Grading
Your overall course grade will be computed according to
the following breakdown:
| |
Assignment |
Weight |
| |
Discussion (including project critiques) |
20% |
| |
Project 1: Mini App. or Virtual Pet Concept Sketches |
10% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 1: Design Plan |
5% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 2: Paper Prototypes |
15% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 3: Digital Wireframe Development |
15% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 4: Usability Testing Documents |
10% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 5: Usability Testing Results |
10% |
| |
Final Project, Stage 6 & 7: Final Revisions |
15% |
|
|
Assignment Descriptions
Discussions
Discussions are a very important part of this course. The Discussion Board is the primary means of communication for the course. Therefore, your Discussion grade will reflect both your level of participation and the quality of your contributions. When discussions are used for critique of student work, your postings will be evaluated on the following points.
- Relevance and Comprehension: You should appropriately reference usability concepts found in your readings and course lecture topics.
- Clarity: You should provide specific examples to support your position and avoid vague approval or criticism.
- Originality: If you feel another student has already expressed your point of view, explain why you agree with him or her, and try to add at least one new suggestion or critical point in your post.
Projects
Each of your projects has specific requirements that are listed on the full assignment description pages found in each unit. However, all of your projects are expected to demonstrate the following skills:
- Relevance and Comprehension: You should appropriately apply usability concepts found in your readings and course lecture topics.
- Clarity: The visual components of your project should be well labeled and organized. External documentation, such as discussion postings, can be used to clarify certain complex aspects of a project, but they should not be essential for a basic understanding of a concept sketch or digital comp.
Grade Explanations
| Letter
Grade: |
A |
| Characterization: |
excellent |
| Explanation: |
Student demonstrates a full
understanding of the subject matter, has capacity
to analyze, has demonstrated critical thinking, and
shows evidence of creative thinking, familiarity with
literature and previous work in area, highly developed
communication and presentation skills. The work is
of outstanding quality according to the criteria established
for evaluation.
|
| Range: |
90 to 100 percent |
| letter
grade: |
B |
| characterization: |
good |
| explanation: |
Student shows
good comprehension of subject matter, evidence of
critical and creative thought, familiarity with literature
and previous work in subject area, and competence
in communication and presentation skills, but none
of the above to the degree found in A category. The
work is of very good quality according to evaluation
criteria. |
| range: |
80 to 89 percent |
| letter
grade: |
C |
| characterization: |
average |
| explanation: |
Student demonstrates
some understanding of subject matter and can assimilate
and communicate basic aspects of the subject matter.
The work is of satisfactory or adequate quality according
to evaluation criteria. |
| range: |
70 to 79 percent |
| letter
grade: |
D |
| characterization: |
poor |
| explanation: |
Student
demonstrates minimal understanding of the subject
matter, poorly developed communication skills, inability
to apply subject matter understanding in other contexts,
and little evidence of critical or creative thinking.
The work is of unsatisfactory but passable quality
according to evaluation criteria. |
| range: |
60 to 69 percent |
| letter
grade: |
F |
| characterization: |
failing |
| explanation: |
The student
shows inadequate understanding of subject matter, has
failed to complete course requirements, has shown no
demonstration of critical thought, and has very poor
communication skills. The work is clearly
of unacceptable quality according to the evaluation
criteria. |
| range: |
0 to 59 percent |
|
