Evaluating Fandom: Using Blogging and a Grade Contract to Promote Fan Labor in the Classroom
Grade contracts offer a way to transform the relationship between labor and assessment in classrooms. By turning attention from evaluations of quality to labor completed, grade contracts make space for students to shift from a grade-driven extrinsic motivation to an interest-driven intrinsic motivat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Organization for Transformative Works
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Transformative Works and Cultures |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/1971/2667 |
| Summary: | Grade contracts offer a way to transform the relationship between labor and assessment in classrooms. By turning attention from evaluations of quality to labor completed, grade contracts make space for students to shift from a grade-driven extrinsic motivation to an interest-driven intrinsic motivation for completing coursework. Such an assessment model is well suited for fan studies classes where instructors ask students to engage in fan behavior. I share how I built an upper-division course about anime and anime fandom centered around a student-authored, publicly viewable blog. I discuss the synergy between the blogging project and a grade contract that enhanced student learning, engagement, and enjoyment. I also share my course design philosophy, approach to blogging, and student reactions to the grade contract. |
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| ISSN: | 1941-2258 1941-2258 |