Reflection Guidelines

Reflection Guidelines

Purpose

Reflecting on your own experience helps with

  • Understanding better what you learn and
  • Making plans for improving your experience.

Deadline

NO credit for late submissions.

  • Upload your reflection NO LATER THAN midnight BEFORE class meeting.
  • If you cannot make the deadline, you MUST communicate with the course instructor (via Canvas, using the Inbox tool) PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE about the very special circumstances that prevented you from being on time.
  • Keep in mind that the time it takes to email the instructor is pretty much the time you need to write the reflection.

Formatting Requirements: 3 points

Write the reflection using Markdown in the reflections repo you’ve cloned from the GitHub org for the course. The file name you create for each refleciton is REFLECTION-N.md, where N is the number of the reflection.

  • At the top of the file:
    • Write the title of the document, Reflection #, where # is the number of the reflection (1, 2, or 3)
    • Write your name as the author of the document
    • Write the date of when you submit your reflection.
  • Use ALL the prompts in the Reflection Template
  • Do not delete the text of instructions for each prompt.
  • Write your answers to each prompt in a paragraph that replaces [enter you answer here]
    • Ensure that your answer addresses all the numbered items in the prompt in a SINGLE paragraph
    • Do not use an itemized list. Instead, write a clear and honest paragraph that responds to the items in the prompt.

Content Requirements: 7 points

Reflections are personal and represent your OWN experience in your OWN words.

  • Be specific
    • In your answer give ONE very specific example that is illustrative of YOUR experience
    • Do NOT use big, vague statements, such as “I’ve learned how to program”. Instead, name one particular thing you learned during the week.
  • Give proper attribution to sources you reference in your reflection.
    • If an online resource, include the link to the VERY SPECIFIC concept or technique that you used as an example.
    • Do NOT copy from a source without using quotes, whether the source is a person, a publication, a media document, an illustration, or a service/tool that generated/modifies text (e.g., Grammarly, ChatGPT)
  • Do NOT copy from reflections prepared by others, and do NOT share your reflection with others.
    • The consequences of plagiarism are severe: formal reporting to the Dean of the Graduate School, which becomes part of your academic record.
  • Know the names of your peers when you answer the collaboration prompt and name them to be specific about your collaboration experience
  • Outside class collaboration is MANDATORY in order to get full credit for your reflection.
    • You are asked to use Discord to share with the entire class a question, answer, hint, advice, comment. Such participation is MANDATORY as an example for outside class collaboration you’ll give in your reflection..
    • Other examples of outside class collaborations include participation in study groups, help session with a Classroom Assistant, or a tutoring session with a CAE tutor.
    • Outside collaborations must relate to learning in this class.
    • Your reflection of outside collaboration must have all the specifics stated in the items.
  • Concrete, specific examples are critical when you give answers to the given prompts.
  • Take into account learning experiences related to all in-class and outside class activities, including active reading, lab work, homework assignments.

Submission

  • Convert the Markdown document to a PDF.
  • Upload the PDF to the submission link in Canvas.