Grading: On Aspen, you will find an assessment labeled “Blog and Class Participation.” Every two weeks, I will update your grade according to the rubric below. It may change as the term progresses. The key is to complete your work on a regular basis and participate in class. At the end of each term, you will receive a formal response to your work with written feedback.
A range has the following qualities:
- All work is complete and on-time
- Meditative journal is written with passion and purpose
- Contributes to class discussion daily; a leader
- Well-written work
- Personal voice is present
- Thoughtful, meaningful, and there is always evidence that the student read the text closely
- Responses do not merely agree but challenge fellow students to think critically
- At least 3-4 well chosen, nice framed, direct quotations from a text
- Responds to fellow classmates so that a dialogue ensues
- Takes risks
- Returns to add comments to have a conversation
B range may exhibit some of the above qualities, BUT:
- Work is completed, but late on occasion
- Meditative journal is complete, but could be more reflective in nature
- Contributes to class discussion regularly, but not every class
- Too formal, little personal engagement
- 1-2 direct quotations; may not be well chosen or framed
- A thinner response than the A range
- A super long technical response that could be more concise
C range may exhibit some of the above qualities, BUT:
- Some blogs are missing, or incomplete
- Meditative journal is complete, but many dates are short or missing. Lacks purpose.
- Contributes to class discussion on occasion
- Not aware of audience; single post and does not return to discussion
- Responds to the prompt in a general manner
- Repeats what someone else wrote, as the student obviously did not read through the other responses
- There is a voice, but little evidence that the student read closely
- There are no direct quotations; there are some concrete examples
D and F range may exhibit some of the above qualities, BUT:
- Many blogs missing on a regular basis
- Meditative journal is incomplete of non-existent
- Late blogs completed, but only after many are missing; completed in bunches after the fact
- Rarely contributes to class discussion and/or often late or absent
- Late responses that could be high quality but only completed to avoid a zero
- A few sentences and comments, but little to no analysis
- Does not return to discussion
- Little engagement
- Is openly cruel to a classmate
- Knowingly inappropriate