Orientation to Good Habits for Evidence

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Only You Can Tell Which of You Don’t Already Have the Good Habits for Evidence.

This link is intended to let you determine if you already have the Good Habits for Evidence and—if you do not—determine how to find what you need.

There are 4 sections each with a few Self Check questions.

1.     some concepts with a few Self-Test Questions to help you

Everyone should do this section as a way to understand the benefits to you of the separate grade for your writing itself and for you having followed all 5 of the Good Habits for Evidence

 

2.    What are the 5 Good Habits for Evidence—Looking at Them 1 by 1
Everyone should do this as an introduction to those habits

 

3.    What are the 5 Good Habits for Evidence—Looking at Them as Links to Examples (with Tips) in the Rubric

Those needing more information can gain it here. You will also understand how the rubric works for grading your writing itself and for determining the separate grade for Good Habits.

 

4.    What you write and upload in Turnitin is covered in the instructions on the last page.

 

If you want to talk or meet with me, I am glad to do it.

 

If You Want More: [May do this as a link like some of the others] Some of you may want to know something about me and learning. Humans don’t get all gifts, and I really had to work harder than other students even in elementary school. Anyone taking my on campus classes knows that I can’t spell and I transpose letters a lot. I could go on with other things, but my solution was great persistence and collecting any good solution for my problems that I was lucky enough to see. I used them and use them still.

 

One that helped me greatly came from my World History teacher in a community college. Her tips helped me with reading well in less time and they helped me begin to appreciate United States History more because I could read it better. I focused on being a teacher in a community college because community college teachers made a great difference in my life and I’m willing to pass on that gift. My graduate program and doctorate included not only history, but studies of how people learn. I collected more solutions and I use them still.

 

To finish my doctorate, I had to take a job in industry. The fields I worked in were about learning rapidly, the people on my teams were learners with different approaches (especially a team of cartographers with geographic information software), and the companies I worked for paid for me to attend quite amazing programs on learning. I learned from the teams I worked with and the problems we solved, I collected more solutions, and I and my teams used those solutions very successfully.

 

So, if you already have mastered these basic but essential Good Habits for Evidence, I’m happy for you--and that also makes my work easier.
If you have not and you too could say you feel like you had to work harder than other students, then I can understand. I know that having to work very hard happens to people who are smart.

 

Being smart is, however, never enough to learn all we have to learn to survive. Instead, it is how we work—our habits—with our smarts that determines our success.

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What Comparing Their Sources with Students’ Work Shows Researchers

Embed video with my moving through documents

 showing them the

1.     What the numbers say and then click on the links to

o    Citation project -91% of 1832 citations did not show writers were able to “compress”

o    Plagiarism in I Age – 18 of 18 in a “research writing course” – “work at sentence level must always quote or paraphrase.”

o    Students’ self-report since Spring 2011 showed over 50% of responses did not know they needed to be factually accurate (reading)

2.     What’s in common with the 3?

All compared the writing and the citation with the source – proof and obvious

 

If You Want to Click on the Links for Yourself:

·         The Citation Project – 20 researchers, 164 papers from “first year composition classes,” and 1,832 citations

·         “Plagiarism in the Internet Age”

·         Surveys of students from Spring 2011 on whether they need to be factually accurate when writing about history

 

 

citation

I Age

STCT

 

Blocks of text to be highlighted

 

x

 

 

3.   Summary -- the desired form of citation because it demonstrates true understanding of a large portion, if not the entirety, of the original text; summarizing was identified by the researchers when student writers restated in their own terms the source material and compressed by at least 50 percent the main points of at least three consecutive sentences.

Only 9 percent of the citations were categorized as summary. “That's the stunning part, I think: 91 percent are citations to material that isn't composing,” said Jamieson. “They don't digest the ideas in the material cited and put it in their own words.”

 

 

x-p3

 

they found that none of the 18 papers contained any summary of the overall argument of a source. [summary means the reading compressed]

A writer who works only at the sentence level must always quote or paraphrase. < Note to reviewers – that has been a growing pattern

 

 

 

x

Show row of table

 

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What Is the Separate Grade for the Good Habits for Evidence, What Do Students Write, and How Are Those Things Trying to Help Students?

Do Video over this section of syllabus—stress that History Department gave permission to try this experiment to see if might help students to succeed.

How History Changes, What Is a Comparison in This Course, and How Can Doing Comparisons Help You? One of the things that makes history difficult for people to understand is that history changes. For example, something that can be a true statement about1865 can also be a false statement about 1896 or 1954 or 1965. Focusing on a single issue or group from the beginning to the end of a time period can help you identify what you misunderstood and recognize how history changed.  History can change and people made a difference in what happened in the nation’s history—for good or for bad. Further, all changes (whether for good or bad) can be reversed—and once again it is people who protect change or reverse it.

 

In this course, a Comparison means you compare two time periods experienced by a specific group. For example, with the first Comparison, you compare two time periods experienced by blacks in the South.

 

Comparisons are a practical writing assignment that can help you in many ways—and SAY the syllabus gives examples and you may want to read that.

What Are the Grades for Good Habits for Evidence and How Can They Help Your Overall Grade? To learn history in a practical way, you do not need to be a great writer. You do need to do such common sense things as use only reliable sources and be factually accurate about each fact you plan to write. (See Good Habits for Evidence.)

 

If you follow the Good Habits for Evidence, a) your work will avoid factual errors, resulting in higher grades for the writing (points in bold) and b) you also earn a separate grade (points in blue) for developing those habits. Scan down the bold and blue grades below. Notice how developing these Good Habits for Evidence as early as possible can help your grade.

 

  1. Introductory tasks for Getting Started - 20 points for tasks due before the end of the first week
    This assignment introduces the Good Habits for Evidence, including how to earn the separate points for those habits. You use the link and write brief answers to questions and a short reflection. You copy that into an email to me.

 

  1. Introductory Comparison on History Changes (1860s-1877) @ 20 points (with 10 additional points for following Good Habits for Evidence) – It is required to do any other Comparisons. If you earn the 10 points for Good Habits for Evidence, you also earn 20 extra credit points. (See the syllabus for extra credit for How You Work.)
    This assignment lets you practice using Good Habits for Evidence and doing a Comparison with few points at risk:
    * If you are successful in following the Good Habits for Evidence, you earn
    10 + 20 points.
    * If you were not successful, you can find out why before you do the 50-point Comparisons. (I’m glad to help you.)


With the last 3 Comparisons,
notice how the value of the Good Habits for Evidence increases from 10 to 20 to 30.

  1. Unit 1 Comparison (1860s-1900) @ 50 points (with 10 additional points for following Good Habits for Evidence)
  2. Unit 2 Comparison (1900-1940) @ 50 points (with 20 additional points for following Good Habits for Evidence)
  3. Major Comparison (1860s-1940, covering Unit 1 and 2) @ 50 points (with 30 additional points for following Good Habits for Evidence)

If You Want More: If you don’t need to be a great writer to do well in this course, then what do you need to do. This link may help you. What Is the Goal for Writing in This Course—and How Is That Trying to Help Students?

 

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What are the 5 Good Habits for Evidence—Looking at Them 1 by 1

A student really impressed me several years ago. He knew he did not have the skills he needed for his future. He was in sports and he did a lot of thinking in sports metaphors. He said “I need to know how to hold the racket. I don’t know how to do these things.”

 

I thought his statement was brilliant so I tried to focus on “how to hold the racket” in the sport of reading, writing, and figuring things out.

 

These 5 Good Habits for Evidence are the ones you can’t do without.

Good Habit for Evidence 1: Reliable Sources Only

Good Habit for Evidence 2: Factual Accuracy That You Verify with the Reliable Source Before You Write

Good Habit for Evidence 3: Factual Accuracy That Is Verifiable for Every Statement You Make

Good Habit for Evidence 4:  No “Half-Copy” Plagiarism or “Patchwriting”

Good Habit for Evidence 5: Quotation Changes Revealed Clearly

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Good Habit for Evidence 1: Reliable Sources Only

What’s a Good Habit for Evidence in the World Beyond This Course—Whether Dealing with Bosses or with Future Professors

For your source of facts, use only sources your boss (or professor) accepts as reliable. — For example, unless your boss tells you “Google this for me and copy anything you like from the Internet,” don’t.

 

What’s Required for This Course

In this course, the only sources are:

  1. The textbook chosen by the History Department
  2. The sources provided within our Course Website.

 

Do not use:

 

In this course, there are consequences for unauthorized books and for copying from the internet. To quote the syllabus, plagiarism and cheating include use of unauthorized books or notes, securing help in a test, or copying tests or assignments; they will result in a failing grade for the assignment. If any portion of a writing assignment is copied from the Internet or another source, the result will be an F (0) on the assignment.

 

If You Want Tips on How to Develop This Good Habit for Evidence

If you want more tips on this Good Habit for Evidence, including on how you read, click here    

The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK:  http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_HOW_to_Work_ReliableSourcesONLY.htm

 

 

Quiz

In this course, you may use these sources:

a. The textbook chosen by the History Department

b. Sources your instructor provides

c. Internet websites developed by reliable historical associations

d. Only a and b

e. All of the above

 

d.

If you missed this question, be sure to look at the Tips section on this page and on the links about <> from the Rubric.

 

If You Want More: Combining rubrics with grading with reliable sources also shifts responsibility to the student, the way responsibility usually works: How Your Instructor Grades with the Source and Your Written Work Side by Side—and how does grading this way change responsibility.
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Good Habit for Evidence 2: Factual Accuracy That You Verify with the Reliable Source Before You Write

What’s a Good Habit for Evidence in the World Beyond This Course—Whether Dealing with Bosses or with Future Professors

You must use reliable sources to verify everything that you write or say. To verify a fact means to confirm that the reliable source specifically states that fact (whether you wrote the words or the author did). — With bosses (or professors), you will be in trouble if you are incorrect so never guess and instead verify before you write or speak.

 

What’s Required for This Course

In this course, if you cannot verify the fact, do not write it and do not assume that the source agrees with you. If you are certain something is true and you cannot find it clearly in our sources, ask me for help.


In this course, you also must select facts that you write to reveal accurately the facts that the author presented. You cannot misuse the source. Examples:

§  If a question that you have to answer is about something specific (such as a time, type of person, or region), verify that the source is about that specific thing.

§  If the source covers facts, do not cherry pick or embellish them.

§  If the source covers facts about two or more sides, positions, individuals, or groups or their actions, do not include only one as though the other did not occur.

 

If You Want Tips on How to Develop This Good Habit for Evidence

If you want more tips on this Good Habit for Evidence, click here.

The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_HOW_to_Build_Factual_Accuracy_By_Verifying_With_Reliable_Source.htm

 

Quiz

In this course, you are to:

a. Verify every fact that you write by using the required, reliable source.

b. Show your personal writing style and interest in history by using facts from the source.

 

a.

If you missed this question, be sure to look at the Tips section on this page and on the links about <> from the Rubric.

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Good Habit for Evidence 3: Factual Accuracy That Is Verifiable for Every Statement You Make

What’s a Good Habit for Evidence in the World Beyond This Course—Whether Dealing with Bosses or with Future Professors

If a boss (or professor) asks you for the proof of something that you said or wrote, you must be able to state:

·         The name of the reliable source—one that the boss (or professor) considers reliable

·         Exactly where (a specific page) in that source that each fact came from (whether you wrote the words or the author did).

 

With bosses (or professors), you cannot just claim that a specific page provides evidence. If a reasonable person using a reliable dictionary and reading the entire passage on that page would not agree that you provided evidence, then neither will your boss (or professor).

 

What’s Required for This Course

In this course with written assignments, you must write according to the instructions and that includes citations that show exactly (a specific page) where each fact is from. You must cite both facts that are in the author’s exact words (quotations) and facts written in your own words.

 

The style that you use for that citation may vary:

·         If you have had a college course so you are trained fully in a specific standard (such as MLA, APA, or the Chicago Manual of Style), you may use that standard.
Caution: APA requires citations only for quotations, but for written assignments in this course you must provide citations for facts as quotations and facts written in your own words.

·         If you have not yet had a course, you use a very simple method provided as an additional instruction.

 

A frequently asked question: If you have a couple of sentences from the same page of the source, then you only cite after the last sentence.

 

If You Want Tips on How to Develop This Good Habit for Evidence

If you want more tips on this Good Habit for Evidence, click here

The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_HOW_to_Succeed_Factual_AccuracyThatIsVerifiableForEveryStatementYouMake.htm

 

Quiz

In this course, you must:

a. Cite (provide an exact page number) for every fact you write in your own words

b. Cite (provide an exact page number) for every fact in the author’s words (a quotation)

c. Both a and b

 

c.

If you missed this question, be sure to look at the Tips section on this page and on the links about <> from the Rubric.

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Good Habit for Evidence 4:  No “Half-Copy” Plagiarism or “Patchwriting”[1]

What’s a Good Habit for Evidence in the World Beyond This Course—Whether Dealing with Bosses or with Future Professors

If you use words (even phrases) created by another person, then follow standards for using quotation marks (“”) to reveal clearly to your reader what words you created and what words the author created. — This is a requirement in courses, and in some jobs failure to do this is a firing offense.

 

There is another form of plagiarism and it is covered in the syllabus. In this course to quote the syllabus, plagiarism and cheating include use of unauthorized books or notes, securing help in a test, or copying tests or assignments; they will result in a failing grade for the assignment. If any portion of a writing assignment is copied from the Internet or another source, the result will be an F (0) on the assignment.

 

 

What’s Required for This Course

In this course, you may:

§  Either write facts in your own words

§  Or you may use exact sentences or phrases from the textbook placed within quotation marks according to the specific rules for quotation marks (“”) to reveal ownership that are covered in The Bedford Handbook

 

In this course, you may not copy an author’s phrases without quotation marks. You also may not replace a few words in an author’s sentence. Both are what the 9th edition of The Bedford Handbook describes as “half-copy” plagiarism or “patchwriting” (page 746).

 

Why do I make a big deal about “half-copy” plagiarism and “patchwriting”? Click here because the reasons are in your interests and may surprise you.

The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK: http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_Why_I_Make_aBigDealAboutHalfCopyPlagiarism.htm

 

If You Want Tips on How to Develop This Good Habit for Evidence

If you want more tips on this Good Habit for Evidence, click here. This link takes you to the same tips for Quotation Changes Reveal Clearly because they have the same background information. Many students do not know these basics and all students need to know them.

The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK:http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_HOW_to_Work_WithoutHalfCopyPlagiarismOrMisquoting.htm

 

Quiz

In this course, you may:

a. Write the author’s facts in your own words as long as you cite

b. Use the author’s exact words for facts as long as you cite and you place those words within quotation marks according to the specific rules for quotation marks (“”) to reveal ownership that are covered in The Bedford Handbook

c. Both a and b

 

c.

If you missed this question, be sure to look at the Tips section on this page and on the links about <> from the Rubric.

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Good Habit for Evidence 5: Quotation Changes Revealed Clearly

What’s a Good Habit for Evidence in the World Beyond This Course—Whether Dealing with Bosses or with Future Professors

If you use quotation marks (“”) to reveal words created by another person but you change those words, then carefully reveal those changes by following standards for using quotation marks (“”), ellipses (…), and/or square brackets ([ ]). This may not be just a punctuation error. — Instead, by your changes, you may be misleading your reader about the evidence, and never mislead a boss (or professor) about the evidence.

 

What’s Required for This Course

In this course, you may quote if the quotations are carefully selected. If you use another’s words, you must be sure either not to change them or—if you change them—to follow the specific rules in The Bedford Handbook to reveal those changes to the reader.

You also:

 

If You Want Tips on How to Develop This Good Habit for Evidence

If you want more tips on this Good Habit for Evidence, click here. This link takes you to the same tips for Quotation Changes Reveal Clearly because they have the same background information. Many students do not know these basics and all students need to know them.

http://www.cjbibus.com/1301_1302_GHforE_HOW_to_Work_WithoutHalfCopyPlagiarismOrMisquoting.htm

 

 

 

Quiz

In this course, you may quote

a. If quotations are carefully selected

b. If you follow the rules in The Bedford Handbook to reveal any changes you made to the author’s words—or you use the Brain Trick provided in the Tips for this Good Habits for Evidence

c. If you do not change the author’s meaning or make the author’s sentences look grammatically incorrect

d. Only a and c

e. All of the above

 

e.

If you missed this question, be sure to look at the Tips section on this page and on the links about <> from the Rubric.

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5 Good Habits for Evidence—Looking at Them as Links to Examples (with Tips) in the Rubric

Note to reviewers: If it doesn’t look too bad, do 2 short videos stacked in widgets and provide the two links in the videos, identifying them as so they can click on them for themselves. The link are:

·         What Are the Parts of the Rubric and How It Used for Grading?
The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK: http://www.cjbibus.com/Getting Started_Good_Habits_for_Evidence_Parts_of_the_Rubric.htm

 

·         How to Use the Links to Examples in the Rubric If You Have Questions
 
The link above should work in this file but this is to insert in SOFTCHALK:

http://www.cjbibus.com/Good_Habits_for_Evidence_Rubric_with_Links.htm

 

 

What’s the Rubric and How Is It Used in Grading? <VIDEO Many don’t know what a rubric is and the basics of math, thus the need for this rubric

How to Use the Links to Examples in the Rubric If You Have Questions <VIDEO

 

If You Want More: Combining rubrics with grading with the source also shifts responsibility to the student, the way responsibility usually works: How Your Instructor Grades with the Source and Your Written Work Side by Side—and how does grading this way change responsibility. I will always be willing to help you, but you have to decide you want help.

 

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu

Last Updated:

2014

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/

 

 



[1] The quoted terms are explained on page 746 in the ninth edition of The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.