It has been argued that for novice students to acquire a full understanding of scientific texts, they also need to pursue a recurrent construction of their comprehension of scientific concepts. The course dossier method has students examine concepts in multiple passes: (a) through reflective writing on text before it is considered in the classroom, (b) in a one-page essay at the end of the week, and (c) through a final essay at the end of the term. Students are encouraged to relate to the text in their reflective writing and critiques in the manner of a hermeneutical circle. Students are further scaffolded in writing their final essay by the use of student reviewers. This study explored how students in a humanities course perceived and accomplished the course dossier method. It was found that students’ understanding of concepts improved as the course progressed.
D’aucuns ont fait valoir qu’afin que les etudiants novices comprennent pleinement les textes scientifiques, ils doivent egalement poursuivre une construction recurrente de leur comprehension des concepts scientifiques. La methode qui consiste a tenir un dossier de cours requiert des etudiants qu’ils examinent les concepts en plusieurs passes : (a) par le biais de la redaction reflective sur le texte avant que celui-ci soit etudie en classe, (b) par un essai d’une page a la fin de la semaine et (c) par un essai final a la fin du trimestre. Les etudiants sont encourages a mettre le texte en rapport avec leur redaction reflective et leurs critiques a la maniere d’un cercle hermeneutique. De plus, les etudiants sont davantage prepares a rediger leur essai final par l’utilisation d’etudiants reviseurs. Cette etude explore la maniere dont les etudiants d’un cours de sciences humaines percoivent et accomplissent la methode qui consiste a tenir un dossier de cours. On a decouvert qu’au fur et a mesure que le cours a progresse, les etudiants ont davantage compris les concepts.
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