This assignment is due in class on Thursday April 3, and is worth 7 marks. It should be roughly 750 words in length. Please note that you should be able to start this assignment much earlier in the term; it does not need to be done entirely during the last weekend of the term.
Section 1: Attendance and Brief Comments
You are to keep a record of the RPEs you attended during the term. First, present a chart indicating which RPEs you attended, also indicating for each RPE whether you generally enjoyed it or not. For each RPE, also make clear why you did or did not enjoy the RPE, very briefly, in a sentence or two. Here is an example of the chart you should use:
| RPE # | Attendance (Present, Excused, Unexcused, or Absent) | Brief Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| ... | ||
| ... | ||
| 12 |
In this chart, do not include brief comments for the RPEs you intend to cover in Sections 2 and 3. So, if we have 12 RPEs this semester, you should have 10 brief comments in your Section 1 chart.
Section 2: Detailed Comments on and RPE other than your Own
Choose one RPE other than the one which you completed for grading. You may not review an RPE that you never attended be it an excused or unexcused absence.
In paragraph style, summarize the position of each of the teams, as presented during the ORAL presentation to the class. Then, include your own rejoinder to these positions, including your reactions to the statements made, questions you would have liked to see the participants address and your own personal opinion on the topic addressed by the RPE. Be sure to construct a coherent argument to present your point of view. Finally, comment on the value of this particular RPE topic and propose any suggested adjustments for the future (including the option to drop this topic entirely, if you feel it is not promising). Try to make a distinction here between your opinion about the potential for the RPE as part of the course and your opinion about the success or failure of the students who attempted to present this RPE.
Section 3: Comments on your own RPE
This section should be written in paragraph style. In this section, please comment on the suitability your own RPE as a topic in the course. Did you enjoy it? Why? Did you not enjoy it? Why? How could the RPE be improved? Please explain. Should the RPE topic be dropped? Why?
Section 4: General Comments
At the end of the assignment, include any general reactions or advice for the RPE component of CS492.
There are two main purposes of this assignment. The first is to ensure that students are actively participating in RPEs and to provide students with additional opportunity to react to the RPEs. The second is to provide some guidance to the instructor for deciding which RPE topics to retain in the course, in the future.
Please note: the TA will be independently tracking your attendance and participation at RPEs.