Ethical Beings Assessment Rubric 2016/17
In all cases, the university’s 17 point mark scheme will broadly apply. How to interpret the 17 point
mark scheme in relation to each of the assessments will be discussed in seminars and one-on-one
meetings with the module tutor. The below will also be discussed in these seminars and meetings.
You are required to meet with your tutor at least once before Christmas to discuss your choice of
assessment.
Student Devised Piece and Group Discussion
Your devised piece is due tbc. The group discussion will then be scheduled for tbc of term 2.
What is a devised piece?
Your devised piece is your chance to display your critical engagement with the themes and theories
of the module and take a considered approach as to how you might practically apply what you have
learned in a medium of your choosing.
What does a devised piece look like?
Your piece should engage with the question: “How can I help a child develop as an ethical being?”
This question is not meant to be limiting and you will be free to answer the question negatively and
interpret the terms of the question as you see fit so long as you express and support those
interpretations with argument and bibliographical support.
You should try and set yourselves some constraints as to the particular situations and audience you
want to focus on. This will stop your piece from becoming too broad and unwieldy.
There is no right or wrong way of presenting your devised piece. It can take any form you wish and
should display your personal experiences of and thoughts about the module’s topics in the best way
possible. It could be a story, workshop, presentation, blog, comic, painting, video, essay, dance,
website, poem, song, learning resource, collage, diary...anything. An awareness of why you chose
the form you chose and why you chose it above other forms will be looked for.
Once you have started thinking about how you might like to answer the main question, or if you are
struggling to get off the ground with your thinking, make sure you contact the module tutor to
discuss your approach and if it will meet the requirements of the assessment.
Ultimately, your engagement with theory and ideas is more important than presentation. If you
are running out of time then do not get caught up in fine polishing details. First and foremost, make
sure you clearly demonstrate and critically engage with theory. To help with this, you are allowed to
write an accompanying explanation or give an accompanying presentation. This cannot be more
than 1,000 words or 10 minutes long (no +/- 10% leeway).
Referencing and bibliographies
Bibliographies are required for this assessment. Because of the nature of the assessment you
should not limit your bibliography to just those texts you cite; you can include influences and
further research as well. Use the annotations outlined below to then tie these into the piece.
You may choose any academic style of referencing and bibliography layout you wish so long as it is
thorough and consistent. The tutor should be able to follow up and check your ideas easily and,
where quotations are given, locate that quotation within the referenced material.
If you are concerned that you have not obviously expressed where and how your piece has been
influenced by material in your bibliography then your bibliography may include short annotations.
Any single annotation should be 50 words maximum and read along the lines of: “I was particularly
influenced by how the author used language in this novel”, “This work impacted upon my choice to
have the character’s face an moral dilemma where both options resulted in harm to another”, “X’s
theory of Y influenced why I included Z”, or “I rejected X’s thinking on Y when I chose to Z”.
The purpose of this bibliography and its annotations are to avoid plagiarism and to indicate influence
and/or incorporation of ideas. It should not include any separate arguments. Such things must be
demonstrated and incorporated into the piece itself or the accompanying explanation and so will not
be marked if present in the bibliography.
Bibliographies and their annotations do not count towards the overall word count.
Please speak to the tutor if you are unsure about any of this or have never done a bibliography
before.
Your devised piece will be enhanced by evidence of:
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A critical engagement with different disciplinary theories concerning childhood and ethical
development;
Consideration of the contribution (positive or negative) one or more of the following might
make to ethical development: (1) others such as parents, society, friends, teachers, writers,
pets, etc.; (2) objects and artefacts such as books, films, etc.; and (3) significant life or
learning experiences such as changing schools, abuse, empathetic experiences, particular
workshops, etc.;
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An awareness of how your theory/theories are signalled and put into practice by your piece,
i.e. the form of your piece needs to have a demonstrable relationship to the ideas behind it;
Careful reflection on intended audience and their potential interaction with the piece;
Effective organisation and presentation of the ideas and material;
An informed and considered use of primary and secondary materials in the creation of your
piece;
A considered awareness of potential weaknesses in your ideas/piece and the ability to
engage with or respond to them;
A well-presented and, if necessary, a succinctly annotated bibliography.
It may be that these things do not all come through in the piece itself but are drawn out in the group
discussion. This is why the piece and the discussion will be marked in tandem.
How will the group discussion work?
During the group discussion there will be the person being assessed, a panel of three students and
the module convenor who will be allowed to question the presenter, and a chair/timekeeper. Each
student will rotate through these rolls. This will ensure that everything is kept to time and everyone
has a fair chance to showcase what they have learned.
The order will be determined randomly before the assessment day. The allotted time for
presentations and questions will also be determined before the day but is subject to number of
students on the module, types of material submitted, etc., and so is not included here.
Each slot will run as follows:
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Presentation if necessary.
Each panel member will be given the chance to ask clarificatory questions of the presenter if
necessary. This can only be clarificatory, i.e. to check you have understood a point or term
correctly.
A couple of minutes to gather their thoughts and look at their notes if necessary.
Question from panel member 1.
Response from presenter.
Follow up question from panel member 1 – this must be relevant to the presenter’s
response and cannot be an entirely new question. A follow up question is also not necessary.
If you were satisfied with the presenter’s response then do not feel the need to continue
your questioning. As outlined below, unnecessary or irrelevant questioning is detrimental to
your mark and recognising a good answer shows your own understanding and will gain you a
higher mark.
Response from presenter.
Repeat for panel members 2 and 3.
If time, panel members may ask further questions.
Presenters, don’t be afraid to ask for the question to be repeated or to take time to consider your
answer.
Proceedings will run without the interjection of the tutor/marker unless it becomes absolutely
necessary.
Panel contributions will be enhanced by:
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Clear and concise questions that allow for response and discussion.
An avoidance of unnecessary jargon and a willingness to explain any terms you are asked for
clarification on.
Relevant lines of questioning informed by the module and primary or secondary material.
Ability to reflect on and assess the presenter’s answer and spot follow-up points where
appropriate.
Presenter responses will be enhanced by:
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A clear attempt to directly answer the question being posed.
An ability to critically respond to questions being posed and defend your theoretical points
where necessary.
An ability to recognise if a legitimate point has been made which changes your mind on
something in your piece and an attempt to reassess your piece in line with that where
appropriate.
Responses informed by the module and primary or secondary material.
An avoidance of unnecessary jargon and a willingness to explain any terms you are asked for
clarification of.
Essay
Your essay will be due tbc.
How should I approach this essay?
You will choose the topic and question of the essay. You must clear the title with the module
convenor and should do this sooner rather than later. The only restriction is that it ties into a theme
or idea arising from the module. It could be a traditional academic essay responding to a question
such as ‘Are childhood and adulthood two distinct phases of life?’ or ‘Is a Platonic conception of
moral development still relevant today?’ It could also be reflective piece on the learning styles you
have encountered on the module as opposed to elsewhere in the university, or even a collection of
short poems of vignettes that capture your emerging thoughts on a certain topic. Feel free to play
with the notion of what an ‘essay’ is. As with the devised piece, so long as you can defend your
choices in some way you should feel free to experiment with form.
Your essay will be enhanced by evidence of:
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A clear line of theoretical inquiry in response to particular questions and/or stimuli arising
from the module.
A sustained and organised engagement with that question and/or stimuli.
The ability to address an intelligent but non-specific audience – i.e. there is a clarity of
expression and lack of unnecessary or unexplained jargon.
If you have written a non-traditional essay: an awareness of how the form you have chosen
matches and best expresses the content of the position or ideas you are presenting, i.e. why
is the particular form you chose the best form for your ideas?
Clear and critical engagement with the theoretical positions arising in module and relevant
primary and secondary material.
Rigorous and clear referencing where appropriate.
Ability to anticipate and engage with potential counter-arguments and opposed positions to
your own.
Bibliographies
As above, bibliographies are necessary.
Word Count
There is a +/- 10% leeway on the essay.