Guidelines for Cultural Posts

Blog Posts for Your ePortfolio

Before each conference with your coordinator, you should look at your course blog, re-read the posts from the language coordinator or language examiner, and go through the comments you have posted in response. For each conference, select one of your comments that you feel demonstrates your growing cultural competence in the culture you are studying. Be sure to look at the stated goal for cultural competence in the course description document for your language course and take it into consideration when making your choice.


Once you have identified the post you wish to put in your blog, take a screen shot of the question or comment that was posted by the coordinator or examiner. Instructions will be provided. Take as many additional screen shots as necessary to capture your entire response. (You can do screen shots without additional plug-ins using a Mac, but not a PC. On the Mac, use apple + shift + 3 [the number 3] to take a shot of the entire screen. It will save to the desktop. Use apple + shift +4 to select what you wish to take a screen shot of.) Post the question/comment and your response in your blog.


In your reflective writing for the cultural posts, describe why you think your response demonstrates your growing cultural competence and how it attempts to meet the stated goal(s) for cultural competence as identified in the table below:


Products and Perspectives

Social Behaviors and Values

Social Phenomena

Social Changes

Identify, discuss, and analyze intangible products of the culture I am studying such as social, economic, and political institutions, and explore relationships among these institutions and the perspectives of the culture.

Give examples of social behaviors that express the target culture's underlying value system.

Interpret social phenomena within the context of the target culture.

Describe instances of major change within the culture I am studying.


Use the following table to guide you through the preparation of the cultural posts (and bring it with you to the conference if so instructed by your coordinator):


Cultural Posts Checklist

Yes/No

Identify Appropriate Posts: I have chosen samples of my blog contributions that demonstrate how I am achieving the stated goals for cultural proficiency.


Take Screenshots: I have taken a screenshot (instructions above) of both the stated topic and my response to it. (You may take a single screenshot if you can get both the topic and your response in one shot.)


Save: I have uploaded both the topic and my response to it to my ePortfolio.


Reflect: I have written my reflections in such a way as to demonstrate how I am meeting the goals for cultural proficiency outlined in the "Course Description" document and included reflective writing in my ePortfolio.




Once you have completed the checklist above, read through the questions below. In order to have the potential to receive full credit for the cultural post to the blog, you should be sure to include responses to each question in your reflective writing about the cultural post:


  • Have you spellchecked your post?

  • Does your response clearly demonstrate that you are gaining insight into the target culture? How?

  • Have you reflected on your cultural post in terms of the stated cultural proficiency goals for the course?


Blog Participation

In addition to including your responses to posted blogs twice during the semester, you received a separate grade for your blog participation overall. That participation will be assessed according to the following rubric:


Blog Discussion Evaluation Rubric


Category

Excellent

Above Average

Average

Below Average

Quality of Information

The information clearly relates to the main topic and adds new concepts or information.

The information clearly relates to the main topic. When appropriate, it provides at least one supporting detail or example.

The information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given, even if appropriate.

The information has little or nothing to do with the main topic or simply restates the main concept.

Supporting Resources, Examples, Online Citations/URL (If Required by the Assignment)

The student has provided several appropriate supporting details, examples, and/or online citations/URLs.

The student has provided one supporting detail, example, and/or online citations/URL.

The student has provided an inappropriate supporting detail, example, and/or online citations/URLs.

The student has not provided any supporting details, examples, and/or online citations/URLs.

Critical Thinking

The student's comments enhance the critical thinking process consistently through reflection and through the questioning of self and others.

The student's comments enhance the critical thinking process occasionally through reflection and through the questioning of self and others.

The student's comments respond superficially to the facilitator's question(s), i.e., they do not involve critical thinking.

The student's comments do not address the questions posed by the facilitator.

Participation

The student's comments encourage and facilitate interaction among members of the online community.

The student's comments are a response to other members of the online community.

The student's comments are rarely an interaction with or response to other members of the online community.

The student's comments are a response to the discussion facilitator only.

Use of Language

Both appropriate vocabulary and clarity of writing style are consistently apparent throughout the discussion.

Both appropriate vocabulary and clarity of writing style are frequently apparent throughout the discussion.

Both appropriate vocabulary and clarity of writing style are occasionally apparent throughout the discussion.

Appropriate vocabulary and clarity of writing style are not apparent in the discussion.

Overall Evaluation






Adapted from Amy Finch and Liana Connelly, Fort Hays State University.

See your coordinator if you have additional questions.

Cultural Posts Guidelines