Position Paper Expectations and Academic Writing Guidelines

Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for reviewing virtual instructions independently.
Creative and AI Guidelines: The instructor will not go over specific creative or AI instructions in class; it is the student's job to go back through those materials.
Trackers: Regardless of the specific tracker a student is on, they must double-check that they are meeting any additional expectations associated with that tracker.
Fairness Assessment: The instructor presented these expectations to the class and confirmed that students felt the requirements were fair.

Current Status: Every student in the class is believed to have submitted their work, but anyone who has not should submit immediately.
Feedback Timeline: The instructor will work to provide feedback on submissions today to support edits for the upcoming position paper.
Seven-Day Rule: - Points will not be awarded for items submitted past the $7\text{-day}$ mark. - However, the instructor will still provide edits and feedback even for these late submissions to assist in student growth. - Students are instructed not to ignore the feedback provided on late work.

Article Introductions: The paper must introduce both of the required articles: - The Good et al. article. - The companion article chosen by the student.
Required Analytical Elements: For both articles, the student must perform three specific tasks: - Summarize: Provide a brief overview of the article. - Evaluate: Assess the quality of the study (e.g., whether the study was effective or delivered valuable insights). - Interpret: Explain the findings of the study.
Demonstrating Mastery: The instructor needs to see that the student knows what the article is about, is familiar with the purpose of the paper, and understands the actual study conducted.
Quantitative Content Rule: Students must provide at least $2\text{ sentences}$ of summary for each article to prove they read and understood the material in their own way.
Academic Tone: Students should avoid simplistic phrases like "I think this paper was good." Instead, they should use academic phrasing such as, "Good et al. delivered an effective study that revealed insights that you haven't been aware of before."

Paragraph Organization: Each article must be addressed in its own separate paragraph.
Connection to Thesis: Students must focus on the evidence in the papers and clearly connect those findings to their specific thesis. This involves explaining how the paper either supports or contradicts the student's argument.
Five-Paragraph Essay Framework: While the instructor suggests a $5\text{-paragraph}$ essay structure, the goal is not to jumble arguments but to ensure every section is introduced with a clear topic sentence.
The Progression of Argumentation: - Introduction: Should culminate in a beautiful thesis statement that includes a specific claim plus a reason. - Body Paragraphs: These sections (e.g., one for Good et al. and one for the companion article) should provide summary while remaining tied to the thesis. - Synthesis Paragraphs: Some students may effectively use an additional $1$ or $2$ paragraphs to discuss "combined support," explaining how all the evidence comes together to support the main points.

The Conclusion Block: A cohesive conclusion must include: - A thesis restatement. - A summary of the overall points made throughout the paper. - A discussion of "what comes next."
Identifying Gaps: Students should discuss what was missing from their paper or what merits further conversation.
Next Steps for Research: Researchers should be guided on what to look into next.
Application Example (Good et al.): The Good et al. study is cited as a great example of identifying a problem—specifically that social work students often do not feel prepared and struggle to bridge the gap between theory and application (theory-to-skills).
Practical Implications: Students might discuss future training focuses, such as whether all social workers should receive specific training during their first duties on the job or within the education sector.

APA Standards: The instructor noted that many students are doing well with APA, but expectations are rising as the term progresses.
Point Deductions: Consistent failure to double-check APA formatting will result in increasing point loss. The instructor is available for $1\text{-on-}1$ support, but students who do not seek help and remain inconsistent will be docked points.
Margins: Papers must have $1\text{ inch}$ margins on all sides. The instructor corrected previous submissions where margins were inconsistent or "wonky."
File Formats: Essays must be submitted to Canvas as either a PDF or a Word document.
Canvas Limitations: Regular Canvas submissions without these formats do not allow instructors to use annotation tools, highlights, underlines, strikes, or in-text comments. Submission in the correct format is mandatory for receiving "legitimate in-text feedback."
Incomplete Status: Failure to submit in the correct format or include track information will result in the assignment being marked as "incomplete" and it will not be graded.

Late Point Calculation: Final scores are calculated by taking the points earned and applying a multiplier based on the number of days late.
Example: If a student is $2\text{ days}$ late, their score will be adjusted accordingly by the designated multiplier.

Group Work Requirements: Students are required to prepare an outline and engage in peer workshops.
Workshop Roles: In pairs, one person should be in a listening/feedback position while the other is in a sharing position.
Sharing Tasks: - Share thesis statements. - Share the plan for each paragraph. - Provide the partner with the summary planned for the articles. - Explain how the findings will be tied back to the specific thesis. - Identify what specific evidence from the reports will be used in the paper.
Peer Inquiry: Students should ask their partners questions regarding their plans to ensure the thesis statement is well-supported.

Student A (Extension): Mentioned they might ask for an extension but feels they can get the work done if they work on it today or tomorrow.
Student B (Instructor Names): Expressed confusion about whether to use the instructor's first or last name in emails. The instructor previously indicated that it does not matter.
Student A & B (Social Media/Engagement): Discussed a post by "Bella" on her story, which invited people to "come talk to me." There was a lighthearted mention of people missing events and a joke about "dunking" someone and crying.
General Commentary: Students briefly discussed being tired and the timing of lunch from the previous day versus the current day.