Incubator Collaborates with Harvard Writing Project

As part of an ongoing partnership spanning several years, James Herron, Director of the Harvard Writing Project, worked with the teaching team for “Societies of the World 24: Global Health Challenges: Complexities of Evidence-Based Policy” (SW24) to ensure consistent grading of writing assignments. SW24, a popular General Education undergraduate course on global health taught by Incubator Director Sue J. Goldie, requires students to complete substantive writing assignments, including policy briefs, to synthesize and demonstrate their understanding of course material. Consistency in grading for such written work is essential to ensure fairness and equity across the class.

In his workshop with the course staff and teaching team, held at the Incubator in spring 2015, Herron led the teaching fellows in a grading calibration activity using sample assignments, and provided guidance on how to align evaluation expectations and share constructive feedback with students. The Harvard Writing Project has also collaborated with Goldie and the Incubator staff to produce a writing guide for SW24 students.