synthesis course and the CCT program as works-in-progress, which means that, instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the fact, I have found opportunities to affirm what is working well in the synthesis course and program as a whole and to suggest directions for their further development.

I feel that CCT is a unique program in that it is intentionally presented as a collaborative design. This has enabled me to be a part of thoughtfully shaping the program for myself and future students, which has in turn helped me to be a less reactive, more reflective, learner.