Assessing Written and Oral Communication of Senior Projects

Dr. Kevin Dennis
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights, 59
Winona, MN 55987

Appendix B. Sample Report Assessment Form

5 – Excellent – needs minor revisions in a few places (e.g., 2 or less changes)
4 – Good – needs minor changes throughout report (e.g., 1 per page)
3 – Satisfactory – needs a major change or many minor changes (e.g., over 2 per page)
2 – Poor – needs major revisions throughout report
1 – Unsatisfactory – has little to no value

Presentation of Report

1. How well written is the report (e.g., correct grammar, spelling, etc.)?
2. How well does the student present graphics/figures/equations (e.g., placement, neatness, etc.)?
Technical Report
3. How well does the student explain the purpose of the project?
4. How in depth does the student explain the history of the problem?
5. How well does the student explain the background mathematics needed to understand the problem?
6. How well does the student critique the model/study/topic?
Content
7. How in depth does the student explore the mathematics/statistics/research?
8. How accurate are the mathematical/statistical statements?
9. How well does the student justify the mathematical/statistical statements?
10. How consistent and effective is the student’s use of notation?
11. How effectively does the student use examples to clarify points made in the paper?
Overall – Report
12. How well does the student demonstrate that he/she understands the mathematics/statistics/research?
13. How well does the paper compare to other reports seen before this years?
Overall – Topic
14. The level of the topic appears obtainable with someone in a background in:
            1 – Freshman level mathematics and statistics (Calc I/Calc II/Intro to Stats)
            2 – Sophomore level mathematics and statistics (Calc III/Linear/Probability)
            3 – Junior/Senior level mathematics and statistics (First course in specialized areas)
            4 – Graduate level mathematics and statistics (Second course in specialized areas)
            NA – Educational Research Project
15. The level of originality of the topic appears to be:
            1 – Using known techniques to solve a problem found in a lower level course
            2 – Using known techniques to solve a problem covered in an upper level course
            3 – Using known techniques to solve a problem partially covered in an upper level course
            4 – Using unknown techniques to solve a problem partially covered in an upper level course
            5 – Using techniques to solve a problem unknown to the student
            6 – Using techniques to solve a problem unknown to the mathematical community or contributing new literature to the educational community