00:00:00 Slide 1 Hi everyone! In this presentation, you will learn more about the key elements of the paper grading rubrics for all written assignments for this course. Slide 2 We advise that you carefully analyze all grading rubrics before you submit any paper. Each assignment in this class has been carefully crafted to address one or more course learning objectives and a number of other potential criteria. Familiarizing yourself with that grading criteria and ensuring you have covered everything required of you will help you perform optimally on all assignments. Slide 3 If you click “Syllabus” in the classroom and scroll down, you will see all of the learning objectives we will cover in this class. Here they are again: 1. Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications. 2. Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem. 3. Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships. 4. Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts. 5. Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. 6. Assess personal communications in order to improve communication competencies. All of the assignments in this class are designed to help you master these learning objectives and the grading rubrics are a way instructors hold you accountable for reaching these goals. Slide 4 Within each discussion post and individual paper grading rubric, you will see exactly how the instructor is grading your work. To access these rubrics, simply click on an assignment and then select “grading rubric,” which is typically toward the bottom of the page. Slide 5 To give you a sense of what to pay attention to, here, we will review one element of the week 1 paper. First, notice that the entire paper is worth a total of 6.5 points. There are EIGHT criteria on which you are assessed and can build those points. Here are the categories and their point value: Slide 6 Notice that when you look at the grading criteria, it states that in three of the first four segments, it explicitly says that you must use Bevan and Sole. This means that over half of your score will be based on how well you represent their ideas. Slide 7 Here we will focus exclusively on the first element of that assignment to encourage you to think more about each paper grading criteria. To learn more about how to do well on the paper overall, please pay special attention to the week 1 paper training before submitting that assignment. Slide 8 Let’s look at the language for a distinguished score for the “explanation of two key principles of effective/competent communication.” There, it states the student “Thoroughly explains two principles of effective/competent interpersonal communication, fully supporting the explanation with Bevan and Sole.” What does it mean to be exceptional here? And what does it mean to “use” Bevan and Sole? Slide 9 An exceptional explanation means that all key details are provided and all points are clear and well developed. Exceptional use of Bevan and Sole means that the student did not simply just copy and paste a quote. When someone masters a concept, they explain it in detail in their own words and no questions are left in the readers’ minds. Exceptional work provides details and insight that the others do not. They go the extra mile. Slide 10 If you look at “proficient” grading for this first rubric segment it states “Explains two = principles of effective/competent interpersonal communication, mostly supporting the explanation with Bevan and Sole. The explanation is slightly underdeveloped.” First of all, you should see here that this is still “good” work. The section of the paper is an “effective” explanation of two principles of communication. This means these two points were clearly articulated. However, something was missing. The explanation needed more development. Slide 11 Next, if one is assessed as “basic,” their explanation of the key principles is just deemed “okay.” The description says “Minimally explains two principles of effective/competent interpersonal communication, somewhat supporting the explanation with Bevan and Sole. The explanation is underdeveloped.” Remember, an explanation goes beyond simply copying and pasting some quote from our reading. Students might attempt to explain basic principle but he or she is unclear in their writing or do not provide enough detail to proficiently demonstrate understanding. Slide 12 When a student is scored as “below expectations,” there were some serious flaws in the explanation of the basic principles. Here the language says “Attempts to explain two principles of effective/competent interpersonal communication; however, does not support the explanation with Bevan and Sole, and the explanation is significantly underdeveloped.” As you can see here, if you do not cite Bevan and Sole, you will likely receive at least a below expectations score. Outside of that, you need to ensure your explanations are well developed. Slide 13 Finally, when one does not even try to explain those key principles, he or she will receive a score of “non-performance.” Please note that this is worth 1.25 point or almost 20% of the overall score. Students should read these rubrics carefully and be aware of the point breakdown. Clearly if you have segments that are worth a large chunk of your grade, you want to make sure you don’t skip those sections. You can’t earn any credit for doing nothing to address a learning objective. Slide 14 A key takeaway from this training is that all of your papers should be a demonstration of what you have learned. You should show that you both understand the concepts mentioned and can apply what you’ve learned to some scenario; here it is a misunderstanding involving communication. After you have written each of your papers, we advise that you go through each and every rubric and score yourself on how you think you did. Are their sections you missed? Slide 15 Did you run a grammar/spell check through Microsoft Word and take care of any grammatical issues that might be there? There is no reason to miss fractions of a point unnecessarily. And remember, the introduction, writing mechanics, page length, and APA style are 23% of your grade for this paper! Slide 16 Okay, as usual, if you read a rubric and don’t understand something, feel free to reach out to your instructor. Good luck on your assignments!

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