Grateful for the ways ENGL 1030 has given me an edge in other classes

When an enrolled in an English class, I generally find that I struggle to see the benefit of what is taught. It seems that a lot of what is learned is common knowledge; things that should be understood by a student. However, there are many aspects of English courses, specifically introductory English courses such as this, that have a lot of importance and purpose. There are many aspects of this class that are essential in establishing a foundation for students to build their academic careers upon. One of these aspects is the research component.

Each of the projects assigned this semester have required research, in ever-greater quantities. Along with that research, I have had to learn to effectively cite the sources of research from which I have drawn upon. As the projects have progressed, the amount of research and required sources has increased. Along with that, more emphasis is being placed upon proper citation of sources, in order to give credit where it is due. This research is beneficial in and of itself, but it is also helpful in that it has prepared me for research in other classes.

Although my present classes do not require me to do a whole lot of research and writing, I know that many of my future courses will require me to be able to effectively research. Currently, I am enrolled in a World Religion course that has a final project. For this project, I must research three distinct religious traditions and critically compare and contrast them in a presentation of some kind. Believe it or not, I will be utilizing many of the skills I gained in this English class in my research for this upcoming project.

As I progress in my engineering major, I am sure that I will have to perform a lot of research on engineering principles, theorems, and engineering feats and "defeats" of the past. I will take hold of what I have learned thus far and apply that knowledge when the time comes. 

Thank you English 1030, and thank you Mr. Milligan! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Can one grade with equality when the presentations are so varied?

Honestly, this question did not even cross my mind. But now that you mention it, I guess there is a lot of ambiguity in how this multimodal project could be presented. The wide range of possible products could potentially make it difficult for a single person to grade. Generally, projects are restricted to a particular medium, such as a paper document. This makes it easier to compare the writings of each student. Instead of having to compare every single aspect of the project, you only need to compare certain components since the medium is kept consistent. When the medium is left up to the discretion of the student, this makes the grading process more difficult. 

I am obviously not a teacher, but I would guess that there are multiple ways to go about grading assignments in order to maintain an unbiased mindset. I'm guessing a common way to go about doing this includes determining which person's project is optimal and deserving of the most points. From there, you can base each of the other student's work on the standard set by the best project. When comparing papers, this would be much easier because the grader could actually point out errors that were made in excess to the standard, which was set by the best paper. However, when the mediums are entirely different, it makes it much more difficult to determine which project represents the standard. That standard is set based on the prompt and what the teacher has in mind.

For example, my project is compiled into a short film while another student's is a presentation on Prezi. One must wonder, what criteria are used to decide what grade is given. Does the teacher take into account the difficulty that comes with certain visual mediums? Or does he solely evaluate the information and the argument that is presented using that visual? Will the grader be impressed by a more complex production, or will that not break his unbiased perspective? I wonder...