The Task : Reflective learning is part of the development of your critical thinking skills. ??Reflective learning involves

The Task
:
Reflective learning is part of the development of your critical thinking skills.   Reflective
learning involves taking a personal experience, looking at your initial gut reaction to it,
and quietly thinking about that gut reaction.  It then involves building linkages between
that experience and other similar situations using your reasoning to test the strength of
those linkages.  Finally, it involves putting your thoughts out publicly to others, receiving
their feedback, and thinking about how that feedback changes your initial thinking.
In this case, I am going to ask you to reflect on a  
public
Facebook page posting by a
university   student   who   wrote,   “I   no   longer   fear   Hell,   I   took   a   course   with   Professor
[Smith].”
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Two   or   three   students   in   each   group   are   going   to   write   a   two-to-three-page   double
spaced statement discussing whether they think it is right that a student should be able
to post such a public statement in writing or whether alternatively such an action is a
violation of the professor’s rights.   You may take either position, but you must take a
position   one   way   or   the   other   and   stay   with   it.     You   must   provide   two   independent
reasons to justify your position.  This two to three-page document must be dropped into
the drop box at 11:59 p.m. the night before the class one week after the assignment is
distributed (i.e., 11:59 p.m. the night before class in week # 11).   This portion will be
marked out of 4 marks.
Then, the remainder of the students in each group will have until 11:59 p.m. the night
before   the   next   class   (i.e.,   11:59   p.m.   the   night   before   class   #   12)   to   discuss   the
consequences   of   the   position   taken   in   the   first   part   of   the   paper   in   terms   of
consequences for students, professors, and education at universities as a whole, and
the   consequences   for   other   situations   where   these   same   rights   come   into   play.     In
addition,   the   second   part   of   the   group   will   provide   one   positive   comment   about   the
content   of   the   first   part   of   the   paper   and   one   area   where   they   think   there   could   be
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Quotation taken from G. Saad, “Student Criticizing Professors Online: A Right or a Violation?”

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improvement and why.  This second part of the paper may be up to five pages in length,
but no more.
The Marking of the Assignment
:
Four   marks   will   be   allocated   to   the   first   part   of   the   paper,   evaluating   how   well   you
express a clear position on the issue and the quality of the two reasons you provide to
justify your position.
Six marks will be allocated to the second part of the paper.  Two will be allocated to how
well   you   discuss   the   consequences   for   students,   professors,   and   education   at
universities as a whole as well as to other situations where these same rights may arise
and collide.   Part of the grading for this will be on how insightful your discussion is on
this   aspect   of   the   paper.     Then   two   marks   will   be   allocated   for   the   quality   of   the
discussion   on   the   positive   aspect   of   the   first   paper   you   identify   and   the   area   for
improvement you identify, particularly in regard to your reasoning