ABSTRACT
Scholars of teaching and assessment have developed and used many forms of student self-assessment on course content. Content-focused writing can furnish the basis for the final exam. The simplest is to have students write a brief reflection in class or as homework on the nature of the subject matter of the course and its importance—for example, “What is history and Why is this subject important”. Content-focused writing can furnish the basis for the final exam. For the final, students take the role of a new criminology instructor with a PhD and write a critique of their first assignment, correcting inaccuracies, identifying misconceptions, pointing out errors in reasoning, and supplying a more complete and correct response to each question.
