Preparation for exams: What to review

Here we are, less than three weeks away from final examinations for Writing IIIc. Please see the Writing Studio Google Calendar for dates and times of exams.

At this juncture, I imagine that you're wondering what to do to prepare for them. I think two to three weeks is just about enough time to prepare thoroughly, in advance; three days or three three hours simply won't allow you enough time for preparation, because there is so much course material to review prior to the exam periods, and - for a number of you - so much more blog development to do. After conducting your review, please post any relevant questions you have in comments on this exam prep. blog post.

If you were in a class that wasn't blended (online and offline) like Writing IIIc is, you would probably have a textbook, handouts and class notes to review. However, if you think that apart from small orange logbooks (Extensive reading logs), you have little material to review prior to exams, you will be ill-prepared for examinations this semester (Writing III), and for the semester to come (Writing IV).

The texts for these courses are probably both more numerous and more extensive than those you've had for any courses you've ever taken. First of all, we have both:

• The Writing Studio Wiki - a hypertext consisting of an extended table of contents complete with internal and external references; and

• The Writing Studio Blog - another hypertext modeling and providing guidelines for your own blog developments.

If you haven't done so already, you should read each of those hypertexts completely. Even if you have read them already, you should review them thoroughly, and keep checking them frequently for updates in the next week or so.

Next there are examples of blogging, both good and not so good ones, in all of the blogs belonging to your classmates and peers in Writing III. Please keep visiting them, and when you find a quality you like about their blogs or writing styles, emulate them. Then there are all of the Gmail messages that your instructor has sent to you and your class mates. You should review all of those texts as well, for they provide models and instructions for you own blog and proto-portofolio developments.

During your review of all of those course materials, you may find items that are puzzling, unclear or even incomprehensible. If you do, please ask about those items in class, or in comments on this blog post, at least a week prior to scheduled exams.