Grading, Feedback and Policies

31 Dec 2020

tl;dr: Do interesting work and you'll be fine. Make sure it's submitted on time. Grading and feedback is focused on creative projects. There will be some opportunities for extra credit.

The course is focused on exploring distance learning by making interesting creative work. To get a good grade you’ll need to:

• Show up to class (on time)
• Regularly participate in conversations and crits
• Turn in your work on time for each module
• Support your classmates by giving them feedback on their work,
• Taking part in the course Slack by sharing content and helping out peers
• Provide thoughful contributions to discussions
• Offer well researched and interesting examples and cases
• Create interesting, well-crafted and well documented projects
• Be open to new perspectives and generally positive and engaged.
• Ask questions.

The most important element: the work you do. Make an effort, try new approaches, experiment technologies, and apply them in interesting and unexpected ways. They key to getting a stellar grade will mean finding an exciting interactive strategy, for interactive applications and scenarios.

Grading

To facilitate grading all students are expected to prepare digital pages for their work (e.g. Gallery projects, Google Documents, Slack posts). All work must be submitted or presented by the deadline. Late work will not be accepted.

This course will largely assign a mix of independent and group work. For independent projects, all work submitted must represent a distinct product by that individual and may not be produced in partnership with any peer within the class. Group projects allow for collaboration but expect that all members contribute to the final work equally. Work submitted for assessment in one class may not be submitted in full or in part for assessment in a second class.

Breakdown of grades

Final grades for the course will be broken down as follows:

• 10% - Attendance & Participation
• 5% - Introductory Project
• 15% - Investigation I; allocated as:
  • 50% Think Piece
  • 50% End of Module Creative Assignment
• 30% - Investigation Project II; allocated as:
  • 10% Case Studies
  • 20% Think Pieces
  • 30% Creative Explorations & Experiments
  • 40% End of Module Creative Assignment
• 10% - Synthesis Paper and Presentation
• 30% - Application/Final Project

Note: this is subject to change

Participation

Participation grade will be based on three components; but generally it boils down to being a good citizen during the course: be engaged, ask questions, contribute your insights and support your peers.

a) Attendance - being present in classes and maintain a strong record of attendance over the duration of the course;

b) In-Class Engagement - being engaged in the classroom activities, actively and productively contributing to in-class discussions and project critiques; and

c) Online Engagement - being an active and productive contributor to the classroom slack, supporting peers online, sharing knowledge with the class, etc.

An excellent grade will be earned for the following (on and offline) characteristics:

• The student is always respectful of his or her self, others, and teacher, has a positive attitude, and does not criticize anyone else’s ideas or work.
• The student initiates contributions more than once in each session;
• The student’s comments are insightful & constructive; uses appropriate terminology. Comments balanced between general impressions, opinions & specific, thoughtful criticisms or contributions.
• The student listens attentively when others present materials, perspectives, as indicated by comments that build on others’ remarks, i.e., student hears what others say & contributes to the dialogue.
• The student routinely shares with, and supports the efforts of others.
• The student brings needed materials to class and is always ready to work.
• The student is awake and engaged in class on a daily basis, and shows no disruptive behavior.

Case Studies

You are expected to share a small number of case studies over the course of the semester. These will be graded as pass/fail:

• 0 - Unsatisfactory - Incomplete or failing work. The example does not fit within the constraints of the project, is not relevant to the course or does not demonstrate any comprehension, reflection or analysis on it.

• 1 - Satisfactory or better - Meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the exercise; Highlights a good example within the scope of the exercise AND shows adequate research and reflection.

This will be applied to EACH case.

To guarantee you pass the assignment, make sure you have:

• Used the correct format and channel for your post on Slack ^*
• Added each case study (if multiple precedents are required) as a separate post on Slack ^*
• Appropriately titled and given credit to the creators of the project/work ^*
• Have included at least one link to the resource ^*
• Written between 200-350 words on the case and it’s relevance (not copy-paste descriptions!) ^*
• Made an effort to reflect on the case and it’s relevance/utility
• Written clearly, effectively and critically

^* Incidates that if you do not meet these criteria you will immediately fail the assignment.

Think Pieces

These assignments are a way for you to demonstate you own independent research of topics relating to the course material. They should represent your own interests and be curious about the topics at hand.

Take note: The most important thing for this project is to come up with a compelling topic - something interesting, informed, aware or critical. The breakdown of the grades favors your ability to come up with an idea like this.

Criticality (Topic): The course is focused on speculative terrains and critical conversations. Does this project raise an interesting question or present a point of view? Does it encourage thinking? Does it raise questions? Is it provocative?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief and/or no clear questions are raised by this work.
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements; does not raise any questions directly or formulates a poor statement of intent for the work;
• 2: good: shows insight and observation; formulates a clear statement that includes; raises some opportunity for dialog around the core ideas;
• 3: excellent: shows deep insight; formulates a clear statement; raises provocative and rich questions around the topic; thought-provoking, informed and original perspective.

Creativity: Does it represent an a unique approach or an original perspective that goes beyond course materials? Does it demonstrate an interesting or different point of view?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief and no originality or creativity demonstrated (e.g. covers content identical to course material)
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements of the brief and/or a minor increment over course lectures
• 2: good: shows develops its own argument and/or raises new questions beyond those introduced in class.
• 3: excellent: goes beyond the course materials and demonstrates significant originality in the ideas; raises unexpected questions or explores unusual but compelling avenues.

Accuracy (Grasp of topic selected)

• 1. Incomplete or Inadequate: Paper misrepresents the ideas, evidence and/or conclusions. Major inaccuracies. Or does not distinguish between major ideas and less relevant points.
• 1. Passing - Paper represents the ideas, evidence and conclusions accurately but not sufficiently clearly. Minor inaccuracies.
• 1. Good - Paper represents the ideas, evidence and conclusions accurately.
• 1. Excellent - Paper represents the ideas, evidence or conclusions accurately, fairly and eloquently. Shows a firm understanding of the topic at hand.

Research (Reference and use of appropriate sources)

• 1. Incomplete or Inadequate: Evidence of using unreliable sources, or excessive reliance on a single source. No evidence of research or heavy reliance on improvisation. Unclear picture of foundational concepts or ideas relating to the topic. Examples or evidence do not enhance or even contradict topical discussion.
• 1. Passing - Evidence of using mostly reliable sources of information from at least 2 relevant papers, texts or articles relevant to the course. Excessive reliance on 1 or 2 sources.
• 1. Good - Evidence of using reliable sources of information from at least 2 relevant papers, texts or articles relevant to the course. Required minimum of 3 sources for each topic. Good choice of examples, citations or sources.
• 1. Excellent - Strong evidence of having used reliable sources of information from at least 2 relevant papers, texts or articles relevant to the course. May have more than req. min. of 3 sources for each paper, no max.

Argument and Depth of Analysis

• 1. Incomplete or Inadequate: Paper does not address the assignment Selects minor rather than key ideas, and/or does not show why the selected ideas connect (or contradict) texts, and/or connect (contradict) texts and lectures.
• 1. Passing - Paper does not address some aspects of the assignment. Makes somewhat unconvincing case for why selected ideas connect (contradict) two texts, and/or connect (contradict) texts and lectures.
• 1. Good - Paper fully meets the requirements but does not exceed them. Makes good case for why selected key ideas connect (or contradict) two texts, and/or connect (contradict) texts and lectures.
• 1. Excellent - Paper fully meets requirements of assignment. Explores implications of chosen ideas for the arts in classical Greece or today in thoughtful and/or original ways. Makes convincing case for why selected key ideas connect (or contradict) two texts, and/or connect (contradict) texts and lectures.

Clarity

• 1. Incomplete or Inadequate: Consistently imprecise or ambiguous wording, confusing sentence structure. Quotations contradict or confuse student’s text. Quotations used to replace student’s writing.
• 1. Passing: Imprecise or ambiguous wording. Confusing sentence structure. Poorly chosen quotations, or ineffective framing and explication of quotations.
• 1. Good: Mostly precise and unambiguous wording, mostly clear sentence structure. Mostly effective choice of quotation. Mostly effective framing and explication of quotation where necessary
• 1. Excellent - Consistently precise and unambiguous wording, clear and lucid sentence structure. All quotations are well chosen, effectively framed in the text and explicated where necessary

Presentation

• 1. Incomplete or Inadequate: Paper is sloppy or incorrectly formatted, not written in full sentences. Many improperly attributed quotations or inconsistent style of citation. Many spelling or grammatical errors.
• 1. Passing: Paper is clean, correctly formatted as a slack post, written in full sentences. Some improperly attributed quotations and/or inconsistent citation style. A number of spelling or grammatical errors. Would benefit from additional images.
• 1. Good: Paper is clean, correctly formatted as a slack post, written in full sentences. Quotations are all properly attributed and cited in a consistent style. A few minor spelling or grammatical errors. Includes images or other media as needed.
• 1. Excellent Paper is clean, correctly formatted as a slack post, written in full sentences. Quotations are all properly attributed and cited in a consistent style. Virtually no spelling or grammatical errors. Includes images or other media as needed.

Explorations and Experiments

Explorations and Experiments are small quick introductory projects that are designed to seed and test ideas within the course. Explorations and Experiments will be graded similarly to creative projects. However, the focus here is much less on execution and skill. Instead, the warm up encourages you to experiment with concepts and play with ideas. This is reflected in the allocation of grades.

Take note: The focus here is to practice skills and play with concepts. Additionally, as they are also rapid fire explorations, execution is much lower weighted.

Assignments are graded as follows:

• Creativity (50%) - How interesting is the concept / outcome? Does it represent an a unique approach or an original perspective on the assignment? Does it depart from known or standard approaches?
• Execution (10%) - How beautiful or well implemented is the outcome? How well composed is it? How compelling is the visual/sonic aesthetic? Does it show technical skill and mastery of the medium/tools?
• Context (20%) - How informed is the work? Does it show connections to theory, ideas, research, artists, frameworks or other elements of the domain?
• Documentation (20%) - How well authored, curated, illustrated is the documentation? Does it communicate the project and its goals effectively?

Creative Projects

These projects are a way for you to showcase:

• Your engagement and understanding of the material of the module
• Your creative capacity
• Your own interests

Take note: The most important thing for this project is to come up with a compelling concept - something interesting, informed, aware or critical. The breakdown of the grades favors your ability to come up with an idea like this. Focus on the idea before implementation!

The outcome of each creative project will be graded as follows:

• 30% - Technical Implementation - Quality of code and execution of the outcome
• 30% - Creativity of Approach and Topic - Merit, creativity, and context for the outcome/proposal
• 20% - Documentation - Well illustrated with appropriate use of code, video, diagrams, repeatability, etc.
• 20% - Presentation and Demonstration - high quality presentation and well narrated demonstration of the solution

Rubrics

Criticality (Topic): The course is focused on speculative terrains and critical conversations. Does this project raise an interesting question or present a point of view? Does the statement of intent clearly present an informed perspective? Does it encourage thinking? Does it raise questions? Is it provocative?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief and/or no clear questions are raised by this work.
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements; does not raise any questions directly or formulates a poor statement of intent for the work;
• 2: good: shows insight and observation; formulates a clear statement that includes; raises some opportunity for dialog around the core ideas;
• 3: excellent: shows deep insight; formulates a clear statement; raises provocative and rich questions around the topic; thought-provoking, informed and original perspective.

Creativity (Approach): How interesting is the concept/outcome? Does it represent an a unique approach or an original perspective on the assignment? Does it depart from or have a twist on known or standard approaches? Does it use materials or code in an innovative way?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief and no originality or creativity demonstrated (e.g. direct replication of prior approach without extension)
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements of the brief and/or a minor increment over existing work (extension/adaptation of a precedent)
• 2: good: shows engagement, exploration and insight; uses precedents and/or materials in relatively original ways.
• 3: excellent: shows deep insight, and significant understanding of the problem; goes beyond the brief and demonstrates significant originality in the ideas and their application; uses precedents and/or materials in unexpected ways; surprising and delightful outcome.

Context (Concept and Background): Is the problem space or scenario clearly explained? How clearly are the key principles and goals of the work articulated? How informed is the work? Does it show connections to theory, ideas, research, artists, frameworks or other elements of the domain?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief (no mention of problem space, scenario) and/or does not include precedents.
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements.
• 2: good: provides a thoughtful and considered introduction to the work with limited references and limited analysis of past work
• 3: excellent: provides a thoughtful and considered introduction to the work and supports the context with relevant references and critical analysis of past work.

Code (Execution I): How well implemented is the code? Is it well commented, well formatted, well structured and functioning? Does it show sophisticated approaches? How well composed is it? Does it show technical skill and mastery of programming?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief - code not included or does not compile
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements - provides the minimum core functionality, is basic in operation and could be improved.
• 2: good: functional; provides reasonably well structured approach; well commented; and shows technical competence.
• 3: excellent: provides a considered well organized, well commented and structured implementation; and/or has implemented complex functionality beyond the brief and/or demonstrated technical skill

Circuitry (Execution II): How well implemented is the circuit? Are the selected components sensible for the goals? Is the circuit well designed, functioning, etc.? How well composed is it? Does it show technical skill and mastery of electronics?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief - circuit not included or does not function as described
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements - provides the minimum core functionality, is basic in operation and could be improved.
• 2: good: functional; demonstrates understanding of components and applied them in a working circuit; circuit is well organized; component selection is sensible and demonstrates some technical skill
• 3: excellent: provides a strong technical understanding; well considered component choices; functions and is well organized; and works with advanced components, implements functionality beyond the brief and demonstrates technical skill

Form (Execution III): How well implemented is the aesthetics of the object/device? Are the design and material choices appropriate for the context and do they integrate with the code and circuitry? Does it show sophisticated approaches? How well composed is it? Does it show design skill and mastery of fabrication and forms?

• 0: incomplete: does not satisfy brief - code not included or does not compile
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements - provides the minimum aesthetics; involves minimal to no design
• 2: good: functional; illustrates an intended form for the device (even if preliminary) and that form is sensible and appropriate.
• 3: excellent: provides an exceptionally well crafted object that shows competence in the design and material choices

Communication (Documentation): How well authored, curated, illustrated is the documentation? Is it sufficiently detailed to repeat the outcome? Does it include a personal reflection? Does it communicate the project and its goals succinctly and effectively?

• 0: incomplete: documentation is missing or doesn’t provide any illustration
• 1: passing: satisfies minimum requirements - it contains the required components; but reasonably poor quality, verbose, unclear or shows other communication issues.
• 2: good: clearly communicated and sufficiently detailed to easily repeat the outcome; well and appropriately illustrated with media, diagrams and code.
• 3: excellent: as good, but includes an additional level of rigor, reflection or professionalism that elevates the outcome. e.g. Documentation that is ready to share online for press or crowdfunding.

Reading Summaries and Reflections

Reading Reflections will be graded as pass/fail:

• 0 - Unsatisfactory - Incomplete or failing work that does not show understanding/familiarity of the text or address the reflection questions posed.
• 1 - Satisfactory or better - Meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for a reading reflection; shows familiarity with the text and addresses the reflection questions posed.

This will be applied to EACH reflection i.e. if two reflections are due, each will be graded separately.

To guarantee you pass the assignment, make sure you have:

• Posted your reflection by the deadline ^*
• Appropriately titled and referenced the reading at the start of your reflection ^*
• Written at least 200 words for your reflection (not just copy-paste quotes!) ^*
• Highlighted the major points/themes of the text
• Responded to the prompts/framing questions provided
• Thoughfully responded to the ideas in the text and/or made connections to other ideas in the module or course.
• Written clearly, effectively and critically about the reading.

^* Incidates that if you do not meet these criteria you will immediately fail the assignment.

Grading Standards

• A: Superlative or exemplary work, initiative beyond the description of the problem. Significant understanding of the problem. Conceptual clarity. An attitude of self-motivated exploration, open-mindedness, and a willingness to benefit from criticism.

• B: Very good, some exemplary work, a thorough understanding of the problem. Project displays conceptual foundation, well crafted. Competence and mastery of skills. Open, inquisitive attitude.

• C: Satisfactory or adequate work that meets the minimum requirements of the problem and course. Shows understanding of the problem, with some deficiencies. Reasonable mastery of skill and concepts. This grade is seen to represent the average solution.

• D: Passing, work that is complete, but does not show an understanding of the problem or expectations, and demonstrates deficient skills.

• R: Failing work that does not meet the requirements of the studio, shows a serious deficiency in skills or is incomplete.

Grading Scale

The grading scale for the course is as follows:

• A - 90 - 100%

• B - 80 - 90%

• C - 70 - 80%

• D - 60 - 70%

• R - < 60%

Extra Credit

Opportunities for extra credit will at one or more times throughout the semester. These will be discussed in class.

Late work

As the course is designed for in-class review and discussion of almost every assignment (readings, research, creative projects), late work is not acceptable. Without delivering your work on time, you will not get the benefit of in-class feedback, discussion and critique that it brings. More importantly, it can hold up the progress of the class as a whole.

Simply, all work should be submitted or presented by the deadline. Late submissions will be penalized unless a medical reason or extenuating circumstance is properly documented in advance. Late work will result in a decreased grade as follows:

• work submitted late will immediately loose a letter grade;
• work submitted more than one week late will loose two letter grades.

The only exceptions will be in the case of medical or family emergencies or other pre-arranged university-approved absences. If you miss an assignment, keep an eye open for extra credit opportunities, or contact me for advice.

Regrading

Grades received are final. Work will not be considered for regrading. Exceptions may be provided for disability accommodations.

Data Loss

Students are responsible for their own work. Work lost to due computer error, portable media error, or personal error is the responsibility of the student and will not be an excuse for late or missing work. At the end of the semester all students may be required to submit all work incl. source code, process documentation, etc. Do not discard original files of any assignment and the use of Github or other source management solutions is recommended.

Grading, Assignments and Your Wellbeing

Besides all of the above, your health and wellbeing is the first priority. Particularly as the semester comes to a close and there are many competing deadlines, assignments and priorities, first and foremost, take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. You are not alone. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is often helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

If you have questions about this or your coursework, please let me know.