A.2. 
Self-Assessment Form (optional)
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requires that each program annually assess the progress of their students. To ensure that the Linguistics Department meets its objectives of fostering an environment where students become well-rounded independent scholars and effective teachers, the department assesses the progress of its graduate students each May (see section 3 Annual Student Progress Tracking). The goal of the Annual Assessment is to provide students with feedback on the extent to which they meet a set of expectations for the stage of the program that they are in. These expectations are outlined below. They are to be interpreted as broad guidelines: the department acknowledges that there is a certain degree of variation, depending on field of study and other factors. As part of the Annual Assessment, students are also encouraged to fill out a self-assessment form that will be compared with the departmental assessment (see Appendix A.2. Self Assessment Form.)
Expectations for Year 1 (MA and PhD)
- Course work and research:
- Strong performance in course work. Anything other than A or A- is a cause for concern. Any mark in the B range (B+, B, B-) signals that a student should discuss his or her performance with the course instructor. Note that anything below a B- in a graduate course counts as a fail for graduate students at McGill. A student with more than one grade below B- cannot continue in the program.
- Active participation in class discussions.
- Learning of technical skills appropriate for dealing with theory and data.
- Timely completion of assignments.
- Clear and organized presentation in both written and oral work.
- Demonstration of ability to work independently.
- Evidence that feedback has been sought from instructors and responded to it appropriately and in a timely manner.
- Independent development of research questions and ability to find a paper topic for Evaluation 1 or MA project by May 15.
- Conference presentations and publications:
- First year students are not expected to submit abstracts to conferences or publish their work. Students who submit abstracts to conferences or written work for publication should first solicit feedback from a faculty member to ensure that the project is ready for presentation or publication.
- Departmental activities
- Attendance at and optimally participation in department colloquia, bag lunches, and readings groups.
- Presentations in reading groups is strongly encouraged.
- Participation in departmental extra-curricular activities.
Expectations for Year 2 (MA and PhD):
- Course work and research:
- Strong performance in course work (see course-related criteria above).
- Demonstration of ability to conduct independent research in the course of Evaluation 1 or MA project.
- Evidence that feedback has been sought from instructors and supervisors and responded to appropriately and in a timely manner.
- Demonstration of ability to provide feedback to other students in Graduate Seminar.
- Timely completion of Evaluation 1 or MA project.
- Timely selection of topic and committee for Evaluation 2 (May 15; PhD students only).
- Conference presentations and publications:
- Second year students typically submit abstracts based on their first evaluation paper to conferences. They are encouraged to present their work at appropriate venues, which include student conferences that encourage the presentation of work in progress (e.g. TOM, MOT, BWTL, ConSOLE).
- Teaching:
- Second year students who work as TAs are encouraged to take part in the teaching workshops offered by McGill and to seek advice from more senior instructors (both students and faculty members) in the department.
- Departmental activities:
- Active participation in departmental colloquia, reading groups and bag lunches.
- Presentation in reading groups is strongly encouraged.
- Participation in departmental extra-curricular activities; volunteering for extra-curricular departmental responsibilities.
- Professional development:
- Set up personal website listing research interests, presentations and publications to ensure visibility.
Expectations for Year 3 (PhD students only):
- Research:
- Timely completion of Evaluation 2 (December 15).
- Development and submission of thesis proposal (in the Winter term).
- Seek feedback and respond to it appropriately in a timely manner.
- Presentations and publications:
- Submission of research to high-profile conferences (as always, students should consult with their committee or others about whether their work is ready for presentation; they should also get feedback on their abstracts).
- Take steps toward publication of Evaluations 1 and 2, ideally submitting them to journals.
- Teaching: Further development of teaching skills.
- Departmental activities:
- Active participation in departmental colloquia, reading groups and bag lunches.
- Participation in departmental extra-curricular activities; volunteering for extra-curricular departmental responsibilities.
- Professional development:
- Update personal website listing research interests, presentations and publications to ensure visibility.
Expectations for Year 4 and 5:
- Research:
- Thesis: Continue to work independently, seeking and responding to feedback appropriately and in a timely fashion; timely completion of the steps involved in finishing the dissertation.
- Presentations and publications: Continue to present at conferences and submit research for publication.
- Teaching: Gain more experience and develop teaching skills further.
- Departmental activities:
- Participation in departmental extra-curricular activities; volunteering for extra-curricular departmental responsibilities.
- Professional development:
- Continue updating personal website listing research interests, presentations and publications to ensure visibility