Running head: CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT
Classroom Assignment with Modified Rubric
Laurie Pomella
University of South Florida
June 19, 2012
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Classroom Assignment with Modified Rubric
The following is an excerpt of the syllabus from Comprehensive Nursing Process I, the
first undergraduate level nursing course that nursing students would be offered after completing
their prerequisite courses and beginning the nursing program. The course expectations section of
the syllabus including a description of all assignments and the grading criteria with point
distributions are included. For the purposes of this presentation, the Health Care Policy
assignment (highlighted below) has been chosen for further development.
For this assignment, each student will collaborate in a group project on the health care
system or systems within healthcare organization. This is to be completed in groups of 3 - 4
students, based on clinical group placement. Each group will be tasked with conducting an
interview, developing a paper, and presenting to the clinical group their finding. This
assignment will account for 5% if the course grade. Specific details for this assignment will be
handed out in class.
Syllabus Excerpt

EVALUATION METHODS (assignments)
In order to have a grade calculated for this course based on the components and
percentages identified in the syllabus, the student must:
1. Achieve at least 80 percent of the total possible points allocated for Unit Tests
I-IV, the HESI Exit Exam, and the Final Examination.
2. Achieve a grade of at least an 80 percent on each of the performance outcomes
listed on the Clinical Evaluation Tools (CET) according to the criteria
described in the Comprehensive Nursing Process I Clinical Study Guide
(CSG).
3. Achieve at least an 80 percent for the combined (i.e., CETs/Care Study, clinical
instructor evaluations, practicum evaluation, etc.) clinical components of
the course.
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4. Achieve a passing evaluation on the Clinical Practice Examination (CPE) by
satisfactorily performing the skills and behaviors identified in the course
materials.
5. Achieve at least an 80 percent average on the Drug Dosage Calculation
Examinations as described previously.
6. Submit all written assignments by the due date. Students are to be reminded of
the penalties for repeatedly submitting late assignments- 10 (ten) points
deducted from the total grade per day that the assignment is late.
***If the student successfully meets the standards/provisions identified in this
section of the Syllabus as well as all others previously described, then the total
course grade will be determined as follows:
Unit Test I
Unit Test II
Unit Test III
Unit Test IV
Unit Test V
HESI Exit Exam
Unit Test V (Comprehensive Final)
Research Project
Resume Assignment
Patient Care Study
Health Policy Assignment
Discussion Board Assignments
Quizzes
9%
9%
9%
9%
9%
5%
20%
1%
1%
12%
5%
3%
8%
100%
9
9
9
9
9
5
20
1
1
12
5
3
8
100
Evaluation Rubric
The following evaluation rubric was created to identify and rate the individual aspects of
the assignment and to clarify what is expected from the student. Possible and earned points for
each component are itemized with a breakdown of point distributions is included. This
assignment is worth five percentage points of the total course grade.
Interacting professionally with others, especially those in management positions, is an
important skill for nurses to have. The Interview portion of the assignment is worth 25 points of
the total grade and has been divided into two parts for grading purposes. The student is awarded
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5 points if they identify the interviewee and include some background information about the
individual. The remaining 20 points are awarded for including a brief summary of the discussion
held on healthcare systems. Although the interview was conducted as a group, each individual is
responsible for obtaining information during the interview and participating in meaningful
conversation.
Writing assignments help to prepare the student enhance their skills for a possible
scholastic future or in having their works published. Scoring for the Scholarly Reflection Paper
is divided into three parts. Each student is responsible for writing their own scholarly paper, and
although may have similar themes, each paper should be individualized. Fifteen points are
earned if the student identifies the healthcare system identified by the interviewee and compares
it to at least one other healthcare system. The paper must be written in proper American
Psychological Association (APA) style following the sixth edition including references that are
no more than five years old and no longer than three pages. Not doing so will result in the loss
of up to ten points on this assignment. The final 20 points will be earned if the student includes
2-3 paragraphs describing the research and interview process; what they have learned; and how
they foresee the future of America’s healthcare systems.
This assignment also includes a presentation facet in which each member of the group
must present some of the information gained during this assignment. Speaking or presenting
information to groups of people can be overwhelming for some students. This assignment is
designed to introduce public speaking and honing public speaking skills by presenting
information to a small group of peers. Five points are awarded to the students who meet the
criteria of length not to exceed 15 minutes, ten points for a professionally delivered presentation,
and ten points for individual participation. It is optional to use visual aids and no points will be
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added or deducted for their use or lack thereof. Although no points are associated directly with
the use of visual aids, they are encouraged, especially if it will assist in the explanation or
comparison of the healthcare systems. Groups my choose to work together to create a ‘class
wide’ visual aid that can be used by all the groups during their individual presentations.
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Assignment Instruction Sheet

Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student the opportunity to collaborate
with peers and to disseminate information learned about health care systems to your
peers. Students will work in small groups of 3-4 students, based on clinical group
placement. Each group will conduct an interview, develop a paper, and present their
findings to the clinical group.

Directions:
1. Conduct an interview
Each group is to conduct a short interview with a unit manager, team
leader, or other executive within their clinical area, to be based on the
health care system or systems within the healthcare organization with
which they are employed.
o Go prepared with your questions
o Ask to audio record the interview to save time
o Keep the interview under 30 minutes
o Write a brief summary of your interview (all group members’
summary’s are identical)
2. Scholarly Reflection Paper
Each student is to write a scholarly reflection paper based upon his or her
experiences.

The paper is to be written using APA 6th edition formatting
o Include a title page and 3 peer-reviewed references (not more than
5 years old)
o Length no longer than 2-3 pages (not including title page and
reference page)
3. Present findings
Each group will present their findings to the clinical group during their
appointed post-conference scheduled date.

Presentations will not exceed 15 minutes each, with every member of the
group participating in the delivery of the information.

Use of poster boards, PowerPoint presentations, or other visual aids is
acceptable.
o Please note that you must provide the equipment- projector, screen,
etc. if not readily available for use by the facility.
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Health Care Policy Rubric
Health Care Policy
Interview
 Identification of person interviewed including
location, job title, and brief description of
duties

Brief summary of the discussion on healthcare
systems
Scholarly Reflection Paper
 Identification and comparison of health care
systems (i.e. privatized, socialized, universal,
community, etc.)


APA 6th ed. Format
o 3 peer-reviewed references not more
than 5 years old
o no more than 3 pages long
o proper APA 6th edition formatting
Lessons Learned: 2-3 paragraphs describing
the student’s experience with researching and
developing this assignment. How has this
assignment informed the student’s thinking
about healthcare systems? What does the
student foresee as the future of America’s
healthcare system? etc….
Presentation
 Length not to exceed 15 minutes
 Professionally delivered
 Individual participation
 Optional use of visual aids
Total
Possible
Points
25
5
20
50
15
10
25
25
5
10
10
100
Earned
Points