1. Wed. Nov. 29, 2017
M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Our Week 9 Academic Planning & Statement session is devoted to two main tasks:
(briefly) discussing the Academic Plan & Statement draft you started earlier in the quarter
(more substantially) starting to work on your Self-Evaluation.
This in preparation for bringing substantial drafts of (just) Self-Evaluations to the Peer Review Workshop scheduled during our final fall quarter class meeting on Thursday December 5.

2. Wed. Nov. 29, 2017 - M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
A brief reminder of related activities to this point or in the near future:
You completed a summer Student Survey, which included questions on why you chose Matter and Motion and your educational goals and any long term career goals.
In week 1 Mon. Sep. 25, (the first day of the program), we were visited by recent graduate Emily Lubar (Evergreen ’17), currently a Research Technologist with Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics & Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, who spoke on her academic trajectory at Evergreen and how it led to her current position (15 minutes).
In week 4 Mon. Oct. 16, we hosted a cross-program lunch mixer with students from the upper division program Mathematical Systems, where you had the opportunity to talk with them and each other about your academic plans and opportunities (75 minutes)
In week 6 Mon. Oct. 30, we hosted a panel of current Evergreen students (Slade Dillard, Erica Sawyer, Pyxie Star) who participated in summer Research Experience for Undergraduate programs (60 minutes).
In anticipation of our first formal Academic Planning & Statement Workshop, you completed a substantial Pre-Workshop Writing Assignment.
In week 6 Wed. Nov. 1, we had our first formal Academic Planning & Statement Workshop (90 minutes). The end result of this workshop and the associated pre-workshop writing assignment should have been a very rich source to draw from in drafting your Academic Plan & Statement.
In week 9 Wed. Nov. 29 (that’s now!), we have a workshop devoted to Academic Planning & Statement writing as well as Self-Evaluation writing.
In week 10 Thu. Dec. 5, we’ll have a Peer Review Workshop for your substantial draft of your Self-Evaluation, or for those graduating in fall or winter of your Final Academic Statement draft.

3. “Annual Academic Statement”  Academic Plan/Map/Dream
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Some terminology:
“Annual Academic Statement”  Academic Plan/Map/Dream
“Final Academic Statement”  Final/Transcript/Graduate Academic Statement

4. Early Middle Late undergraduate education
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
undergraduate education
Early Middle Late
Academic Plan/Map/Dream Graduation Statement

5. Wed. Nov. 29, 2017 - M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
“The Academic Statement is a narrative introduction to your overall transcript. You write about where you’ve been and where you’re going at Evergreen, describing your undergraduate studies as a whole. Reflective writing is a great way to understand what you've learned and to discover what you want to learn.”
(modified from
The primary goal of your Academic Statement is to make sense of your academic trajectory.
For all of you, particularly those in your final year at Evergreen, this will involve framing your past work (highlighting certain elements, minimizing others) to reveal the sense of (or impose sense on) that work.
For all of you, particularly those in the early or middle parts of your Evergreen education, it should also involve making thoughtful and informed choices about what makes sense to do next, and how best to prepare for that.

6. Wed. Nov. 29, 2017 - M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
There are many narrative strategies, writing styles, genres, etc. that could work for your Academic Statement. Those choices are up to you. Faculty will only ask “Does it read well?” and “Does it describe your work?”.
However, your Academic Statements will be well served with a clear introduction, a clear conclusion, and clear body paragraphs.
Depending on where you are in our academic trajectory (early, middle, near graduation), you will want to emphasize different things:
For those of closer to graduation, this might involve framing your past and current work to make sense of that work for an outside audience.
For those of with more time left in your undergraduate careers, you will want to describe a potential Academic Plan, Map, or Dream and how to best plan for that.
While only the final version that is included in your transcript has the 750 word limit, you should try to get close to that limit even in your interim versions.
Those of you who completed Academic Planning & Statement Workshop I in week 6 are most of the way there.

7. Self-Evaluations contrasted with Academic Statements
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Self-Evaluations contrasted with Academic Statements
In contrast to the Academic Statement, your Self-Evaluation is concerned with your current program, course, or contract. Of course, there may be connections to past or future work (e.g. skills or content from prior work that you struggled with or wanted to deepen, or future work that requires the skills/content from your current program, course, or contract). But for the most part, the focus should be on your current work.
Also in contract to the Academic Statement, the audience for your Self-Evaluation is much more focused: it consists of you (now and in the future) and your faculty (current and future). This is an internal document, and while it may serve as raw material for your Academic Statement, its narrower focus and audience means that it is a good place to be frank and straightforward about successes and short-comings, and about concrete, achievable goals for improvement.

8. External to Evergreen: employers, grad programs, etc.
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Final Statement
Academic Plan
Self-Evaluation
Audience
External to Evergreen: employers, grad programs, etc.
Internal: faculty, advisors, mentors
Internal:
You (now, future)
Faculty (now, future)
Scale/Scope
Undergrad education: retrospective
Undergrad education: both retrospective and prospective
Your current program
Purpose
Make sense of your interdisciplinary liberal arts Evergreen education to an outside audience
Map out/imagine your academic trajectory: past, present, future
Frankly and constructively reflect on successes and struggles to reveal learning and areas for improvement

9. Self-Evaluation structure
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Self-Evaluation structure
Program-Exiting
Interim
Introduction: Brief description of previous academic, professional, or personal experience that brought you to this program, possibly including goals, and orients your reader to the essay. Describes your intentions for the program and frames your learning in terms of those goals.
Introduction: Brief description of previous academic, professional, or personal experience that brought you to this program, possibly including goals, and orients your reader to the essay.
Conclusion: Next steps for your academic work or career. Summarizes your accomplishments and/or discusses how your learning in the program will help you achieve future goals.
Conclusion: Identifies concrete and achievable goals for improvement for the next quarter.

10. Free-Write Exercise (10 minutes)
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Free-Write Exercise (10 minutes)
(prompts modified from
Write on as many of the prompts as you can in the time available. No-one will see this unless you choose to share it. Keep your pen/pencil moving for the entire 10 minutes. Bullet points, sentence fragments, etc. just fine.
Why did you choose Matter and Motion?
How did your actual experience compare with your expectations and original goals?
What did you do and what did you learn from it?
Why does what you learned matter?
What did you learn about yourself as a student and learner?
What are you most proud of accomplishing in this class?
What could you have done better, and want to do better in your next class/quarter?
How did this program relate to your larger academic pathway and goals? (And what are your goals and academic pathway?)
Where does this program leave you? What do you want to study next?

11. Program & Institutional Learning Goals(remaining time)
Wed. Nov. 29, M&M Academic Planning Workshop II
Program & Institutional Learning Goals(remaining time)
Your Syllabus has the Program Learning Goals and Institutional Learning Goals (“The Expectations of an Evergreen Graduate”). (copies available for each table)
Consider each of the Program Learning Goals
Free-write openly, honestly, but also constructively, about your successes and shortcomings in meeting those goals.
Successes should be described briefly and supported with evidence.
Shortcomings should be described briefly and accompanied by realistic action items for improvement.
Use your Program Activities Log and Chemistry, Math, and Physics Accounts to remind yourself of your body of work produced this quarter.
Consider content learning (“learned how to find limits numerically but not algebraically”, “learned how to draw a Lewis dot diagram and exceptions”) and process learning (“improved with time management”, “struggled on quizzes”).
Consider work that would be otherwise be invisible to faculty or other observers: working with tutors/at QuaSR/in study groups; connections you made between program material and your life outside the program; etc.