Student Communications Skills

Highly Competent (4)

-Content and Purpose--The student uses relevant content that conveys understanding

• The student uses relevant content that conveys understanding. Content is well developed in the communication, effectively supported and appropriate for the audience and purpose of the assignment.
• Effective thinking is clearly and creatively expressed.

-Organization--The student uses disciplinary conventions for organizing content and presenting content

• The communication clearly and consistently uses important conventions particular to a specific discipline including organization, presentation, and stylistic choices.
• The communication is clearly organized around a central theme.
• The communication components are clearly observable and relate to the other components in a well-planned framework.

-Tools--The student uses communication tools appropriately and skillfully for academic and professional contexts

--Written:

• Uses language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency and is virtually error-free.
• Uses a wide variety of sentence structures. Excellent word usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation.

--Oral:

• Excellent eye contact that makes connection to audience members
• Displays enthusiasm for topic demonstrated throughout speech
• All words pronounced correctly
• All words articulated clearly (no mumbling)
• No reliance on lectern
• Polished language usage (few to no fillers—um, uh, like, ok, you know—no slang, no double-negatives)
• Gestures utilized throughout the speech to show enthusiasm, emphasize points, and keep attention
• Fluid speaking rate
• Variety in volume but always easy to hear

--Visual:

• Displays high quality techniques in drawings, graphics, photos, designs, video, etc.
• Employs appropriate contrasts (e.g., color, fonts, sizes) exceptionally well
• Outstanding alignment of graphic elements and space
• Uses software and other tools appropriate to the subject to produce a creative, compelling, engaging and effective presentation that shows proper use of technology to effectively communicate an idea.

Mostly Competent (3)

-Content and Purpose--The student uses relevant content that conveys understanding

• Content is adequately expressed, appropriate and relevant through most of the communication for the audience requirements and the purpose of the assignment.

-Organization--The student uses disciplinary conventions for organizing content and presenting content

• The communication generally follows expectations appropriate to the discipline for basic organization and presentation.
• The communication demonstrates some grasp of organization, with a discernible theme and supporting details.

-Tools--The student uses communication tools appropriately and skillfully for academic and professional contexts

--Written:

• Uses language that generally conveys meaning to readers with clarity although writing may contain errors.
• Some sentence variety; adequate usage of word choices, grammar, and punctuation.

• Frequent eye contact with some connection to audience
• Displays enthusiasm for topic demonstrated at various points in the speech
• Most words pronounced correctly
• Most words articulated clearly (some mumbling)
• Limited reliance on lectern
• Proficient language usage (limited number of fillers—um, uh, like, ok, you know—no slang, no double-negatives
• Gestures used at various points in the speech to show enthusiasm, keep audience attention, and emphasize points.
• Speaking rate is generally fluid. Volume is adequate

--Visual:

• Displays acceptable but not outstanding techniques in drawings, graphics, photos, designs, video, etc.
• Adequate employment of appropriate contrasts (e.g., color, fonts, sizes)
• Adequate alignment of graphic elements and space
• Uses software and other tools appropriate to the subject to produce an effective presentation that shows proper use of technology to communicate an idea.

Needs Improvement (2)

-Content and Purpose

• Content is poorly developed for the purpose or inappropriate for the audience.

-Organization

• The communication intermittently follows expectations appropriate to the discipline for basic organization and presentation.
• The communication does not consistently demonstrate grasp of organization.
• No discernible theme is evident nor are supporting details provided.

-Tools

--Written:

• Uses language that intermittently conveys meaning to readers with clarity due to errors in usage.
• Some sentence variety; usage of word choices, grammar, and punctuation is questionable.

--Oral:

• Inconsistent eye contact
• Displays some enthusiasm for topic
• Some attention to pronunciation is needed
• Some words indistinct due to poor articulation
• Some reliance on lectern
• Occasional use of language (frequent use of fillers –uh, um, like—use of slang and double-negatives)
• Some gestures used
• Speaking rate requires greater fluency. Volume should be more appropriate to audience.

--Visual:

• Techniques in drawings, graphics, photos, designs, videos, and others require greater development.
• Contrasts require improvement (e.g., color, fonts, sizes)
• Graphic elements and space require greater alignment
• Software and other tools could be more appropriately used to produce an effective presentation that communicates an idea.

Not Competent (1)

-Content and Purpose

• Content is unoriginal or reflects lack of understanding of topic and audience.
• Supporting details are absent or vague.
• Content is unoriginal or reflects lack of understanding of topic and audience.

-Organization

• The communication does not follow expectations appropriate to the discipline for basic organization and presentation.
• The communication is rambling and unfocused, with ideas presented in a disorganized, unrelated way.

--Written:

• Uses language that impedes meaning because of errors in usage.
• Writing lacks sentence variety. Significant deficiencies in word choices, spelling, grammar, punctuation, or presentation.

--Oral:

• Little to no eye contact
• Displays little to no enthusiasm for topic
• Several words incorrectly pronounced
• Most words indistinct due to poor articulation
• Heavy reliance on lectern
• Poor use of language (frequent use of fillers –uh, um, like—use of slang and double-negatives)
• Few to no gestures
• Choppy speaking rate. Low to inaudible volume

--Visual:

• Displays unacceptable techniques in drawings, graphics, photos, designs, video, etc.
• Employs inappropriate contrasts (e.g., color, fonts, sizes)
• Graphic elements and space are not aligned
• Does not show appropriate use of software and other tools to produce a presentation that communicates an idea