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Syllabus - Grading Standards
Grades will be based on the following breakdown:
33% Examples, Practices, Exercises, Reflections
33% Critiques of Peer Stories
33% Story and Redrafts
The following define "A," "B," "C," etc. work.
A (Excellent): Earned by students who demonstrate excellent understanding of the subject matter, and who have achieved outstanding results in fulfilling course objectives. The student is well qualified for subsequent courses in this subject area, and may be expected to perform well in such courses. In practical application of the subject area, commensurate with the level of this course, the student may be expected to work successfully, independently, without supervision, and make a meaningful contribution to the field. With respect to this course specifically, students who earn a grade of "A" will have met the following criteria:
- completed a finished draft of one or more stories including substantive, thoughtful redrafts which demonstrate an understanding of techniques discussed in class
- provided meaningful written response to other students' stories
- completed all required craftbook entries, and additional exercises beyond those assigned
- all work submitted on time
B (Above Average): Earned by students who demonstrate above average understanding of the subject matter, and who show consistent achievement beyond the usual requirements of the class. The student has demonstrated a clear understanding of the course objectives, is prepared to take subsequent courses in the subject and may be expected to perform adequately in such courses. In practical application, commensurate with the level of this course, the student may be expected to work well with some supervision. With respect to this course specifically, students who earn a grade of "B" will have met the following criteria:
- completed a finished draft of one story, including redrafts that demonstrate meaningful thought about reshaping the work
- provided meaningful written response to other students' stories
- completed all required craftbook entries
- all work submitted on time
C (Average): Earned by students who perform at the satisfactory level, and demonstrate acceptable levels of understanding of the subject matter commensurate for continued study in the next successive course. The student may however be expected to perform only at a minimally adequate level in such courses. The student has demonstrated a basic comprehension of the course objectives and in practical application, commensurate with the level of the course, the student may be expected to perform adequately given close supervision. With respect to this course specifically, students who earn a grade of "C" will have met the following criteria:
- completed a finished draft of one story, including attempts made at redrafting to improve the work
- provided written response to other students' stories, may be misunderstanding key concepts that reduce the effectiveness of the advice
- completed all required craftbook entries
- most work submitted on time; late work submitted in time to be of use in class discussion
D (Below Average): Assigned to indicate students with less than average understanding of the subject matter and of weak performance. A grade of D (1.00) represents the minimum grade necessary to receive credit for the course. The student has demonstrated only an elementary familiarity with the course objectives and is technically qualified to take the next course in the subject, but may not be expected to perform well. In practical application, commensurate with the level of this course, the student may be expected to perform only the most rudimentary tasks and only with constant supervision. With respect to this course specifically, students who earn a grade of "D" will have met the following criteria:
- completed a draft of one story with no indication of revision or some work missing
- provided some written response to other students' stories; some critiques may be missing
- completed most required craftbook entries
- some late work; late work not made up, or submitted too late to be used in class discussion
F (Failure): Assigned to indicate students showing poor understanding of basic elements of the course. The student has not demonstrated knowledge or understanding of any meaningful portion of the course objectives. The student is neither qualified to take subsequent courses in this subject area nor to engage in any practical application of subject matter commensurate with the level of this course. With respect to this course specifically, students who earn a grade of "F" will have met the following criteria:
- drafts of story late without prior arrangement; story missing; no indication of revision
- failed to provided adequate written response to other students' work; may be missing one or more critiques
- many missing required craftbook entries
- significant amount of late work
(definitions developed from: Aleamoni, Lawrence. "Assessing Student Learning Outcomes." Memphis: CEDA, 1998.)
Late Work Policy
The advantage of this online course is that you can work on class assignments whenever best suits your schedule; this flexibility means however that there will be few if any acceptable reasons for submitting late work. The forward progress of all students in the class relies to an extent on all class members submitting assignments in a timely fashion, so there will be a deduction of one full letter grade for each 24-hour period an assignment is overdue. This will include weekends, as your access to class materials and assignments is not restricted on these days.
Any leniency granted with regard to this late work policy will be in response to incidents of an emergency nature that would require your full attention for five or more consecutive days. Busy periods in your professional lives do not fall under this category.
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