BEHAVIORAL DIMENSIONS OF GRADES

The following information is designed to explain what behaviors are likely to earn a Journalism student a grade of A, B, C, D, F. These are guidelines, not rigid conditions or guarantees of success.

 

THE A STUDENT: EXCEPTIONAL

Written expression: superior organization; masters complex subject matter in clear, concise fashion

Oral expression: articulate; quick on his/her feet; poised under pressure

Ability to handle stress or deadline pressure: handles unexpected problems in mature manner; completes assignments under pressure without problems

Productivity: consistently delivers more and higher quality work than required; volunteers for extra work; delivers work on or before deadline

Curiosity: consistently tries to understand the "why"; has questioning attitude

Resourcefulness/initiative: not deterred by obstacles; frequently initiates own projects; finds new and creative ways to solve problems

Adaptability: consistently seeks new challenges; views change as opportunity to learn

Attitude toward job and classroom: exerts maximum energy; frequently makes valuable contributions; consistently enthusiastic; consistently strives for improvement

Relationship with others: relates easily to different types of people; deals fairly with those with whom he/she disagrees; enjoys helping to solve conflicts

General knowledge of news and current events: extremely interested in the news and its ramifications; understands significance

 

THE B STUDENT: ABOVE AVERAGE

Written expression: clear, clean copy; few grammatical, spelling errors

Oral expression: expresses ideas with clarity, depth; generally poised

Ability to handle stress or deadline pressure: generally cool under pressure; not easily upset

Productivity: usually does more or higher quality work than required; willing to assume additional duties; meets deadlines

Curiosity: probes beneath the surface of assignments; asks lots of questions

Resourcefulness/initiative: willing to tackle difficult assignments; able to resolve most problems without direction

Adaptability: adapts readily to new situations; applies lessons learned

Attitude toward job and classroom: does required work with enthusiasm; self-motivated; willing to take additional work when asked

Relationship with others: accepts individual differences and adjusts to them; tries to understand those with whom he/she disagrees

General knowledge of news and current events: consistently reads newspapers and/or listens to broadcast news reports; tries to understand and relate news events to life around him/her.

 

THE C STUDENT: ADEQUATE

Written expression: can communicate ideas, but work sometimes rambles

Oral expression: able to exchange ideas and thoughts clearly, but without distinction

Ability to handle stress or deadline pressure: generally competent, but some lapses under pressure; occasionally frazzled by deadlines

Productivity: carries own share of workload; production meets the standard Curiosity: generally interested in what goes on around him/her

Resourcefulness/initiative: follows through on assignments, but needs some guidance when problems occur

Adaptability: accepts change; learns skills with reasonable amount of instruction

Attitude toward job and classroom: exerts required effort; cooperative

Relationship with others: works with others to meet mutual objectives; fair and reasonable; avoids conflict

General knowledge of news and current events: can discuss current events with reasonable understanding and perspective

 

THE D STUDENT: IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

Written expression: work lacks focus; thoughts are often muddled; language use is poor

Oral expression: inarticulate; lacks basic oral communication skills; too withdrawn or too pushy

Ability to handle stress or deadline pressure: often lacks concentration; likely to freeze or blow up under pressure

Productivity: does not complete work in required time; difficulty working at same pace as others. Makes excuses for lack of effort.

Curiosity: accepts most things at face value; fails to recognize or try to resolve inconsistencies in information presented

Resourcefulness/initiative: stymied by problems; shows little follow-through

Adaptability: inability to accept new procedures or assignments; resists change and suggestions

Attitude toward job and classroom: very little effort to meet job or class standards; frequent absences and/or lapses in attention

Relationship with others: difficult to get along with; indifferent to the needs and feelings of others

General knowledge of news and current events: shows little interest in or an awareness of news and/or  current events

 

THE F STUDENT: UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR AND WORK

Written expression: No organization; unable to master complex subject matter in clear, concise fashion

Oral expression: inarticulate; lacking poise under pressure

Ability to handle stress or deadline pressure: unable to handle unexpected problems in mature manner; Does not complete assignments with or without pressure

Productivity: Cannot deliver work as required; does not volunteer for extra work; Does not meet deadlines.

Curiosity: None

Resourcefulness/initiative: deterred by obstacles; no initiative; cannot solve problems without creating more of them

Adaptability: consistently creates challenges for others; views change as too difficult to adapt

Attitude toward job and classroom: exerts no energy. Always tardy. Lacks initiative. Misses class and assignments. No enthusiasm

Relationship with others: Does not relate to others in or out of the news room; often irritates others; little or no people skills; creates conflicts rather than solves them

General knowledge of news and current events: uninterested in the news and its ramifications; does not understand significance. Has own agenda