STUDENT SEMINAR and ASSIGNMENT PACK

Week 1 - Seminar 1 (tutor led)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR DISCUSSION: Course introduction Technical and practical guidance SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Read Case study-1 "PIZZA SHOP and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be prepared to discuss your findings at seminar session next week. ASSINGMENT: none

Week 2 - Seminar 2 (tutor led + individual participation)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR DISCUSSION: Case study-1 "PIZZA SHOP SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: CS 2 Falling Demand and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be prepared to discuss your findings at seminar session next week. ASSINGMENT: none Case study-1 "PIZZA SHOP Directions: Read the case study and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be ready to discuss your findings at the seminar session the next week . PIZZA SHOP Mr. Tom Jones lives in his own house and runs a small pizza restaurant at the basement floor of the house. The house location is about five minutes walking distance from the Aston University (2000 students) in downtown Birmingham. Mr. Jones' wife and two daughters Mary (20) and Kate (23) are also engaged in the restaurant and it is a typical family business with pretty high turnover. Mr. Jones has an idea to expand his business by renting another shop and to open a second pizza restaurant nearby. The problem with renting a new shop is that this area had recently been included in the major Municipality Reconstruction Project and the prices of all houses and shops around was affected by 11 % monthly inflation which almost doubled their rental prices for the last 10 months. On the other hand Kate has a boy friend and intends to marry him and it is not clear if she would remain in that business after that. Kate's boy friend Peter (26) is a taxi driver and has his own sedan car and a van and he jointed as an unlimited partnership in transportation services for 3 years. This business was not so profitable and he quitted. At present Peter is registered as unemployed. Knowing Kate's family and their business well Peter proposes to Mr. Jones to join the pizza business and to help them introduce a new service to the customers - "Pizza delivery service". Mr. Jones and his family thought it was a good idea to have Peter working with them and instead of

opening a second restaurant to try to develop the new service with his help. Before taking a final decision however Mr. Jones decides to consult a marketing company because all of them know little about delivery service and how to organize it. He visits a consultant marketing company and asks them to help him identify his choice about : a) the existing pizza restaurant and b) the newly proposed pizza delivery service. The market manager (this is you) takes the responsibility for Mr. Jones' order and after one-week you will present him: * A list of all environmental factors affecting his business, * Information needed for decision making, * Four basic questions to be included in a survey. Questions: 1. Based on the Local Business Environment explain which factors might have external and internal influence on the activities of Mr.Tom Jones. 2. What type of information he needs to collect in order to make a decision? about the existing pizza restaurant and about the new service - pizza delivery 3. Write down four questions, two about a) and two about b), which you consider to be the most important to ask to customers in that particular survey.

Week 3 - Seminar 3 (tutor led + individual)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR DISCUSSION: CS 2 Falling Demand SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: CS 3 Topic discussion: What Social (sociocultural) Factors are Affecting the Business of IUC (see instructions bellow) ASSINGMENT:CW 1 (see instructions below) CASE STUDY 2FALLING DEMAND Directions: Read the case study and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be ready to discuss your findings at the seminar session next week. Firms operate against a background of what is happening to other firms and to the economy in general. In business studies we talk about a multiplier effect of upturns and downturns in business activity. In Aberdeen, in the mid-1980s, there was a downward regional multiplier effect. The multiplier effect occurs when an original change in demand goes on to create further changes in demand in a given area. If the government spends 50 million in the North East and workers who receive this income re-spend some of it in the North East, this will help to create further income and jobs in the area. If, in the end, total spending in the area rose by 100 million, the multiplier would be two. Because oil prices fell dramatically, the oil-drilling boom came to an end. Industries related to oil were the first to suffer. Work almost came to a standstill in firms producing oil-rigs and components for drilling. Some other industries also follow the recession trends. The fall in incomes and earnings spilt over into a wide range of other businesses from beer to engineering. Unemployment rate rose and at a time when house prices throughout Britain were rising, many houses in Aberdeen could not find buyers at the asking prices and house prices tumbled. Foreign investors left the region and closed many production sites. Local banks almost stopped to support the business with reasonable credits and inner company debts rose drastically.

Questions 1. Make a list of the industries or/and particular businesses that you would expect to have suffered a slump in sales in Aberdeen. 2. If you were the manager of a retailing firm (bookstore) in a slump, how would you react to this change? 3. Would anyone in Aberdeen benefit from the recession? 4. What sorts of factors would cause an upward multiplier? CS 3 - Topic Discussion Topic: What Social (socio-cultural) Factors are Affecting the Business of IUC Format: List the factors titles and subtitles in a 2 column table (see sample below) with a very short explanation, if any, for each factor. Not longer than a page. Dont write essay or textual description of the factors themselves. Sample for Topic Discussion Topic: What Social (socio-cultural) Factors are Affecting the Business of IUC Demographic factors Location Comments Inconvenient for the time being

Culture factors Students motivation Parents believes Staff composition Moderate because High because .

Psychographic factors Products standard

ASSIGNMENT - Course Work 1 (individual) Topic: Chose a set of objective/s listed below and prepare an operational plan for achieving it Assume that you are looking for employment in HP Project in Bulgaria. (ICT development) this is your GOAL. Some possible objectives to achieve this goal: Acquire higher work qualifications, master foreign languages, higher computer literacy, master communication skills . . .etc.

Format: List each step of your plan in sequential order in a 2 column table with a very short explanation, if any, for each factor. Not longer than a page. Dont write essay or textual description of the steps themselves. Not longer than a page or two. Dont write essay or textual description of the factors themselves. Submission: Hard copy (a page) + CD in a vinyl pocket. Label : CW + students name and group Due Date: see Unit Handbook Sample for CW 1 (hard copy) Topic: Employment in HP Project in Bulgaria Students name group date .. Key Objective Steps in logical order 1. Get information 2. What is my current level 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. .. e.g. Master Computer Literacy What shell I do for it? For what? From where? Evaluate and determine the gap.

Week 4 WORKSHOP 1 (INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION)

THIS WEEK WORKSHOP (INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION) on CS 3 Topic: What Social (socio-cultural) Factors are Affecting the Business of IUC SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: CS 3 Gas Service Station - PEST Analysis and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be prepared to discuss your findings at seminar session next week. ASSINGMENT: none

Week 5 - Seminar 4 (tutor led + individual participation)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: Class Discussion on CS 3 Gas Service Station PEST Analysis

SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: CS 1 (second time approach for ETOP Analysis) ASSINGMENT: CW 2 (see instructions below) Directions: Read the case study and prepare brief answers to the questions set. Be ready to discuss your findings at the seminar session according to the LECTURE/SEMINAR PROGRAMME . CASE STUDY 2A Gas Service Station Deborah Gomez is the owner of the Waverley Gas Service Station which is local on a stretch of motorway on| which there are no exits for 27 miles, giving her considerate monopoly powers. She is able to charge prices which are 15 % higher than the national average for petrol sales. However weighed against this, she has to pay higher-than-average wages to attract staff. She is able to operate the firm on a 24 hour a day basis but must keep a daily check on sales figures because the turnover is so high. She buys in her supplies of fuel from a well-known multinational oil company. Because her demand for petrol and accessories is a high, she is able to negotiate a size able trade discount. However, she finds that prices tend to fluctuate because of frequent price wars between the giant companies. Because of the importance of the product, Deborah is not affected by regulations restricting Sunday trading. However, her sumps are regularly checked by the local trading standards departmenent and her cashiers are only allowed to work the regulation number of hours in the day. She is also bound by local by-laws to keep her premises tidy and safe. Questions 1. (a) Explain the following terms found in the case study: (i) Monopoly powers (ii) Turnover (iii) Multinational (iv) Trade discount (b) Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of the location. 2. Explain four different groups which might have an external influence on the activities of the garage. 3. Use the PEST Analysis Template below to complete the task.. PEST Analysis Template Situation being analysed: __________________________________________________ PEST analysis (political, economical, social, technological) assesses a market, including competitors, from the standpoint of a particular proposition or a business.

criteria examples ecological/environ mental current legislation future legislation international legislation regulatory bodies and processes government policies government term and change trading policies funding, grants and initiatives home market pressure- groups international pressure- groups wars and conflicts

Political

economical

criteria examples home economy economy trends overseas economies general taxation taxation specific to product/services seasonality issues market/trade cycles specific industry factors market routes trends distribution trends customer/end-user drivers interest/ exchange rates international trade and monetary issues

criteria examples lifestyle trends demographics consumer attitudes and opinions media views law changes affecting social factors brand, company, technology image consumer buying patterns fashion and role models major events and influences buying access and trends ethnic/religious factors advertising and publicity ethical issues

social

technological

criteria examples competing technology development research funding associated/depende nt technologies replacement technology/solution s maturity of technology manufacturing maturity and capacity information and communications consumer buying mechanisms/techno logy technology legislation innovation potential technology access, licencing, patents intellectual property issues global communications

SWOT analysis explanation and templates are at www.businessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetemplate.htm Businessballs 2009. A free PDF version of this tool and information about PEST analysis methods are available at www.businessballs.com/pestanalysisfreetemplate.htm A free resource from www.businessballs.com Not to be sold or published. ASSINGMENT: CW 2 Prepare a PEST Analysis for BG companies CW 2 for all seminar groups Prepare a PEST/EL Analysis for the companies listed bellow: Billa BG (retailer) Mobiltel BG (telecommunication) Lukoil BG (oil) Metro Cash & Carry (wholesaler) EVN BG (utility company) Seminar group 1 Seminar group 2 Seminar group 3 Seminar group 4 Seminar group 5

Lidl BG (retailer) OMV BG (oil) Cosmo Bulgaria Mobile (telecomunication) Conduct Internet research on each company

Seminar group 6 Seminar group 7 Seminar group 8

All of them are global/international companies, but your analysis could be limited to their activities and environmental factors in Bulgaria. Format: Each seminar group uses the PESTEL analysis Templates (see sample below) and list all relevant information in the columns. Not longer than a page. Dont write essay or textual description of the factors themselves. Submission: Hard copy (a page) + CD in a vinyl pocket. Label : CW + students name and group Due Date: see Unit Handbook

PESTEL Analysis Template Sample for CW 2 (hard copy) Topic: PESTEL Analysis on . Students name (all group members) . group date .. . . PESTLE Analysis Your notes Potential Implication and importance factors Impact: The list below is just to About your Time Frame: Type: Impact: Relative get you started. organisation. H - High 0-6 months Importance Remember to put these How might the M - Medium 6-12 months Positive + Increasi Critical , and others that you factors listed on L Low 12-24 Negative - ng > Important add in the context of the left impact Umonths24 + Unknown Unchan Unimportant your organisation or your business or Undetermined months ged = Unknown business. part of the Decreasi etc. organisation? ng < Unknow n Political .. Economic .. Social ..

 Technological .. Legal .. Environmental/ Ecological ..

Week 6 - Seminar 5
(individual presentation)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR DISCUSSION: CS 1(second time approach for ETOP Analysis) CW 1 Employment in HP Project in Bulgaria - Feedback SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Read CS-5 Description of the general environment of Coca-Cola. Extrapolate it for Smart Phones or other good/s or services. Complete the STEP Template. ASSINGMENT: none

Week 7 - Seminar 6 (tutor led + individual presentation)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: CS 5 -General environment of Coca-Cola. Extrapolate it for Smart Phones or other good/s and services SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Revision for the in-class test (all lectures and topics so far) ASSINGMENT: none Case Study 5. Description of the general environment of Coca-Cola. Extrapolate it for Smart Phones. Look at Exhibit 5-3 Description of the general environment of Coca-Cola.( Hitt, M., Black, J. & Porter, L. (2009) Management. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, page 143). Listed below

Apply the same STEP analysis approach and try to make a similar description of the general environment of Smart Phone. Students are encouridged to include more PEST fctors relevant to the

business environment of the IT sector and this particular product. List your suggestions in a table format below. Description of the general environment of Coca-Cola Sociocultural Demographics Baby boomers drink less soft drinks as they age. U.S. population growth is slowing and much of the growth comes from immigrants who generally drink less soft drinks Values Society is increasingly concerned about pollution and recycling. Increasing focus on health and the negative aspects of caffein, carbonation, and suggar. New canning technology makes, using recycled aluminium easier and cheaper. Internet opens up a new means of running promotion contests and activities. Slow economy reduces per-person consumption primary due to fewer social occations (parties) at which soft drinks might be served. Nearing end of economic downturn and prospect of economy recovery. Sticker liability for illness caused by beverage consumpion. Gradual increase in acceptance of carbonated soft drinks in other countries, such as India and China. Widely available elecrticity and increasing ability to afford refrigerators in emerging countries ana economies.

Technological

Economic

Political/Global

Week 8 - In-class Test (individual): In-class Test (individual): 45 min. written closed book test containing 2 parts: a) Multiple
choice questions , b) SWOT template for a topic SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Prepare for group presentation on CW 2 PEST Analysis for BG companies ASSINGMENT: none

Week 9 WORKSHOP 2 (tutor led + group presentation)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: In-class test Feedbback All seninar groups presentation on CW 2 PEST Analysis for BG companies SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: All students review Porters Five Forces and to prepare an example how do they affect any industry in BG (its your choice).

Week 10 - Seminar 7 (tutor led + individual)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: Class discussion on Topic Review Porters Five Forces and to prepare an example how do they affect any industry in BG (its your choice). SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Reversed SWOT Analysis on US Companies

Case Study 6 : Reverse SWOT Exercise on U.S. Companies Format: List the factors in a Business SWOT Analysis Template (see sample below). Dont write essay or textual description of the factors themselves. What does Reversed SWOT Analysis mean? (Don't try to look for a definition) Each student is given a real SWOT analysis for a leading US company. Based on this analysis you have to research the relevant information sources used for its preparation. Finding them, try to refresh SWOT data and add additional factors. All the information you have to organize in a SWOT Analysis Template.(see sample below) Which SWOT Analysis do you have to research? The numbered list corresponds to students numbered list. E.g. student 3 have to research Apple Co. http://www.marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-swot.html 1. Amazon SWOT 2. Starbucks SWOT 3. Apple SWOT 4. Tata Motors SWOT 5. Bharti Airtel SWOT 6. Infosys SWOT 7. Toyota SWOT 8. Ben & Jerry's SWOT 9. ITC SWOT 10. Toys R Us SWOT 11. Dell SWOT 12. McDonald's SWOT 13. Wall-Mart SWOT 14. eBay SWOT 15. Nike SWOT 16. Yahoo SWOT

17. China Mobile SWOT 18. Crayola SWOT 19. General Motors SWOT 20. Hewlett Packard SWOT 21. Home Depot SWOT 22. Kroger SWOT 23. Nestl SWOT 24. PepsiCo SWOT 25. Sandals SWOT 26. Time Warner SWOT 27. Trojan SWOT 28. Whole Foods SWOT 29. Indian Premier League SWOT
30.

Smith and Wesson SWOT

Summarize your findings in s SWOT Analysis Template SWOT Analysis Template State what you are assessing here CW .students name .. Group . (This particular example is for a new business opportunity. Many criteria can apply to more than one quadrant. Identify criteria appropriate to your own SWOT situation.)

criteria examples Advantages of proposition? Capabilities? Competitive advantages? USP's (unique selling points)? Resources, Assets,

Strength

Weakness

criteria examples Disadvantages of proposition? Gaps in capabilities? Lack of competitive strength? Reputation, presence and reach? Financials? Own known

People? Experience, knowledge, data? Financial reserves, likely returns? Marketing - reach, distribution, awareness? Innovative aspects? Location and geographical? Price, value, quality? Accreditations, qualifications, certifications? Processes, systems, IT, communications? Cultural, attitudinal, behavioural? Management cover, succession? Philosophy and values?

vulnerabilities? Timescales, deadlines and pressures? Cashflow, start-up cash-drain? Continuity, supply chain robustness? Effects on core activities, distraction? Reliability of data, plan predictability? Morale, commitment, leadership? Accreditations, etc? Processes and systems, etc? Management cover, succession?

criteria examples Market developments? Competitors' vulnerabilities? Industry or lifestyle trends? Technology development and innovation? Global influences? New markets, vertical, horizontal? Niche target markets? Geographical, export, import? New USP's? Tactics: eg, surprise, major contracts? Business and product development? Information and research? Partnerships, agencies, distribution? Volumes, production, economies? Seasonal, weather, fashion influences?

Opprtunities

Threats

criteria examples Political effects? Legislative effects? Environmental effects? IT developments? Competitor intentions various? Market demand? New technologies, services, ideas? Vital contracts and partners? Sustaining internal capabilities? Obstacles faced? Insurmountable weaknesses? Loss of key staff? Sustainable financial backing? Economy - home, abroad? Seasonality, weather effects?

Week 11 Seminar 8 (tutor led + individual)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR 9: Class Discussion on CS 6 Reversed SWOT Analysis on US Companies SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: All students review CS 7 SELLECTING A NEW VENTURE Case Study 7 SELLECTING A NEW VENTURE

Would you like to be your own boss? Have you given any thougt to running your own business someday? For this exersice you will think of a new venture you would like to start someday. The new venture can be entrpreneurial* or intrapreneurial.** With either approach, dont be concerned about financing the business. At this stage, you are only sellecting a new venture. Try to apply the business environmental metods you have studied so far. Provide information about you potentioal business in the following list. You are free to add some more titles, but keep the presentation short in a table format. Give all the topics some thought before writing down your final answers. *Entrepreneur A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for running own business. **Intrapreneur A person within whowonts to start a new line of business for an existing company. Questions: 1. Your Individual selection of a venture? 2. Titled list format (for report/discussion) Type of business Company name (line of business) Products (goods or/and services) Target markets Major competitors Competitive advantage (if any) Possible location of business, etc. 3. Your considerations on the topic/s 4. Apply it (What did I learn from this exercise? How will I use this knowledge in the future? Source: Lussier R. (2006) MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS, 3ed, Thompson South-Western Publishing Co, Kentucky. P.136

Week 12 Seminar 9 (tutor led +individual)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: Class discussion on CS 7 SELLECTING A NEW VENTURE SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Read the content of the Video The Unorganized Manager

Week 13 Seminar 10 (tutor led)

THIS WEEK SEMINAR: View the Video The Unorganized Manager SEMINAR PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK: Video The Unorganized Manager Part I 23 min Damnation How valuable time is wasted

Part II 25 min Salvation Organizing yourself Time spending is a budget item 1. Establish company objectives these objectives are Managing directors objectives too 2. Define all tasks as: positive active tacks (those which help to achieve objectives) reactive tasks (everyday problems) Reactive Management 3. Establish priorities 3.1 Important and urgent tasks 3.2 Important but not urgent tasks 3.3 Urgent but not important and tasks 3.4 Not important and not urgent tasks 4. Delegation 4.1 What task to delegate 4.2 Whom to delegate (teach, train, inform) 4.3 Be available for advice 4.4 Control the delegation process Part III 17 min Lamenation Part IV 24 min Revelation Organise the others 1. Clarify responsibilities 1.1 Establish key area 1.2. Review them regularly 2. Set standards for achievement 2.1 Make standards measurable (through quality, quantity, time, costs) 2.2 Make standards achievable and controllable 3. Agree targets with each employee individually 3.1 Make targets challenging 3.2 Praise achievements

Week 14 Seminar 11 (tutor led +individual)

REVISION WEEK THIS WEEK SEMINAR 12: Everybody will be given a chance to prove his/her competence and knowledge - Revision of all CWs and CSs.

Harvard Ongoing Assessment http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info3f.cfm What is Ongoing Assessment? How can we assess accurately and fairly what students have learned? This is a question every teacher wrestles with. But when understanding is the purpose of instruction, the process of assessment is more than just evaluation: it is a substantive contribution to learning. Assessment that fosters understanding (rather than simply evaluating it) has to be more than an end-of-the-unit test. It needs to inform students and teachers about both what students currently understand and how to proceed with subsequent teaching and learning. This kind of assessment occurs frequently in many situations outside of school. Imagine a basketball coach working with his team during a practice session. He might begin by asking the team to concentrate on a few particular skills or plays. As the players scrimmage, he studies their moves, measuring them against his standards of skillful basketball playing. He usually pays particular attention to the strategies and skills he asked the players to concentrate on at the start of practice. He analyzes the problems when the team falls short and, as the team plays, tells them how they can improve their performance. Occasionally, he stops the practice session to bring the team together to provide more sustained feedback and to give the players new tasks, based on his assessment of their performance. This kind of coaching continues through actual games. Games conclude not only with a score that tells the team how well it performed, but also with debriefing sessions in the locker room in which the coach and the team hash out what went well and what they need to work on before the next game. Or think of a director's work as she rehearses a troupe of actors for a stage production. Each rehearsal is a continuous cycle of performance and feedback as the actors work through their scenes. The director gives initial instructions, offers advice and further direction while the scene is in progress, and convenes more formal feedback sessions at various points during the rehearsal. This integration of performance and feedback is exactly what students need as they work to develop their understanding of a particular topic or concept. In the teaching for understanding framework, it is called "ongoing assessment." Ongoing assessment is the process of providing students with clear

responses to their performances of understanding in a way that will help to improve next performances. Key Features of Ongoing Assessment There are two principle components of the ongoing assessment process: establishing criteria and providing feedback. Criteria for each performance of understanding need to be:

clear (articulated explicitly at the beginning of each performance of understanding--though they may well evolve over the course of the performance, especially if it is new to the teacher as well as the students). relevant (closely related to the understanding goals for the unit). public (everyone in the classroom knows and understands them).

Feedback needs to:

occur frequently, from the beginning of the unit to its conclusion, in conjunction with performances of understanding. Some occasions for feedback may be formal and planned (such as those related to presentations); some may be more casual and informal (such as responding to a student's comment in a class discussion). provide students with information not only about how well they have carried out performances but also how they might improve them. inform your planning of subsequent classes and activities. come from a variety of perspectives: from students' reflection on their own work, from classmates reflecting on one another's work, and from the teacher.

Examples of Ongoing Assessment Ongoing assessment needs to occur in the context of performances of understanding that, in turn, are anchored to understanding goals. Therefore, each of the examples below includes unit-long understanding goals (statement form only) and performances of understanding, as well as a description of criteria and feedback for ongoing assessment. In a writing class: Understanding goal To help students understand the process of writing an effective persuasive essay. Performance of understanding: Students write an essay in which they pick a controversial issue and argue for their personal stance on that issue. Criteria for ongoing assessment: Teacher and students co-develop the criteria for the essay. To do this, the teacher presents students with two brief sample essays written about the same issue. The first argues the thesis effectively; the other is noticeably less-well executed. By comparing the two, the students (with guidance from the teacher) generate the criteria for a good persuasive essay (a clear position statement, concrete examples to support the position, a consideration and refutation of counter arguments, and so on). The teacher copies the list of criteria for each student in the class so that they can use it in the feedback process. Feedback for ongoing assessment: Using the criteria sheet, students complete a first draft of their essay and write a short reflection assessing it. They share this draft with a classmate, who also provides a short written piece that reflects on how well the essay meets the criteria. Equipped with

these two reflections, students revise their essays and submit final drafts to the teacher. Both the teacher and the student assess the final work of the essay by ratingon a scale of one to tenhow well the student achieved each of the criteria and writing a brief explanation of the rating. In a math class: Understanding goals: To help students understand percentages and their real-life uses in describing data. To help students understand surveying as tool for collecting data that can be expressed mathematically. Performance of understanding: Students develop surveys to collect information from fellow students about their healthsay, the number of colds each person catches in a yearand some variable that the students think will be related to healthiness (percentage of after school time spent exercising, for example). They decide how to use graphs and charts to represent their data most effectively. (For example, eighty percent of students who report getting sick less than once a year spend fifty percent or more of their after school time engaged in some exercise.) Criteria for ongoing assessment: The teacher shares with the students a sheet that describes the two categories of criteria for their work: qualities of an effective survey and characteristics of an effective use of percentages in survey work. Feedback for ongoing assessment: Students share drafts of their surveys with one another for feedback and critique. They submit a first draft of their graphs and charts to the teacher for comment. The final draft is submitted with a self-evaluation that the teacher includes as part of their final grade. In a social studies class: Understanding goal: To help students understand various forms of government and their advantages and disadvantages. Performance of understanding: Small groups of students are randomly assigned a form of government (monarchy, oligarchy, democracy, and so on) and given a brief description of how laws are made in that government. Each student is assigned a role (monarch or president or dictator, wealthy owner of a factory, laborer living near the poverty line, and so on) within the group by drawing a slip of paper from an envelope. The group then has to decide how to levy taxes in their country, making their decision according to the form of government they have been assigned. After giving the groups some time to work through the problem, students "jigsaw" so that the new small groups are made up of one member of each of the original small groups. In these groups, they share their experiences and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a particular approach to governance. Each student then writes a paper describing her initial group experience with the assigned government and comparing it to other groups' governments. Criteria for ongoing assessment: Students' final papers are assessed both on how accurately their initial groups carried out the enactment of their particular government's decision making process and on the degree and sophistication of comparisons and contrasts they are able to make between that form of government and others. These criteria are shared with the class before they begin writing. Feedback for ongoing assessment: The teacher has each student exchange first drafts with another member of their group so they can check one another's accuracy in depicting the first small group work. She then has them share a second draft with her, so she can check their understanding of various forms of government. In cases where one (or more) of the small group seems not to have captured the essential aspects of the assigned government, she provides the students with feedback about where to find more information about that government so they can revise their work. Planning Ongoing Assessment It is usually easiest to think about specific ongoing assessment procedures in the context of performances of understanding or activities you have planned.

Use your understanding goals to generate the criteria by which to assess students' performances. For instance, if you ask students to write a paper with the aim of building their understanding of a particular concept, then the paper needs to be assessed primarily on the basis of how well they demonstrate their understanding (not primarily on whether or not they have used complete sentences and appropriate paragraphing). Build in opportunities at the beginning of and throughout a unit for assessing students' developing understanding. If assessment happens only at the end of a unit, it is not "ongoing;" it cannot help the students to develop and refine their understandings in the progress of their work. Create opportunities within performances of understanding for students to give feedback to one another and/or get feedback from you as they work. Across performances, try to balance formal and informal feedback. Also, try to allow opportunities for a variety of perspectives on assessment over the course of the unit: self-assessment, peer assessment, and your assessment of student work. Build in time to help students develop the skills they will need to provide one another and themselves with useful feedback. Self-reflection and peer-assessment does not come easily to most students, but both can be learned. Teaching with Ongoing Assessment Even if you have a sense for what the criteria for a particular performance should be, try inviting students to develop the criteria themselves by looking at models or mock-ups of similar performances. Post criteria prominently in the classroom. Help students to see how the criteria relate to the understanding goals. Model for students how to provide feedback that both tells them how well they are doing and gives them information about how they might do better. Portfolios and reflection journals can be useful tools for students to track their learning over time. Use assessment opportunities not only to gauge how well the students are doing, but also to examine and reshape your curriculum and pedagogy. Common Questions About Ongoing Assessment This kind of assessment sounds very time consuming. How do teachers manage it? Looking carefully at student work does take time, but the simple fact of the matter is, if we don't look closely at that work, we have no idea what students are really understanding and what they are missing. And, without feedback, students have little chance of figuring out what they need to work on. On the other hand, it helps to keep in mind that, in fact, most of us are assessing our students all the time. Every time they ask a question or respond to one of ours, we are thinking about what those questions and responses reveal about their learning. The trick is to figure out how to let our students benefit from that continual weighing process and to help them understand the criteria for those assessments as well as we do. Several techniques help to make this more manageable: 1. Not every performance needs to be assessed formally. Feedback can be given verbally and informally as students work in small groups or as we lead a class discussion.

2. Keep criteria lists boiled down to just those few items that you really care about (those items stated in the understanding goals). Not only does this make the grading and feedback process easier for us, but it also ensures that students will be spending the time and energy well. 3. Take time to teach your students how to talk with one another about assessment. If everyone understands the criteria for a performance and has had practice with providing supportive critiques, the students can coach and provide feedback for one another, even if you're the one who ultimately gives the grade. What's the difference between performances of understanding and ongoing assessment? Understanding performances are the things students do to develop their understanding. Ongoing assessment is the process by which students get feedback on what they do, based on clearly articulated criteria for successful performances. It is, in essence, the process of reflecting on performances in order to guage progress toward the understanding goals. Questions for Refining Ongoing Assessment

Does it include clear, public criteria? Does it use criteria closely related to understanding goals? Does is provide frequent opportunities for feedback throughout the unit's performances? Does it provide feedback that tells students how well they are doing and how to do better? Does it offer opportunities for multiple perspectives? - teacher assessing student - students assessing one another - students assessing themselves Does it provide a mix of formal and informal feedback? Are the Ongoing Assessments cycles of feedback which helps students build understandings over time? Is there a public criteria for your Ongoing Assessments?

Tina Blythe and Associates, (1998). The Teaching for Understanding Guide. Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco.

In-class Test topic: Topic: How do I evaluate my SWOT factors in persuading my goal of graduating the IUC Format: List the factors in a Personal SWOT Analysis Template (see sample below). Dont write essay or textual description of the factors themselves. Submission: hard copy (a page) + CD in a vinyl pocket Label : CW + students name and group Due Date: see Unit Handbook Students are encouridged to include more personal SWOT fctors relevant to their goal of graduating. List your suggestions in a table format below.

Personal SWOT Analysis Template (example) My Strengths creative responsible good communicator open minded ask questions freely committed to success strongly motivated optimistic / realistic punctual love and trust others My Weaknesses: slow decision taker deliberate easily get mad shy in communication nervous when in public afraid to ask questions stressed by (too many tasks, urgent, short time) lack of confidence pessimistic / non trustful not punctual/ hate to rush like others but myself My Threats: be challenged by a stronger person and spoil own image. be overworked and loose creativity get heath problems and be out of shape get unemployed because of mass lay out. make wrong forecasting get into financial troubles and risky ventures when business declines. dont jump in muddy waters without a plan B

My Opportunities: find out the weaknesses of my competitor/s utilize extra training and expertise to attend meetings, conferences, seminars predict and follow own career path catch any chances of promotion send positive signals/image when possible respect yourself and ask the others to respect you in return dont switch off before you get sure that something could be useful for you remember that opportunities sometime can surprise you but youd better look for them