BIS 300 Fall 2013

Response Paper: Adult Learners in the University (10 points)

Due: September 12

Background

The Response Paper is a writing assignment designed to introduce you to academic writing and to help you analyze class readings, linking them to your personal experiences in a meaningful way. It should be written in a straight-forward, concise manner and should be well-organized. It must clearly communicate your message and include supporting evidence so the reader can follow your logic and easily understand your position.

Assignment

The first section of the class has explored the various ways by which adults learn and how they thrive and struggle in the collegiate environment. Torff and Sternberg write about what it means to be an adult learner in general, Bash discusses how they differ from traditional students and why they seek degrees, and Gardner discusses multiple intelligences. Use this response paper to help deepen your understanding of what these authors are arguing by engaging with their points. Your paper needs to discuss at least the Torff and Sternberg article and the two Bash chapters. Gardner is optional.

Some questions to consider might include:

What are Torff and Sternberg's main arguments? Have they persuaded you of the validity of their main point? Why might their position on adult learners be important for society at large? What do the authors mean by ‘tacit knowledge?’ What are some of the ways adult learners acquire tacit knowledge?

What does Bash say about adult learners in the academy? Do you agree with his characterization of adult students? How do you differ from a traditional student? What type of learning environment will be most beneficial to your academic progress? Do you agree that ‘mattering’ is important to you?

Bash also discusses why adults return to college. Does your reason for entering the BIS Program fit in with his description of the ‘wake-up call’ or ‘now it’s my turn’ motivation? Are you glad to be returning to the academy or is this something you want to get out of the way? Did you struggle in earlier collegiate experiences, leaving you with a negative view of college learning? Or, did circumstances prevent you from completing your degree/?

Optional: What does Gardner say about multiple intelligences? How does his theory relate to your own experiences in life situations?

How does the above discussion of adult learning relate to your learning style in particular? How can you put this knowledge to work for you as you work through the BIS program?

Format

Typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins in an 11- or 12-point standard font, such as Times New Roman. Please try to use appropriate citations (APA, MLA, CSE, or Chicago – see Hacker and Sommers).

Page Length: three (3) pages (not including any bibliography or title page).

Writing Expectations: This essay should follow the academic format of introduction, body, and conclusion. Your introduction should include a preview of your paper and your “argument”. The body should include paragraphs with clear topic sentences that support your “argument.” The conclusion should sum up and emphasize the main supporting points for your argument.

We will go over the basics of MLA and APA in-text citations and Works Cited pages (MLA) and References pages (APA) in class and you can review the rules in Hacker, pp. 120-154 (MLA) and 166-195 (APA). But at this point I’m only expecting a “best-efforts” attempt since it takes a while to master one of these citation systems. You can also use Chicago or CSE if you are already trained in those citation systems but we will not be covering those in class.

For some helpful links, see Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation online site. During class, we will begin with MLA and an overview of the relation between in-text entries and the works cited page, look at the drop down for in-text cites and items on the works cited page, and then go over some of the works cited format for some of the sources you have available for your paper including: 1) books; 2) articles in journals; 3) articles in magazines and newspapers; 4) websites and short works from websites; 5) online video clips; 6) DVDs; 6) radio or TV programs; and lectures or public addresses. As we will see over the next few weeks, sometimes these your sources will be a mix. For the APA guidelines, see the overview, and the drop-down menu for APA in-text citations and APA list of references. Note that APA is more narrowly targeted at research publications and so does not have as many categories or types of sources as MLA.

Give a hardcopy to your instructor at the beginning of class on Sept 12th and post your paper on the class blog before class. Remember to use the “W” button on the posting toolbar to strip out Word specific code if you wrote your paper in Word. You will comment on at least two or your fellow student’s papers after class. You should arrange at the end of class on Sept 12th whose paper you will comment on by exchanging class names. Make sure to check the category boxes for the assignment and your name before you publish your post and give your post a title with the assignment number, name and your first name and last initial.