Blogging Rubric

The class blog is a space to explore tentative thoughts about the significance and interpretative possibilities of different works of disaster fiction. The syllabus points out that your posts should “strive to be thoughtful and nuanced, offering questions and insights rather than descriptions or summaries.” To help you get a feel for what makes an excellent blog entry, consider this rubric, which I will use when reading and grading your posts.

Each post will be rated on a scale of 0-4, primarily on the basis of the kind of critical thinking and engagement you display in the post.

Rating Characteristics
4 Exceptional. The blog entry is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The entry demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.
3 Satisfactory. The blog entry is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The entry reflects moderate engagement with the topic.
2 Underdeveloped. The blog entry is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The entry reflects passing engagement with the topic.
1 Limited. The blog entry is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0 No Credit. The blog entry is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.