It takes 5-7 business days for a Touchstone to be graded once it’s been submitted.
Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you can’t submit it until you have completed the units Challenges. Once you’ve submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted toward your final course score.
Touchstone 2.1: Evaluate a Source
ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you will select one of the sources you have found through your preliminary research about your research topic. Which source you choose is up to you; however, it should be substantial enough that you will be able to talk about it at length, and intricate enough that it will keep you (and your reader) interested.
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
The introduction of this paper will involve introducing the source: Provide the author, the title, and the context (where you found the source, where it was originally published, who sponsored it, etc.)
You will then go on to evaluate the source on two levels:
Credibility: Using the information in this unit as a guide, evaluate the sources authenticity and reliability. Look at all the information that you can find about the source to establish the authors (or sponsors) trustworthiness.
Usefulness: Using a combination of summary and analysis, examine the source on a critical level. Determine what the sources purpose (thesis) is, and how it arrives at that goal. Examine its value to you and the project you are working on. How will it help you prove your own points? How might it come in handy to back up a claim (or address a counter-claim)?
Finally, you will include a conclusion which shows your final assessments on both counts.
Sample Touchstone
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Source Identification
The introduction of this paper will be introducing the source:
Have you provided the author’s name?
Have you provided the source title?
Have you provided the context (where you found the source, where it was originally published, who sponsored it, etc.)?
2. Source Evaluation
Have you provided a judgment on the source’s credibility?
Have you used specific examples from the source to illustrate your judgment on credibility?
Have you provided a judgment on the source’s usefulness?
Have you used specific examples from the source to illustrate your judgment on usefulness?
3. Reflection
Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
B. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
What types of questions did you ask yourself when evaluating the credibility and usefulness of your source? (2-3 sentences)
How do you feel this evaluation practice will help you as you continue to move through the research process? (2-3 sentences)
C. Rubric
Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Non-Performance (0%)
Thesis Statement
Provide a clear thesis statement with sufficient support.
The thesis statement consists of an original observation that is clear, focused, and well-supported. The thesis statement consists of an original observation that is adequately supported. The thesis statement consists of an identifiable main idea that is generally supported. The thesis statement consists of an identifiable main idea, but it is not well supported or does not match most of essay’s content. The thesis statement is missing or completely unsupported.
Evidence and Analysis
Evaluate a single source based on the characteristics of credibility and usefulness.
The analysis includes specific examples from the text as support; claims for credibility and usefulness are fully developed. The analysis includes examples from the text as support; claims for credibility and usefulness are adequately developed. The analysis includes some examples from the text, though they are of a potentially vague or abstract; claims for credibility and usefulness are established but need further development. The analysis includes one or two examples from the text, but they are of a vague, abstract nature; claims for either credibility or usefulness are missing. The analysis includes little to no examples for support; there are no established claims for either credibility or usefulness.
Organization
Exhibit competent organizational writing techniques.
Presents all of the required components of a source evaluation essay, including an engaging introduct
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