Dual Submission Assignments

This week we completed our letter of note assignments, including a paper and a presentation. This is the second time this semester I have done an assignment like this in one of my classes, so I wanted to give my input on why I think it works brilliantly. However, before I talk about the functionality of dual submission assignments, I would like to preface by saying they must always be due project first, then paper. If the paper is due first, it defeats its entire purpose.

The first part of a dual submission assignment is the project component. It usually is a presentation. However, I have seen posters, dioramas, and performances substituted. What’s most important is that it is live. This part of the presentation is all about presenting your findings at the surface level. This portion of the assignment relies heavily on visual elements and allows you to be creative. You’re familiarizing your audience with your material and the broad points you have discovered. By first presenting your initial discoveries to an audience, you can then use their feedback and what you learned from part one to write your second part of the assignment, the essay.

The second part of these assignments is always an essay that offers you a chance to go in-depth about your work in part one. The first thing the essay does is gives you a chance to explain anything unclear in part one. If you mess up the live part, the essay allows you to redeem yourself because you can think about what you want to write. Secondly, it allows you to answer any questions you left open at the end of your project. I ended my presentations in both of my classes with questions that my class could discuss and create a dialogue with. I then used those questions to build my thesis for my essays. Finally, it allows you to expand on points brought up in your project. My teacher particularly liked my point about Puck being the Stage Manager of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hence, I developed that point into a paragraph of my essay for that dual submission project.

I am such a big supporter of the dual submission project because it’s two grades for the work of one! As long as you are doing good research and have a solid base of information to use, you will get a decent grade. However, instead of researching two completely separate topics, you are being given two different grades based on the way you present (and expand whatever) upon the same information. As a lazy smart person, these assignments are like hitting the jackpot. I hate researching because it is time-consuming, but once I know the material, I can expand upon it easily. These projects allow me to do less of what I hate and get two great grades for the same amount of work it takes me to complete one assignment. It makes sense why I am such an avid fan.

My favorite show, Firebringer, teaches that progress doesn’t come from the desire to understand but rather the need to be lazy. I would like to thank whoever created the dual submission assignment for being the true embodiment of this quote and allowing me to be smart and lazy.