GENERAL EDUCATION RUBRIC—UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Criteria
PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT
AND CONTENT
DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN PERSPECTIVES
Human cultures, physical and
natural world, social and
behavioral sciences,
mathematics, history, ethics,
the arts, and the natural
sciences
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
ORGANIZATION, GRAMMAR
AND PRESENTATION
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Demonstrate effective
written and oral
communication skills,
including the ability to
organize and communicate
thoughts, ideas, and
information in effective
documents and
presentations.
Exemplary (A)
Accomplished (B)
Proficient (C)
Partially Proficient (D)
Unacceptable (F)
Demonstrates an
outstanding use of
appropriate, relevant, and
compelling content with
excellent expression of
topic, main idea, and
purpose.
Demonstrates a sound or
accomplished use of
appropriate, relevant, and
compelling content with
appropriate expression of
topic, main idea, and
purpose.
Demonstrates adequate
use of appropriate,
relevant and compelling
content with adequate
expression of topic, main
idea, and purpose.
Demonstrates inadequate
use of appropriate,
relevant, and compelling
content with inadequate
or partial expression of
topic, main idea, and
purpose.
Demonstrates
unacceptable or unclear
use of content with poor
expression of topic, main
idea and purpose.
Demonstrates exemplary
knowledge or analysis of
human perspectives
appropriate to the
assignment’s purpose and
context.
Demonstrates sound or
accomplished knowledge
or analysis of human
perspectives appropriate
to the assignment’s
purpose and context.
Organization is clear.
Organization is apparent
and mostly clear.
Language clearly and
effectively communicates
ideas and content relevant
to the assignment.
Presentation and delivery
are confident and
persuasive (where
applicable).
Audience, style, tone and
perspective are consistent
and appropriate to
assignment.
Few if any errors in
grammar, spelling, and
sentence structure.
Language communicates
ideas and content relevant
to the assignment, with
occasional minor lapses or
misstatements.
Presentation and delivery
are mostly confident and
persuasive (where
applicable).
Audience, style, tone and
perspective are mostly
consistent and appropriate
to assignment.
Demonstrates acceptable
knowledge or analysis of
human perspectives
appropriate to the
assignment’s purpose and
context.
Organization is adequate
though confusing and
unclear.
Organization is
inadequate, confusing,
and distracting.
Language is adequate,
generally communicating
ideas and content
relevant to the
assignment, sometimes
impedes meaning.
Language often impedes
the communication of
ideas and content
relevant to the
assignment.
Presentation and delivery
are adequate, with
evident lack of
confidence and
persuasion (where
applicable).
Audience, style, tone and
perspective are often
inconsistent and
Several minor errors in
grammar, spelling, and
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Demonstrates inadequate
knowledge or analysis of
human perspectives
appropriate to the
assignment’s purpose and
context.
Demonstrates
unacceptable knowledge
or analysis of human
perspectives appropriate
to the assignment’s
purpose and context.
Organization is not
apparent.
Language does not
clearly and effectively
communicate ideas and
content relevant to the
assignment.
Presentation and delivery
are inadequate, lacking
confidence and
persuasion (where
applicable).
Presentation and
delivery are
unacceptable with little
or no confidence and
persuasion (where
applicable).
Audience, style, tone and
perspective are often
inconsistent and
inappropriate to
Audience, style, tone
and perspective are
inconsistent and
inappropriate to
Criteria
Exemplary (A)
Accomplished (B)
Proficient (C)
sentence structure.
inappropriate to
assignment.
Numerous errors in
grammar, spelling, and
sentence structure that
distract from meaning or
presentation.
INFORMATION LITERACY
AND RESEARCH
Demonstrates outstanding
selection and use of high
quality, credible, and
relevant sources to
develop ideas that are
appropriate to the
assignment.
Partially Proficient (D)
Unacceptable (F)
assignment.
assignment.
Frequent errors in
grammar, spelling, and
sentence structure often
distract from meaning or
presentation.
Many and serious errors
in grammar, spelling,
and sentence structure
are pervasive.
Demonstrates inadequate
selection and use of
sources to support ideas
in the writing.
Demonstrates
unacceptable selection
and use of sources to
support ideas in the
writing.
Demonstrates sound
selection and use of
credible, relevant sources
to support ideas that are
appropriate to the
assignment.
Demonstrates adequate
selection and use of
credible and/or relevant
sources to support ideas
that are appropriate to
the assignment.
Sources are mostly cited
according to required
documentation (e.g., APA),
but with minor errors
beyond punctuation.
Manuscript style is mostly
correct, according to style
sheet guidelines.
Sources are partly cited
according to required
style sheet (e.g., APA),
with major and minor
errors beyond
punctuation. Manuscript
style is partially correct,
according to style sheet
guidelines.
PRACTICAL REASONING
Demonstrates outstanding
or exemplary ability to
analyze assumptions and
evaluate evidence,
complexities of issues, and
alternatives. Where
required, demonstrates
outstanding or exemplary
ability to use creativity and
originality in problemsolving.
Demonstrates sound or
accomplished ability to
analyze assumptions and
evaluate evidence,
complexities of issues, and
alternatives. Where
required, demonstrates
sound or accomplished
ability to use creativity and
originality in problemsolving.
Demonstrates adequate
or proficient ability to
analyze assumptions and
evaluate evidence,
complexities of issues,
and alternatives. Where
required, demonstrates
adequate or proficient
ability to use creativity
and originality in
problem-solving.
Demonstrates inadequate
or partially proficient
ability to analyze
assumptions and evaluate
evidence, complexities of
issues, and alternatives.
Where required,
demonstrates inadequate
or partially proficient
ability to use creativity
and originality in
problem-solving.
Demonstrates
unacceptable ability to
analyze assumptions and
evaluate evidence,
complexities of issues,
and alternatives. Where
required, demonstrates
unacceptable ability to
use creativity and
originality in problemsolving.
QUANTITATIVE LITERACY:
Demonstrates outstanding
Demonstrates sound or
Demonstrates adequate
Attempts to understand
Understanding and
PRACTICAL REASONING
Demonstrate intellectual
and practical skills,
including critical thinking
and problem solving,
quantitative and
information literacy, and
teamwork.
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE
THINKING, PROBLEMSOLVING
Sources are consistently
cited according to required
style sheet (e.g., APA),
with no errors beyond
punctuation. Manuscript
style is completely correct,
according to style sheet
guidelines.
2
Sources are inconsistently
cited according to
required documentation
(e.g., APA), with
significant major and/or
minor errors. Manuscript
style shows significant
errors, according to style
sheet guidelines.
Sources are not cited
according to required
documentation (e.g.,
APA), or citations show
serious
misunderstanding of
style sheet. Manuscript
style does not use style
sheet guidelines.
Criteria
UNDERSTANDING,
INTERPRETATION, AND
CALCULATION
PRACTICAL REASONING
HUMAN PERSPECTIVES
Exemplary (A)
ability to provide accurate
understanding and
explanations of
information presented in
mathematical forms. For
example, accurately
explains the trend data
shown in a graph and
makes reasonable
predictions regarding what
the data suggest about
future events.
Calculations attempted are
essentially all successful
and sufficiently
comprehensive to solve
the problem.
Accomplished (B)
accomplished ability to
provide accurate
understanding and
explanations of
information presented in
mathematical forms. For
instance, accurately
explains the trend data
shown in a graph.
Calculations attempted are
mostly successful and
sufficiently comprehensive
to solve the problem.
Proficient (C)
Partially Proficient (D)
Unacceptable (F)
or proficient ability to
provide somewhat
accurate understanding
and explanations of
information presented in
mathematical forms, but
occasionally makes minor
errors related to
computations or units.
For instance, accurately
explains trend data
shown in a graph, but
may miscalculate the
slope of the trend line
and explain information
presented in
mathematical forms, but
draws incorrect
conclusions about what
the information means.
For example, attempts to
explain the trend data
shown in a graph, but will
frequently misinterpret
the nature of that trend,
perhaps by confusing
positive and negative
trends.
explanations of
information presented in
mathematical forms are
unacceptable, with
consistently incorrect
conclusions about what
the information means.
For example, attempts to
explain the trend data
shown in a graph, but
will consistently
misunderstand the basic
elements of the graph or
the data.
Calculations attempted
are often successful and
sufficiently
comprehensive to solve
the problem
Calculations attempted
are either unsuccessful or
represent only a portion
of the calculations
required to
comprehensively solve
the problem.
Calculations may be
attempted but are both
unsuccessful and are not
comprehensive.
Some elements and language in this rubric were adapted based on the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Written Communication Rubric
Valid Assessment of Undergraduate Education (VALUE) Project
0Thttp://www.aacu.org/value/index.cfm
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