Compose a persuasive memo that documents your progress as a student in this class, indicates the grade you currently have and the final grade you want, and discusses any plans for continuing to improve as a writer or student. Base your assessment on your coursework, including writing assignments (produced individually and within a group), presentations, peer reviews, class participation, and reading.

Using the Course Learning Objectives (found in the syllabus) and the Grading Contract, you will argue for the letter grade you have achieved and discuss ways you have worked toward the learning objectives in this course. I will review your memo and will discuss with you any issues or concerns in our conference together, so please include any questions you have for me.

Studies show that reflecting on what we have done helps us remember and learn more in the long term. I want us to do some intentional reflection to cement in what you have been learning.

Requirements

• Include to, from, subject, and date lines at the top. Follow memo format.
• Should be about 1 page long (no more than 2 pages).
• Divide your Midterm Memo into at least three parts
• In the first section, choose three Course Learning Objectives (from the syllabus) and offer evidence (e.g., your written assignments, your presentations, your group work, your class participation, etc.) to support claims about how you have worked toward the Course Learning Objectives and what you learned in the process.
• In the second section, explain what letter grade you have now and the letter grade you want to have at the end of the semester. Use the Grading Contract to justify the letter grade you have now, and use the Grading Contract criteria to explain how you plan to achieve the grade you want at the end of the semester. If you have questions or concerns about your grade or the grading system, articulate them here so we can talk about them in your conference. (Note that per university policy, plus/minus grades will appear on transcripts but are not used to calculate GPA, OP 34.12.)
• In the third section, Briefly mention at least two skills you will work to improve before class is over. These could be general writing or project management skills, or you could refer to your overall class participation or the work you are putting in on assignments.

Some Tips

Before you get started, re-read the Syllabus (which includes the Course Learning Objectives) and the Grading Contract.

Consider: What do the specific examples from your work say about what you have learned? Answer this question explicitly. Feel free to quote from the Course Learning Objectives themselves to explain what you feel you have learned, and/or connect them to the questions posed in the Course Description.

What kind of learning has been the most important for you? For example: Maybe you started the semester feeling like you knew nothing about professional report genres or business writing in general. Now, you feel your quality of writing, composing, research and attention to detail  **has grown, which has shown how you have developed research, reading, and writing skills appropriate for a professional setting. Weave the Course Learning Objectives into your writing.

I will keep what you write in your memo between you and me only. You will do yourself a service by being honest with yourself about which grade you think you have earned thus far per the Grading Contract criteria. It is important to be absolutely clear about where you are now in the semester and what you have to do to get where you want to be by the end.

This memo is designed to be discussed between you and me in an individual conference meeting, which we will schedule around mid-semester. You may meet with me via Zoom or in person. If you want to meet with me before the scheduled conference dates in the course schedule, let me know.