Download Communication Rubric Criteria Bank

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: RUBRIC CRITERIA BANK
HOW TO USE THIS BANK: The Communication Skills objective, required across the Core Curriculum, is
defined by the state as, “ . . . effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through
written, oral and visual communication.” Thus, all core courses must address all three aspects of
communication. For more detailed direction regarding how to include oral, written and visual
communication in your course, see resources available online at
http://provost.utsa.edu/corecurriculum/index.asp (under Resources and Forms).
Communication skills will be evaluated using a rubric that will be created in three steps:
STEP 1. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE RUBRIC’S PURPOSE.
Students improve skills when they are asked to use them in various contexts. Although you are probably
not teaching these specific skills, you should require students to exercise their oral, written and visual
communication skills. They are likely to pay close attention to their oral, written or visual expression
when it appears on their rubric and they know it is being assessed.
The purposes of your rubric are most likely two-fold: (1) to delineate criteria relevant to the content of the
assignment and (2) to provide a framework to assess students’ abilities to exercise their communication
skills. The focus of your rubric will likely be on the assignment with the majority of the criteria pertaining
to course content and only a few criteria related to communication skills.
STEP 2. IDENTIFY RUBRIC CRITERIA.
Once you have developed the criteria to address the content (focus) of the assignment, you should identify
a few criteria to address the relevant aspect(s) of communication skills. This bank of rubric criteria
presents a few suggestions that may be used “as is” or tailored to fit your rubric needs.
Criteria Addressing Written Communication Skills
Demonstrates effective organization (e.g., clear arrangement of paragraphs, smooth transitions)
Demonstrates appropriate use of Standard American English (e.g., grammar, mechanics)
Demonstrates effective style (e.g., appropriate tone, diction, sentence structure)
Demonstrates effective sentence structure.
Grammar & punctuation are correct.
Criteria Addressing Oral Communication Skills
Delivery techniques (posture, gesture, eye contact, and vocal expressiveness)
Speaker appears polished, confident, & professional.
Below is an excerpt from a rubric used in Art History. Students participate in an in-class group activity
with one person reporting for each group. The instructor completes the rubric in class at various points
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in the semester such that a representative sample is collected. All other criteria on the rubric pertain to
Art History and the content of the activity.
Oral Communication
Superior
3
Speaks for group in a clear and
concise manner, makes use of
appropriate art/historical
vocabulary, accurately
describes visual characteristics
and/or cultural significance of
the artworks
Meets Expectation
2
Speaks for group, makes
use of art/ historical
vocabulary, accurately
describes visual
characteristics and/or
cultural significance of the
artworks
Needs Improvement
1
Attempts to speak for group
but may not be clear or heard
throughout class, uses more
colloquial language, may
show some misunderstanding
of visual characteristics or
cultural significance of
artwork
(Evaluation based on classroom observation of group exercise)
Criteria Addressing Visual Communication Skills
Poster [or other visual aid, ppt] clearly conveys main points & enhances presentation
Graph [chart, diagram] accurately, thoroughly displays data
STEP 3. ASSIGN POINT VALUES.
Finally, determine the point scale (e.g.: 1-3, 1-5, etc.) and word anchors for each point on the scale. For
example, what does a “1” mean? A 2? Etc. One example of generic word anchors for a 4-point scale is:
4
Excellent
3
Strong
2
Average
1
Needs Work
Note that point values may be the same for all criteria but they do not necessarily have to be. Perhaps all
criteria are rated on a scale from 1 to 4. However, some criteria may be more challenging or speak to
aspects of the assignment that are more important than others. Thus, some may be on a scale from 1 to 5
while others are rated on a scale from 1 to 3.
Word anchors describing the quality of performance may be generic (the same for all criteria) and stated
once at the top of the page. Alternatively, they may also be tailored to each criterion with word anchors
and rating scale sandwiched in between each criterion.
How many points of distinction can be made for each specific criterion? How difficult/challenging is the
criterion? How important is the criterion to the understanding of the concept? These are all questions you
might consider when determining the weight for rubric criteria.
STEP 4. CONSULT OTHER RESOURCES.
You may also want to consult the LEAP VALUE Rubrics located online at
http://provost.utsa.edu/corecurriculum (see Resources and Forms). Other rubrics are available in the
public domain and may be obtained by searching online.
Note that this bank is a work in progress. If you have suggestions for additions, please submit them to
Nancy Martin at [email protected]
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