Mid Term Exam: ART 3648: History of Photography 1 Mid Term Exam: ART 3648: History of Photography CSUB Spring 2024 Dr. Alex Kershaw Weight: Due: 25% of Final Grade 6pm Sunday March 17 Submission Details: – Submit a single Microsoft Word document titled “Exam_1_YourSurname” on the Canvas site via the “Mid-Term Exam” page that can be found under “Upcoming Assignments” in the “Assignments” tab. – Use 12pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced, with 1-inch page margins. – Make sure you start a new page for each bundle. – You don’t need to include the questions, only your answers. – Read carefully through your exam before submitting. Always double-check for spelling, grammar and syntax errors. Assessment There are 4 bundles to the exam. The number of bundles you satisfactorily complete determines your grade. Bundles Completed Satisfactorily complete Bundle 1: Satisfactorily complete Bundles 1 and 2: Satisfactorily complete Bundles 1, 2, and 3: Satisfactorily complete Bundles 1, 2, 3, and 4: Grade D C B A Understanding this Exam and Specifications Grading We are using a type of grading system for this exam called specifications grading because I want to give you more autonomy in your learning experience as a means of being practical about the fact that we are all prioritizing where we put or energy given the limited time and resources available. The most important aspect of specifications grading to understand is that rather than grading each bundle numerically, they are graded as either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” Depending on how many bundles you pass determines your grade. Simply attempting the bundle does not guarantee that you will pass. When grading “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” the bar for satisfactory is set higher than what we typically think of as “passing work” (it’s more like a typical B than a C), with a satisfactory grade being one that meets the clearly-articulated specifications. Make sure to carefully read the question before attempting to answer it and make sure you are willing to allocate the necessary time to complete it satisfactorily. For this exam there are 4 bundles that get progressively more challenging. In a way this system is like a game of “choose your own adventure,” but keep in mind that playing the game means participating with honest effort to demonstrate an understanding of course material that is effectively applied to the exam’s specifications, rather than “gaming the system.” The bundles must be completed in order—so you must complete Bundle 1 before attempting Bundle 2, Bundle 2 before attempting Bundle 3, and Bundle 3 before attempting Bundle 4. Mid Term Exam: ART 3648: History of Photography 2 Also, keep in mind that the final letter grade you receive for this exam is not an assessment of your intelligence, your abilities, or your value as a person. I am not grading “you” as a person, instead the grade reflects what you demonstrated that you learned in the course—no more, no less. You might choose that passing the course with a C is sufficient for your goals—it is perfectly appropriate and worthy of respect for you to make that choice, especially if it allows you to proactively allocate your time to other endeavors. If you strive to get an A and maximize your learning, you should know that you are taking on that work and challenge yourself, and should make sure you are in a personal and academic situation to achieve that level of engagement. I understand that this is probably a new system for many of you and so I want you to know that I am committed to taking as much time is necessary to ensure you understand the expectations and practices. Feel free to reach out to me at any point during the week if you would like me to explain this grading system in more detail or if you would like clarification on any aspect of the exam. Though, like any normal exam I will not be able to discuss ideas for have for how you will answer the question or give feedback on your answers. As I mentioned in lecture last week, I have provided a link to an article in the Week 5 Module for those that are interested in reading more about specifications grading. Relevant Policies as Per the Syllabus Your exam must be turned in on time to receive full marks. It will be docked one letter grade (the equivalent of 10%) per day until I receive it, including Saturday and Sunday. There will be no make-up exams. If you miss an exam or fail to turn in a paper on the due date, please contact me immediately. Exams may only be made up because of illness or other severely extenuating personal circumstances. Documentation will be required. All assignments, papers, and exams will be read carefully. Academic dishonesty of any kind will result in an automatic zero for the exam and possible failure of the course. Your exam will be screened via an application that checks for plagiarism called called Turnitin. Mid Term Exam: ART 3648: History of Photography Bundle 1: Short Answer Questions Total Number of Questions: Length of each response: 5 120-170 words each