Classroom research techniques that are anonymous and not graded empower students to participate more in their own learning. They also are good devices to build a dialogue between you and your students. These techniques do not take much time and are ultimately time-efficient in terms of student learning and classroom dynamics. Students generally respond very positively to these techniques, and they may help make teaching more satisfying for you. The assignment requires students to complete a major research paper and an oral presentation on a topic of their choice that fits into the broad scope of the course.
Students work on the paper throughout the term, having various deadlines to meet.
They submit an outline one month into the term, then a first draft one month later. Mario quickly reviews these drafts, then distributes them for peer review. Students have one week to comment on a peers paper before returning the draft to Mario. He then marks their reviews, comments on the drafts, and hands them back to the original authors one week later. The students have two weeks to revise their paper and submit the final draft.