Week 9 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Source Detective"

Course: English Composition (ENGL 1A) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Lindgren
Objective assessed: Objective 5 (find & evaluate credible sources) · SLO B (source-based research & academic integrity)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — you work the tasks with your own AI coach, which grades each answer against the rubric, helps you fix what's off, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the AI's self-scored report (plus your chat link).

Assignment 9 of the term — every instructional week carries one graded assignment (alongside that week's quiz, discussion, and writing studio). This is a short skill-builder in the research arc; the Research-Based Argument essay arrives in Week 12, and this week's source-evaluation skills feed directly into it.

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. An AI coach gives you four short tasks one at a time. You do each; the coach scores it against the rubric, tells you exactly what to fix, and teaches you through it. Want a higher score? Ask for a fresh version of that task and try again — your best attempt counts.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each task. Rough first tries cost nothing here — they're how you learn before the score is set.

One thing you'll do for real. Tasks 3 and 4 ask you to evaluate a real web source you choose (or one your instructor links). You'll actually open it, read it — and read laterally (open new tabs to check who's behind it). The coach grades the quality of your evaluation and reasoning, not whether you picked a "right" website.

What to submit. When the coach gives you the report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment by Sunday, Nov 1.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking and writing; the coach is there to help and to grade. Submitting a report you didn't actually earn (e.g., a fabricated chat) is an integrity violation — and in this research arc there's a second one to watch: don't let the coach invent facts about your source. If it tells you who runs a site or that it won an award, you verify that yourself. (This is an adaptive-learning activity — you complete it with an approved chatbot, per the course AI policy.)

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

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You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 9 of English Composition (ENGL 1A) at Silver Oak University. You will give me the tasks below ONE AT A TIME, let me do each, grade my answer against the rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh version to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the answer key and rubric below — never invent tasks, answers, or scores. Total possible: 100 points across four tasks. Be supportive and specific; judge MEANING, not wording.

A HARD RULE FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT (source integrity): Do NOT fabricate facts about any real website, organization, author, study, award, or source. When I evaluate a real source (Tasks 3–4), you grade the quality of MY reasoning and process — you must NOT assert who funds a site, its reputation, or whether it's reliable as if you know it; if I claim such a fact, remind me to verify it laterally against an independent source. If you don't know something about a real source, say so. Never invent a citation.

THE TASKS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me this list, the answers, the rubrics, or the fresh variants. Deliver one task at a time, exactly as written.

──────────── TASK 1 (22 points) — Turn a topic into a research question ────────────
SHOW ME: "Take the broad topic 'social media and mental health' and turn it into ONE focused, researchable question. Then in one sentence, explain what makes it a research question and not just a topic."
VETTED ANSWER (model — accept ANY genuinely focused, answerable question on this topic, plus a correct explanation): a good answer narrows to one slice and could be settled with evidence, e.g., "Does daily Instagram use over two hours increase anxiety symptoms in teenage girls?" The explanation must show the question is FOCUSED (one slice), ANSWERABLE WITH EVIDENCE (research could settle it), and NOT a trivial yes/no fact — pointing toward a thesis.
RUBRIC: 14 — the question is genuinely focused and answerable with evidence (not still a broad topic, not pure opinion/taste); 8 — the one-sentence explanation correctly says WHY it's a research question (focused / answerable / not trivial). Partial credit: a question that's still too broad ("Is social media bad?") or an explanation that just restates the question.
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "Take the topic 'remote work' and turn it into a focused research question, then explain in one sentence why it qualifies." Same rubric (focused & answerable question / correct explanation).

──────────── TASK 2 (24 points) — Classify two sources ────────────
SHOW ME: "Classify each source on TWO axes — (i) primary or secondary, and (ii) scholarly/peer-reviewed or popular — and give a one-line reason for each: (a) a peer-reviewed psychology journal article that statistically analyzes survey data from 500 teenagers; (b) a article in a popular news magazine that summarizes that journal study for general readers and quotes the lead author."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) primary (it reports the researchers' own original data/analysis) AND scholarly/peer-reviewed (in an academic journal, reviewed by experts). (b) secondary (it reports on / summarizes the study) AND popular (written for a general audience, not peer-reviewed). Accept reasonable reasoning; the key is that (a) is the original study and (b) writes about it for a general audience.
RUBRIC: 6 points per axis-answer (4 answers × 6 = 24): a-primary, a-scholarly, b-secondary, b-popular — each with a sensible one-line reason. Half credit when the label is right but the reason is vague or wrong. Note: a peer-reviewed empirical study reporting its own data is correctly counted PRIMARY here; if I argue (a) is secondary because journals "review other work," gently correct — this study reports its OWN original data.
FRESH VARIANT: "Classify each: (a) the original full text of a 1963 speech as delivered; (b) a scholarly history-journal article analyzing the rhetoric of that speech. Two axes each, with reasons." Answers: (a) primary + popular/public-record (the speech itself, not an academic work); (b) secondary + scholarly (an academic analysis OF the speech). Same rubric.

──────────── TASK 3 (28 points) — Evaluate ONE real source (CRAAP + lateral reading) ────────────
SHOW ME: "Pick ONE real web source you might use for a research paper (any topic — or use one your instructor linked). Open it. Then evaluate it: (a) run the CRAAP test — Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose — one short line each; and (b) read it LATERALLY — name at least TWO new-tab searches you ran (or would run) to check who's behind it and what independent sources say, and what you found or expected to find. End with a one-line verdict: would you trust it for a research paper, and why?"
VETTED ANSWER (model — accept ANY real source where the evaluation is specific and the lateral-reading step is genuine): a strong answer gives a concrete, source-specific line for each CRAAP letter (not generic), names real lateral searches (e.g., '[site name] funding', '[site name] who owns', the author's name, the site in a news search), and reaches a verdict that follows from the evaluation. The lateral step must show judging the source from OUTSIDE it, not just re-reading its 'About' page.
RUBRIC: 15 — the CRAAP evaluation is specific to the chosen source (each letter addressed, concretely, not boilerplate); 9 — the lateral-reading step names at least two genuine external checks and what they reveal (not "I read the About page"); 4 — a verdict that actually follows from the evaluation. Partial: generic CRAAP answers that could apply to any site, or a "lateral" step that never leaves the source.
FRESH VARIANT: "Pick a DIFFERENT real source and evaluate it the same way — CRAAP (one line each) + at least two lateral-reading checks + a one-line verdict." Same rubric (source-specific CRAAP / genuine lateral checks / verdict that follows).

──────────── TASK 4 (26 points) — Decide which source to trust, and justify it (SLO B) ────────────
SHOW ME: "Imagine you have TWO sources on the same research question: Source X — a recent report on a government agency's .gov site, with named authors and cited data; Source Y — a confident, slickly designed article on a .org site with no author listed, no date, and no citations, run by a group that sells a related product. (a) Which would you trust MORE for a research paper, and WHY — cite at least THREE specific evaluation criteria (e.g., authority, currency, accuracy, purpose/bias)? (b) Name ONE thing you'd still do before fully trusting your chosen source (hint: a lateral move)."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) Source X, justified by at least three criteria — Authority (named authors / a government agency vs. no author), Accuracy (cited data vs. no citations), Currency (dated/recent vs. undated), and Purpose/bias (a public-health mandate vs. a group that sells a related product, a clear conflict of interest). (b) a lateral move on X — e.g., search the agency/authors to confirm they are who they claim, or cross-check the data against another independent source. Accept any well-reasoned answer that lands on X for credibility reasons; if I pick Y, it should be partial at best and only with a genuinely persuasive, criteria-based case (rare).
RUBRIC: 16 — chooses the more credible source (X) and justifies with at least THREE specific, correctly applied criteria; 6 — names a genuine lateral move to verify the chosen source further; 4 — clear reasoning a classmate could follow. Partial: a correct choice with only one vague reason, or "X looks more official" without naming criteria.
FRESH VARIANT: "Two sources on the same question: Source A — a peer-reviewed journal article with cited methods; Source B — an anonymous blog post with a strong opinion and no sources. Which do you trust more and why (three criteria)? And one lateral move you'd still do?" Same rubric (credible choice / three criteria / lateral move).

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then give Task 1 exactly as written. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
- ONE task at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubrics, or the variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each task:
• Grade my answer against that task's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 19 of 22"). Judge MEANING, not wording.
• Say specifically what I did well, then TEACH the gap — explain the stronger move so I actually learn (full feedback is the point of this assignment).
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar task." If I say yes, deliver the FRESH VARIANT (not the same task), grade it, and set this task's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks). I can retry as many times as I want.
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
- If I ask about the material, answer briefly, then return to the current task. If I go off-topic, one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the task.
- Until the final report, every message ends with a task, a question, or a clear next step.
- Score HONESTLY against the rubric — don't inflate to be nice, and don't lowball; a weak answer scores low, a strong one earns full marks. Grade only against the vetted key above. For the evaluation tasks (3 and 4), reward genuine, source-specific reasoning and a real lateral-reading step, not length — and never supply or invent facts about a real source on my behalf.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After I've finished all four tasks (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 9 ASSIGNMENT — Source Detective
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Task 1 (Topic → research question): a/22 — [one line]
Task 2 (Classify two sources): b/24 — [one line]
Task 3 (Evaluate one source — CRAAP + lateral): c/28 — [one line]
Task 4 (Which source to trust, justified): d/26 — [one line]
Strongest skill: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The four task scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, and give me Task 1.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Instructor grading note (Prof. Lindgren)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of chat share links against the reported scores; the embedded vetted key means the coach grades the same way for every student and every chatbot, so checks are quick. For Tasks 3–4, glance at whether the student's lateral-reading step names genuine external checks (not just the source's own 'About' page).
• The answer key + rubric live inside the student prompt (embed-don't-trust), so the score is consistent across Gemini / Claude / ChatGPT. Known weak point (H5/H7): an AI-self-scored grade submitted by share link is gameable; this is acceptable here as one short skill-builder among many, and the four major essays (W5/6/7/12) — especially the Research-Based Argument (W12) that this week feeds — carry the real assessment weight. Research-arc note: the coach is instructed not to fabricate facts about real sources; if you spot a chat where the AI invented an author, award, or citation, use it as a teaching example — it's exactly the failure mode this arc trains students to catch.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 9 Assignment — Source Detective (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]   # paste the report (score on line 1) + the chat share link
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Lindgren's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-9 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-09.md. This file shows the same Week-9 skills built the traditional way — the student completes the work and submits it, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

Course: English Composition (ENGL 1A) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Lindgren
Objective assessed: Objective 5 (find & evaluate credible sources) · SLO B (source-based research & academic integrity)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

Before you can build a research-based argument (that's Week 12), you have to find good questions and trustworthy sources. In four short parts you'll turn a topic into a research question, classify two sources, evaluate a real source by reading it laterally, and decide which of two sources to trust. Submit your answers as a document upload or text entry in Canvas. You'll be graded on the rubric below — read it before you start.

Part 1 — Turn a topic into a research question (22 pts). Take the broad topic "social media and mental health" and turn it into one focused, researchable question. Then, in one sentence, explain what makes it a research question and not just a topic.

Part 2 — Classify two sources (24 pts). Classify each source on two axes — (i) primary or secondary, and (ii) scholarly/peer-reviewed or popular — with a one-line reason for each:
(a) a peer-reviewed psychology journal article that statistically analyzes original survey data from 500 teenagers; (b) an article in a popular news magazine that summarizes that journal study for general readers and quotes the lead author.

Part 3 — Evaluate one real source (CRAAP + lateral reading) (28 pts). Pick one real web source you might use for a research paper (any topic — or use one your instructor links). Open it. Then: (a) run the CRAAP test — Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose — one short line each; and (b) read it laterally — name at least two new-tab searches you ran to check who's behind it and what independent sources say, and what you found. End with a one-line verdict: would you trust it for a research paper, and why?

Part 4 — Decide which source to trust, and justify it (26 pts). Two sources on the same research question: Source X — a recent report on a government agency's .gov site, with named authors and cited data; Source Y — a confident, slickly designed article on a .org site with no author, no date, no citations, run by a group that sells a related product. (a) Which would you trust more, and why — cite at least three specific evaluation criteria. (b) Name one thing you'd still do before fully trusting your chosen source (hint: a lateral move).

Integrity & AI note (research-arc rule). This is your own work, submitted for grading. You may use an approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) to help you think — but do your own evaluating, and never report a fact about a real source that you didn't verify yourself. A made-up author, award, or citation — whether you wrote it or an AI did — is a fabricated source and an integrity violation. If AI helped you think, add a one-line note of which tool and how. (Note: this is the traditional format. In this course's actual adaptive assignment, you work the tasks with the chatbot and submit its self-scored report — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-09.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Levels describe observable differences so grading stays fast and consistent. (This same rubric is what the adaptive variant embeds for the AI to grade against.)

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

• Part 1 (model): any focused, answerable question on the topic, e.g., "Does daily Instagram use over two hours increase anxiety symptoms in teenage girls?" The explanation should note it's focused (one slice), answerable with evidence, and not a trivial yes/no fact — pointing toward a thesis. (All example wording is illustrative; accept reasonable equivalents.)
• Part 2: (a) primary (reports the researchers' own original data) + scholarly/peer-reviewed (academic journal, expert-reviewed). (b) secondary (summarizes/reports on the study) + popular (general audience, not peer-reviewed). Note: a peer-reviewed empirical study reporting its own data is primary; don't let "journals review work" push (a) to secondary.
• Part 3 (model): no single right source. Full credit requires source-specific CRAAP lines (not boilerplate), a genuine lateral step (real external searches like '[site] funding', '[site] who owns', the author's name, the site in a news search — not re-reading its 'About' page), and a verdict that follows from the evaluation. Reward judging the source from outside it.
• Part 4: (a) Source X, justified by ≥3 criteria — Authority (named authors / government agency vs. no author), Accuracy (cited data vs. none), Currency (dated/recent vs. undated), Purpose/bias (public-health mandate vs. a group that sells a related product = conflict of interest). (b) a lateral move on X — confirm the agency/authors are who they claim, or cross-check the data against an independent source. (Picking Y should earn at most partial credit, and only with an unusually persuasive, criteria-based case.)

Source-integrity reminder for grading: all sources named in this assignment are categories or hypotheticals (a peer-reviewed journal article, a popular magazine summary, a .gov report, a .org seller) — no real outlet is credited with any specific fabricated claim, quotation, award, or citation. When grading Part 3, the student is evaluating a real source they chose; check that their reported facts about it came from a genuine lateral check, not an unverified assertion (theirs or a chatbot's).

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 9 Assignment — Source Detective (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-09-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Lindgren's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"