Competency Assessment Rubric

The assessment of the individual student competency development is an

important task for members of the Honors staff and council. Every
summer, representatives of the Honors staff and faculty review students’
electronic portfolios and learning plans to assess their development
process. Based on guidelines created throughout the academic year, the
staff and faculty evaluate the work of the student within each competency
to determine which level the student has reached in their development. To
gauge student development, the following competency rubrics are used
during the reviewing process as guidelines. Competencies are
demonstrated at the level indicated by the asterisks.

Leadership

Upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated the ability to

utilize personal leadership values and guide groups toward a common goal.

Theme Leadership Rubric

Competency
Emerging Developing Mastering
Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four

Students will identify Identifies personal Reflects upon Evaluates effective and Uses personal
Values and utilize leadership leadership values personal ineffective leadership theories and
values as members of leadership styles within group values of
campus and strengths and contexts leadership within
community weaknesses campus or
organizations community
organizations*

Students will identify Identifies various Practices group Reflects upon roles Articulates a
roles within teams types of roles within member skills and within group and general
Teams and utilize them group and team abilities to work team settings leadership
within campus or settings together toward a philosophy to
community common goal guide future
organizations. collaboration
within groups*

Key: Red = First‐Year, Yellow = Sophomore, Blue = Junior, Green = Senior

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 Research

Upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated the ability to

exhibit information literacy skills, synthesize and integrate ideas, produce
original research or creative works, and contribute to knowledge.

Theme Research Rubric

Competency
Emerging Developing Mastering
Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four
Students will Develops ability to Demonstrates Develops ability to Demonstrates
Information exhibit access information knowledge of the evaluate and ability to reflect upon
Literacy information effectively, ethical use of incorporate how student used
literacy skills efficiently, and information. selected information effectivel y
critically information into and ethically to
knowledge base. accomplish a
specific research
goal*

Student will Develops ability to Develops ability Exhibits ability to Demonstrates ability
Information exhibit the organize others’ to evaluate and draw upon multiple to reflect upon how
Synthesis ability to ideas synthesize diverse sources to present a the paper/project led
synthesize and perspectives on a coherent and to new knowledge
integrate ideas given topic integrated thesis and understanding
statement or about the research
hypothesis process.*

Student will Identifies research Develops research Conducts primary Exhibits completed
Original produce question or question or research or engages research or creative
Research original research creative proposal creative proposal in creative practice work that extends
or creative that extends that extends that extends knowledge or
achievement knowledge or knowledge or knowledge or practice of their
practice of their practice of their practice of their discipline*
discipline discipline discipline

Student will Identifies Prepares and Disseminates the Drafts and submits
Dissemination contribute to appropriate venue submits an results of their the results of their
of Results knowledge or for dissemination abstract or research or creative research or creative
practice of proposal for the achievement* achievement through
discipline appropriate venue a peer- reviewed
venue

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 Global Citizenship

Upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated an increased

self-awareness of their own and other cultures, knowledge and
understanding of cultural perspectives, and awareness of the connections
between language and culture in communication.
Theme Global Citizenship Rubric
Competency
Emerging Developing Mastering
Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four
Self- Students will Demonstrates Shows emerging Recognizes new Perceives one’s personal style,
awareness demonstrate an emerging awareness of the varied perspectives about own prejudices, projections, and habits
increased self- realization of contexts and boundaries of cultural rules and biases of mind that both shape and
awareness of their oneself as a member one’s own culture and its and compares and impede our own understanding;
own and other of a culture. cultural rules and biases. contrasts own culture shows awareness of what one
cultures with other individuals does not understand and why
and their cultures. understanding is so difficult*

Knowledge Asks simple or Asks questions that show Develops and sustains Formulates a philosophy of global
and Students will surface questions an increased understanding interactions with people citizenship by evaluating complex
Understanding demonstrate about related of complex cultural from different cultures cultural practices, products, and
knowledge and cultures and their practices, products, and and demonstrates how perspectives
understanding of practices, products, perspectives (in general these experiences relate
cultural and perspectives (in everyday situations and to one's own worldview. Detects, structures, and evaluates
perspectives familiar everyday unrehearsed practices) multiple issues based on
situations or Recognizes that one's social/political/historical
rehearsed Seeks out interactions with experiences informs one's backgrounds while connecting
practices). people from different own cultural practices, them with themes that work
cultures products, and across cultures (i.e. race, gender,
Recalls and perspectives in relation to class)
summarizes other those of other cultures
cultures based on Demonstrates awareness of
experiences Obtains and analyzes differences in cultural practices
information about other and adjusts own behavior
cultures accordingly in familiar and
unfamiliar situations in an attempt
to bridge cultures*

Communication Demonstrates an Identifies basic cultural Creates communication Converses with others from the
Students will emerging level of differences and similarities that is culturally target culture in a variety of
demonstrate understanding of by demonstrating verbal appropriate in the target familiar and unfamiliar situations
awareness of the cultural differences and nonverbal language in familiar and a
connections in verbal and communication in the limited number of Constructs a thoughtful summary
between language nonverbal target language unfamiliar situations about how learning about and
and culture in communication analyzing connections between
communication. Communicates in Demonstrates practice of language and culture has informed
Communicates in appropriate ways with target language one’s own worldview and the
the target language some accuracy in general, competency outside of complexity of relationships
in familiar everyday familiar situations and the classroom between people from different
situations using identifies connections cultures*
memorized between language and Demonstrates a
vocabulary and culture deepening awareness of
structures connections between
language and culture and
begins to articulate an
understanding of them

Adapted from AAC&U Intercultural Value Rubric and Wiggins and McTighe’s “Six Facets of Understanding”