Grades will be based on the on-time completion of course requirements and on the scope, quality and creativity of the papers/projects. Consideration will also be given to the content, clarity of writing and creativity of work in assignments completed for this course. The extent and quality of participation in course discussions (face to face and virtual) will also be evaluated in determining the final grade. The relative portion of the grade assigned to each course component will include:
All deadlines will be detailed in the course outline.
To check your final grade, go to the University of Maryland Web Page. Click on Testudo. Next click on Records & Registration, and then click on View Your Grades. You may also want to click on the Unofficial Transcripts.
The grading rubric below describes participant performance expectations and efforts most valued. Professionalism, completeness, timeliness and quality are all considered in the evaluation process. In sum, this is the grading rubric for the end of semester grade.
| Letter Grade | Extent, Quality and Creativity of Work | Completeness of Work | Timelessness of work | Participation in discussions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | Exceptional Quality and insight; honors spirit of task; a rare and valuable contribution to understanding | 100% complete (or beyond); a model for others to follow; honors spirit of task | 100% on time | Insightful, thoughtful and stimulating contributions to discussions; beyond what is normally expected; 100% |
| A | Convincingly on target with the purpose of the assignment; evidence of growth; learning difficult to refute; worthy contribution to our understanding; reader not distracted by errors in grammar, writing flow, spelling or punctuation | What is missing may not be missed; accurate; a whole product | Almost always on time; rare but forgivable tardiness | Thought provoking discussions; 100% contribution |
| A- | Fulfills all primary requirements of the assignment; some evidence of growth; learning difficult to refute; contribution to our understanding; reader not distracted by errors in grammar, writing flow, spelling or punctuation | A whole product but lacks "the extras"; accurate; on target with regard to task | Almost always on time; rare but forgivable tardiness | At least 95% contribution to discussions; dialogue thoughtful and insightful but lacks vigor or conviction |
| B+/B | Competent and worthy; provides credible evidence of learning and growth; may not completely honor spirit of task; perhaps an "off-day"; errors of grammar, spelling, punctuation distract the reader | Moderate shortcomings; minor elements missing; affects instructor's ability to see the product as a whole | Late and/or often enough to alarm instructor; not necessarily chronic | Moderate participation with some insightful comments |
| B- | Passable; only enough to get by; needs more proofreading or writing skills | Sufficient; least you could do and justify | Some tasks could be late | Barely participates in discussion; class contributions add little insightfulness and do not provoke further discussion |
| C | Undergraduate level/quality; unsophisticated; exhibits little course concept or concepts | Evidence of learning or growth insufficient | Excessively or repeatedly late | Limited participation in discussion; Little if any preparation or thought in dialogue |
| F | Unacceptable | Difficult to recognize as the assigned task or not turned in at all | Missing/not submitted | Little if any participation in discussions |
The following Rubric will be used when assessing the effectiveness of student participation in Online activities. For more about the quality of each of these categories read the Category Quality Rubric found at the end.
| Activity | Points Possible |
|---|---|
| Posted Original Response on Time (first response to EACH thread are due by Sunday 5 PM of each week). Follow up replies are due before the next scheduled official class date | 20 |
| Posted at Minimum Two Follow Up Replies | 20 |
| Follow Ups Were Distributed Throughout The Week | 20 |
| Responses Built Upon (argued for or against) What Classmates Have Posted and Responses are Justified (i.e., I agree with XYZ related to CCF because ...) | 20 |
| Responses Are Backed Up By Reading from the Course (referencing the work read) i.e., as noted by Carson (2003) | 20 |
The following Rubric will be used when assessing the effectiveness of student participation in Online activities.
| Category | Unacceptable | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent |
| Promptness and contributions | No posts | Limited response to threads/mini assignments; rarely participates freely; rarely responds to others; unequal distribution throughout the week and throughout weekly threads | Responds to most threads but usually only once; limited meaningful response to others; unequal distribution -either posting in beginning and not checking back or posting so late no one can add meaningful response; inconsistent throughout weekly threads | Multiple posting to most threads, but unequal distribution- either posting in beginning and not checking back or posting so late no one can add meaningful response; adds meaningful response to others posts | Post original reply on time and meets all deadlines. Multiple postings to all threads; equal distribution throughout the week and throughout the topics; good self-initiative to start additional discussion threads |
| Relevance | Responses done are short or irrelevant to the discussion threads | Many posts are short and not meaningful and offers no further insight to topic; occasionally posts off task/topic | Posts frequently and always relevant to topic; prompts further discussion to topic; when able (posts in time) adds to discussion by responding to others | Posts frequently and always relevant to topic; prompts further discussion to topic; adds to discussion by responding to others; cites additional references related to topic | |
| Connection to readings | Few responses that indicate limited initiative, insight and connection to readings; | Limited initiative, insight and connection to readings; not evident that readings were connected to discussion/mini assignment; | Most posts indicate that readings were understood and connects them to the discussion topic/mini assignment | Almost all topic threads indicate that readings were understood; incorporates reading knowledge well into responses | |
| Addition to the Learning Community | Makes little effort to participate actively and meaningfully in the community as it develops; seems indifferent | Marginal effort to become an active member of the group | Interacts but not knowledgeable about online protocol- either often lurks in background (responding only after others start) and does not try to direct discussion or overly dominates the discussions | Interacts freely keeping in mind the needs of the community; attempts often to motivate or redirect the group discussion when it strays |