% COMP 50 Final exam: the learning portfolio Most courses have a traditional final examination in which the instructor chooses a subset of course topics and asks you questions. In this course, *you* choose the topic. You are to prepare and submit a *learning portfolio* containing the following elements: - A sample of your early programming work, either from early in the class or from before class started - A sample of your work that demonstrates something important you've learned in the class - A short, reflective essay that explains what you've learned, using your two samples as evidence The portfolio should *show us that you have learned one important thing*. You pick the thing and argue why it's important. Think of your intended audience as someone who might want to hire you for your problem-solving and program-design skills. The top strategy for your essay is to choose something that you have *mastered* and that is *important.* It would be bad strategy to try to show that you have mastered many things, or to try to talk about something advanced that you haven't quite mastered. An exemplary essay is narrow and deep, not broad or shallow. To help you prepare your portfolio, you will have two opportunities to meet with mentors. In November, you'll meet with a subject-matter expert to brainstorm ideas and plan your portfolio. In December, you'll meet with a writing expert who will help you make your portfolio as clear and convincing as possible. Your portfolio will be evaluated by a group of three evaluators among whom at least one will be a member of the CS faculty. The group will read your portfolio, and then you will meet for 15 minutes: you will have 5 minutes to present your portfolio, and then 10 minutes to answer questions about it. (It is possible that additional members of the faculty may sit in on your presentation, but only the designated evaluators will ask questions.) The purpose of the oral presentation is to enable you to focus the evaluators' attention on the most valuable parts of your portfolio. The purpose of the question period is to enable the evaluators to clarify anything they may have failed to understand. In both cases my goal is to enable the evaluators to give you the maximum possible credit for the work you will have done. To help both you and the evaluators to focus, we limit the size as well as the scope. We will accept work samples of up to 100 lines long and essays of up to 4 pages (not including samples in the page count), but you should aim to provide samples of at most 50 lines plus a two-page essay. If you want to know more about the theory and practice of learning portfolios, I recommend a [short position paper by John Zubizarreta](http://www.theideacenter.org/sites/default/files/IDEA_Paper_44.pdf). **Be cautioned** that the portfolios discussed in that paper are *far* larger in scope than a COMP 50 portfolio. Schedule for the portfolio -------------------------- Your learning portfolio comes with a sequence of activities, some of which must be completed on deadlines: - Your initial meeting with a mentor should take place by 11:59PM on **Monday, November 18**. Sign up at . Arrive at the meeting with three things: - At least three samples of work that might be suitable for inclusion in your portfolio - An idea of what learning you might present in your portfolio - A backup idea in case the main idea doesn't work out This meeting is for *brainstorming*, and it's quite possible that you and your mentor will emerge from this meeting with samples and ideas that are completely different than what you came in with. Your mission is to arrive with samples and ideas to *start* from. If you miss this deadline or don't hold this meeting, the grade for your portfolio will be reduced by 15%. If\ you come to the meeting completely unprepared (no samples and no ideas), the grade for your portfolio will be reduced by 10%. If you come to the meeting partially unprepared, the grade for your portfolio will be reduced by\ 5%. If you feel that your first meeting does not give you a good place to start from, you may request a followup meeting with the professor. - By **Tuesday, November 26** you must *know the date and time* for your final meeting with a graduate writing consultant (see below). - You will use the results of your first meeting to create a **complete draft** if your portfolio. You will have about two weeks for this task. - You will review your *complete* draft with a [graduate writing consultant](http://uss.tufts.edu/arc/writingtutoring/consultants.asp) from the [Writing Center](http://uss.tufts.edu/arc/writingtutoring/) by **Friday, December 6** at 5:59PM. The consultant will help you make your case as clear and convincing as possible. If you miss this deadline or don't hold this meeting, your grade is reduced by 15%. If your draft is incomplete, your grade is reduced by 10%. After your meeting, if you want more help, you can schedule a meeting with a teaching assistant or the professor. - Your portfolio will be submitted by **Tuesday, December 10 at 11:59PM**. Missing this deadline results in a zero, and there is a chance you will fail the course. To submit your portfolio, create file `portfolio.pdf` and copy it to a server such as `linux.cs.tufts.edu`. You can use Word and export PDF, or you can use `pandoc` or any other suitable tool, as long as it ultimately produces PDF. Once your file has been copied, submit it using `provide`, as in ~~~~ provide comp50 portfolio portfolio.pdf ~~~~ The skills you will need are the same skills from the [lab on Linux and `provide`](../labs/linux.html). - You will give a 5-minute oral presentation of your portfolio and then spend 10 minutes answering questions, for a total of 15 minutes. The evaluation will be scheduled **during final-exam period**. You will be assigned a 30-minute time slot; your 15 minutes will take place sometime within this slot. If you are not present when called for, your grade will be reduced by 25%. If you are not present by the time your time slot ends, your grade will be reduced by 50%. If you want, you can get [help with public speaking](http://uss.tufts.edu/arc/speaking/) from the [Academic Resource Center](http://uss.tufts.edu/arc/default.asp). This is an opportunity, not an obligation, but if you want it, book early. Reductions in grade are *cumulative*, so for example, if you miss both mentor meetings, your grade for your portfolio is reduced by 25%. What to submit -------------- Email *one* file in PDF format to `nr@cs.tufts.edu`. This file must contain your essay (up to four pages' worth) *plus* your two samples. - Only files in PDF format will be accepted. - Samples submitted separately will **not** be accepted. I recommend that you prepare your PDF using a tool called `pandoc`, which accepts a simple text format and turns it into good-looking text. Pandoc's `--listings` option will produce samples with numbered lines, which we will need in order to be able to discuss your samples. How your portfolio will be evaluated ------------------------------------ Your portfolio will be evaluated on several dimensions. This table shows criteria. %rubric