Re-Cap from the Past Year
The Honors in Action project is a daunting task indeed. Every chapter faces a number of adversities, including: the transitioning of officers, internal conflicts, inabilities to gather resources, financial means, or an assortment of other challenges that can and will arise during the year, no matter how much effort your chapter puts forth from the months of January to December.
However, Phi Theta Kappa foresees these many trials; thus, the Honors Program Guide is an essential tool throughout every step of the Honors in Action progression. Let us consider for a moment the following questions. (As addressed during Boot Camp and our Leadership Conference, these questions should be evaluated at the beginning stages of the Honors in Action project, midway, and again nearing the finale): • Was a theme chosen that reflected the interests of the chapter? How was it chosen? • Did the chapter choose more than one of the questions, under your chosen theme, as a focus for research? • Has the chapter, or Honors in Action committee, used at least eight to ten good-quality academic resources (academic or professional journal articles, books by academic/professional experts) and interviews with experts that highlight various ideas, perspectives and ways to approach the theme? • After the research was assessed thoroughly, were conclusions developed objectively regarding the theme? Did these conclusions create goals that addressed a need at the college or in the community? • How did the chapter then create a plan of action to go forth with their project plan and objectives? • How was the plan carried out, and how did you evaluate the plan regularly? Adjustments are typically necessary, and sometimes working backwards is a must; hence, were future possibilities and results calculated prior to fulfilling them unseeingly? Has your chapter kept an Honors in Action Journal documenting academic investigation, leadership roles and leadership development, action, and collaboration? • Furthermore, did your chapter continually engage the Honors in Action committee in the judging rubrics for the Hallmark Awards? On top of the many frustrations your chapter may have faced, you have hopefully completed a project nearing November. You have successfully accomplished one of the hardest projects Phi Theta Kappa proposes to their chapters – congratulations! Your chapter has proven you can research, maintain the four pillars of Phi Theta Kappa, implement a service project that benefits the community, all while maintaining your studies. Give yourselves a pat on the back! |
The Writing Process
Now that chapters have reached December, you will see in your
November Newsletters, sent out by your Regional President Malinda Peasley, it is time to hammer out everyone’s favorite process of this project: the writing. Tips for the Writers: • If many chapter members were involved in the stages of the Honors in Action project, we recommend everyone contributing a written piece to the writer(s) detailing what they have done. • The writer(s) can take everyone’s contributed piece and create a summary of what was done in one, fluid voice. • You do not want your essay to sound choppy. Thus, try to keep the persons writing to a maximum of two. • The writer(s) must work diligently, create an outline, and have all judging rubrics by their side when writing. • Start early! The writer(s) should give themselves plenty of time for generating ideas, drafting, revising, and editing. • “These are separate steps—but they are recursive. That means you move back and forth between the steps” (Phyllis Duvall). Make sure to follow the rules, and you may also contact your Honors in Action Committee Representative for further questions, found here: http://www.ptk.org/get-involved/honors-in-action/committee Now, review a sample submission, influenced by a prior winner, to see what questions are specifically asked, and where this particular chapter could have developed their entry when comparing it to the Honors in Action Project Award Evaluation Form. Please contact your Regional Liaison if your chapter would like a copy of the Honors in Action Project Award Evaulation Form emailed to you, or download the links in the following column ☻☺☻. |
Reviewing a Sample Essay with an Evaluation Form
First, download the above, three files.
PTK COLORADO REGION
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