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Communication Rubric

Spoken Communication:

Learning Outcome Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Approaches Expectations Does Not Meet Expectations
1) Background Preparation: Develop a central message and support it with credible evidence. Central message is clearly stated, insightful, and supported with a robust amount of credible evidence. Central message is clearly stated and supported with a sufficient amount of credible evidence. Central message is visible but not entirely clear and/or the presented evidence is insufficient. Central message is not clearly stated and/or evidence is entirely insufficient or lacking in credibility.
2) Preparation for Performance: Organize content for a particular audience, occasion or purpose. Content organization effectively demonstrates nuanced attention to audience, occasion, and purpose. Content organization is clearly apparent and appropriate to the audience, occasion, and purpose. Content organization lacks focus or is partially developed. Attention to audience, occasion, and/or purpose is lacking or vague in one or more areas. Content is not organized and does not consider audience, occasion, and/ or purpose.
3) Delivery: Demonstrate performance skills with a focus on delivering content for a variety of audiences and occasions, and/or using technology as appropriate. Performance skills demonstrate a clear and comprehensive delivery that carefully considers the audience and occasion, and effectively utilizes appropriate technology and/or materials. Performance skills demonstrate an acceptable delivery that focuses appropriately on the audience and occasion, and utilizes technology and/or materials proficiently. Performance skills demonstrate an uneven delivery that is lacking in one or more of the following: appropriate organization for an audience or occasion, and the effective use of technology and/or materials. Performance skills failed to provide an effective delivery. Organization for an audience or occasion is weak or missing. There is no effective use of technology or materials in the performance.
4) Monitor and Adjust: Identify and incorporate audience feedback. Incorporation of audience feedback is thorough, complete, and displays a nuanced understanding of feedback in real-time. Incorporation of audience feedback is present and suggests an appropriate understanding of the feedback received. Audience feedback is identified but incorporation is incomplete and/or inappropriately applied. There is no attempt to incorporate audience feedback or to identify issues with the communication between speaker and audience.
5) Collaboration: Apply leadership, interpersonal, and/or collaborative strategies that improve communication. The group member successfully contributes confident and respectful leadership, interpersonal interactions, and collaborative strategies when working with others. The group member participates with intentional effort and a clear understanding of leadership, interpersonal communications, and a specific role within the group. Collaboration strategies are followed effectively, but not often initiated. The group member demonstrates an effort in serving as an active group member, but lacks initiative or skill in leadership, interpersonal interactions, and/or collaborative strategies to make the group function effectively. The group member demonstrates a minimal or absent understanding of leadership, interpersonal interactions, and/or collaborative strategies. There is a clear lack of effort.

Written Communication:

Learning Outcome Exceeds Expectations (Exemplary) Meets Expectations (Proficient) Approaches Expectations (Marginal) Does Not Meet Expectations (Unacceptable)
6) Rhetorical Approaches: Demonstrate rhetorical approaches by addressing issues of audience, purpose, and structure appropriate to the task. The rhetorical approach demonstrates a high level of nuanced understanding of audience, purpose, and structure in the completion of the task. There is adequate attention to the rhetorical approach in how the writer addresses audience, purpose, and structure. The approach is appropriate to the task. Attention to audience, purpose and structure is attempted but lacking in one or more ways. There may be moments where the rhetorical approach is not appropriate to the task. The rhetorical approach lacks attention to audience, purpose, and/or structure in ways that are not appropriate to the task.
7) Writing Process: Develop flexible strategies for generating, drafting, revising, and editing. Student work demonstrates full command of flexible strategies for generating, drafting, revising, and editing. Student work demonstrates proficient use of flexible strategies for generating, drafting, revising, and editing. Student work demonstrates an uneven application of the writing process and a lack of attention to one or more of the strategies for generating, drafting, revising, or editing. Student work lacks significant attention to writing process strategies.
8) Central Claim: Produce a central claim that is supported by sources and is appropriate to the task. Presentation of a central claim is especially clear and fully supported by multiple lines of evidence, logic, data, and original conclusions. Presentation of a central claim is clear and appropriately supported by an adequate amount of evidence, logic, and data, with a good effort to produce conclusions. Presentation of a central claim is vague or partially developed. Message is not fully supported by evidence, logic, or data. Conclusions are not always effective in pulling evidence together. Presentation of a central claim is lacking or confusing. Support is missing or wanders. Conclusions are unclear, missing, or inappropriate to the evidence.
9) Conventions and Mechanics: Demonstrate proficiency with conventions, including spelling, grammar, mechanics, word choice, and format. Student work demonstrates command of conventions, including spelling, grammar, mechanics, word choice, and format with few if any errors. Student work demonstrates proficient use of conventions, including spelling, grammar, mechanics, word choice, and format with a pattern of minor errors. Student work demonstrates some attention to conventions, but one or more areas lack a full understanding of rules for spelling, grammar, mechanics, word choice, and/or format. Errors are noticeable and impede readability. Student work lacks attention to conventions, often misapplying or neglecting the rules for spelling, grammar, mechanics, word choice, and/or format. Errors impede comprehension.
10) Assessment and Reflection: Evaluate one’s own or another writer’s method of inquiry, composing process, or written work to offer a critique. Evaluation of one’s own or another writer’s method of inquiry, composing process, and/ or written work provides a thorough and sophisticated critique. Evaluation of one’s own or another writer’s method of inquiry, composing process, and/ or written work provides a proficient and thoughtful critique. Evaluation of one’s own or another writer’s method of inquiry, composing process, and/ or written work provides an adequate critique that could be stronger in one or more areas. Evaluation of one’s own or another writer’s method of inquiry, composing process, and/or written work is weak, unhelpful, or missing.