Copyright © 2017 by Linda Schofield
Maaany years ago, when Procom was known as “The Department of Business and Technical Communication,” we created an information sheet that described the criteria for assigning various letter grades to professional communication assignments in our courses, primarily CMN 432 and CMN 124. Working from a draft, as a group we painstakingly revised the wording in a departmental meeting until we were able to agree on common standards. I still use this document to help students understand what assumptions are behind the assigning of a “C,” “B” etc.
Not everyone was comfortable with this approach, of course, but if you think the document might be helpful, you’re welcome to use or revise it: gradingstandards-1
I still use a short-form version, on a D2L slide, especially since many of our students are not from ProCom:
ProCom GRADING STANDARDS
A: exceeds guidelines; subject detailed, developed and well organized; free of errors; no revision needed
B: meets guidelines; subject supported and organized; minor errors; some revision needed
C: meets requirements; adequate development; mastery of Standard English; moderate revision needed
D: does not fully meet requirements; inadequate format; poor subject development; problems with content, organization, logic; unsatisfactory Standard English; major revision needed
F: does not meet objectives; no command of elements; revision is pointless
Student like the finality of the F….
Succinct and clear! Using PowerPoint, rather than just referring to a file on D2L, would also encourage the whole class, not just a handful of conscientious students, to become aware of the standards.