Oral Communication ULO Rubric

Oral Communication

Communication is a conscious transaction designed to increase knowledge, to influence attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors, or foster understanding (inform, persuade, relate).

University Learning Outcome (ULO) Criteria:

Communicate effectively in speech, both as a speaker and listener.

1. Research, discover, and develop information resources and structure spoken messages to increase knowledge and understanding.
2. Research, discover, and develop evidence-based reasoning and persuasive appeals for ethically influencing attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
3. Adapt spoken messages to the diverse personal, ideological, and emotional needs of individuals, groups, or contexts.
4. Employ effective spoken and nonverbal behaviors that support communication goals and illustrate self-efficacy.
5. Listen in order to effectively and critically evaluate the reasoning, evidence, and communication strategies of self and others.
6. Understand key theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts in the Communication discipline, as applied to oral communication.

The following rubric is closely based on the Idaho State Board of Education’s Oral Communication rubric.

Downloadable Version: Oral Communication ULO Rubric

Rubric

CRITERIA	4 Exemplary Work	3 Good Work	2 Developing Work	1 Unsatisfactory Work
1. Information Resources, Structures	Demonstrates, through spoken messages, the ability to access, critically evaluate, and utilize a variety of types of high-quality information resources (e.g. explanations, examples, illustrations, statistics, analogies, quotations from relevant authorities) and apply organizational patterns appropriate for audience.	Demonstrates, through spoken messages, ability to access, evaluate, and utilize credible information resources (e.g. explanations, examples, illustrations, statistics, analogies, quotations from relevant authorities) and apply organizational patterns appropriate for audience.	Demonstrates through spoken messages minimal ability to access, evaluate, or utilize information resources; minimal use of organizational patterns and/or patterns may sometimes be inappropriate for audience.	Demonstrates little or no ability to access, evaluate, or utilize information resources; Little or no use of organizational patterns and/or patterns are inappropriate for audience.
2. Reasoning & Persuasive Appeals	Utilizes cogent reasoning, rhetorical appeals, and diverse evidence in the construction of insightful, ethical persuasive messages.	Demonstrates clear fundamental reasoning, rhetorical appeals, and evidence in the construction of ethical persuasive messages.	Demonstrates minimal ability to use fundamental reasoning, rhetorical appeals, and evidence in the construction of ethical persuasive messages.	Demonstrates little or no ability to use fundamental reasoning, rhetorical appeals, and evidence in the construction of ethical persuasive messages.
3. Adapt Spoken Messages to Diverse Contexts	Creatively adapts spoken messages to address the personal, ideological, and emotional perspectives of diverse individuals, groups, or contexts.	Appropriately adapts spoken messages to address the personal, ideological, and emotional perspectives of diverse individuals, groups, or contexts.	Demonstrates minimal ability to adapt spoken messages to address the personal, ideological, and emotional perspectives of diverse individuals, groups, or contexts.	Fails to adapt spoken messages to address the personal, ideological, and emotional perspectives of diverse individuals, groups, or contexts.
4. Effective Verbal & Nonverbal Behaviors that Promote Self-efficacy	Strategically employs spoken language and nonverbal communicative strategies that support communication goals and illustrate self-efficacy.	Employs spoken language and nonverbal communicative strategies that support communication goals and illustrate self-efficacy.	Limited language and nonverbal communicative strategies that minimally support communication goals or illustrate self-efficacy.	Little or no language and nonverbal communicative strategies. Fails to support communication goals or illustrate self-efficacy.
5. Listen to Critically Evaluate Self & Others	Engages in reflective, comparative, and critical listening by assessing the reasoning, evidence, and communication strategies of self and others.	Demonstrates critical listening by assessing the reasoning, evidence, and communication strategies of self and others.	Demonstrates minimal critical listening. May produce limited or infrequent assessments of the reasoning, evidence, or communication strategies of self and/or others.	Does not demonstrate critical listening and fails to assess the reasoning, evidence, or communication strategies of self and/or others.
6. Key Theories & Concepts in Communication Discipline	Strategically applies the following theories and concepts: Models of Communication (e.g. Transactional, Linear Models), basic public speaking processes, methods of persuasion (e.g. Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation, Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm, Burke’s Dramatism), Aristotle’s Model of Rhetoric, Communication Apprehension, and concepts of effective verbal and nonverbal delivery (e.g., paralanguage, kinesics, proxemics, haptics, etc.).	Displays understanding of the following theories and concepts: Models of Communication (e.g. Transactional, Linear Models), basic public speaking processes, methods of Persuasion (e.g. Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation, Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm, Burke’s Dramatism), Aristotle’s Model of Rhetoric, Communication Apprehension, and concepts of effective verbal and nonverbal delivery (e.g., paralanguage, kinesics, proxemics, haptics, etc.) .	Shows limited understanding of some of the following theories and concepts: Models of Communication (e.g. Transactional, Linear Models), basic public speaking processes, methods of persuasion (e.g. Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation, Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm, Burke’s Dramatism), Aristotle’s Model of Rhetoric, Communication Apprehension, and concepts of effective verbal and nonverbal delivery (e.g., paralanguage, kinesics, proxemics, haptics, etc.).	Shows no understanding of some of the following theories and concepts: Models of Communication (e.g. Transactional, Linear Models), basic public speaking processes, methods of persuasion (e.g. Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation, Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm, Burke’s Dramatism), Aristotle’s Model of Rhetoric, Communication Apprehension, and concepts of effective verbal and nonverbal delivery (e.g., paralanguage, kinesics, proxemics, haptics, etc.).