General Feedback Rubric
Emphasizing Feedback on the Learning Journey
In emphasizing learning activities over summative assessments, we use a general rubric with a 4-point scale. The reasoning behind this rubric is to focus our attention on providing feedback on where you are at in meeting the learning objectives and offering a basis for improvement. This rubric deemphasizes “getting each point possible” and instead emphasizes giving you insight into where you are at in your learning journey.
The rubric is as follows:
- 4 - Exceeding (E)
- Student has met and exceeded the learning objective.
Student demonstrates mastery and shows the ability to apply and transfer learning with depth and complexity.
Student demonstrates synthesis of the underlying concepts. Student can go beyond merely describing the solution to explaining the underlying reasoning and discussing generalizations.
- 3 - Proficient (P)
- Student has proficiently met the learning objective.
Student demonstrates competence.
Student is able to explain the overall solution and can answer specific questions. While the student is capable of explaining their solution, they may not be able to confidently extend their explanation beyond the immediate context.
- 2 - Approaching (A)
- Student is approaching the learning objective.
Student demonstrates partial understanding.
Student may able to describe the solution but has difficulty answering specific questions about it. Student has difficulty explaining the reasoning behind their solution.
- 1 - Novice (N)
- Student is far from meeting the learning objective.
Student provides insufficient evidence of meeting the learning goal.
Student has trouble describing their solution or responding to instructor guidance. Student is unable to offer much explanation of their solution.
- 0 - Zero (Z)
- Student has made no attempt towards the learning objective.
Grading
Particularly on learning activities, we will assign a score based on the rubric above. Notably, we use the full range of scores between 0-4 to provide feedback on where you are at in your learning journey.
In particular, a score of 2 is not a failing grade. Instead, it is a score that indicates you are approaching the learning objective, though you need to make some additional effort to reach a proficient score. A score of 3 is a proficient grade, indicating you have met the basic learning objective.
To translate this to a letter grade for the outside world, we use the following scale to take into account that we are using the full range of scores:
| Level | Percentage Range | Letter Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeding (E) | 88% – 100% | A |
| 82% – 88% | A- | |
| Proficient (P) | 75% – 82% | B+ |
| 68% – 75% | B | |
| 61% – 68% | B- | |
| 56% – 61% | C+ | |
| 51% – 56% | C | |
| Approaching (A) | 46% – 51% | C- |
| 42% – 46% | D+ | |
| 38% – 42% | D | |
| 34% – 38% | D- |
We round fractional percentages up to the nearest whole-number percentage.
Letter grade cutoffs may be adjusted lower (raising your letter grade) for fairness, but they will not be adjusted higher.