Here are some general notes on how we’ll be grading blogs, but see the specific assignment for extra requirements.
How to Write a Blog Post
Blog posts are meant to be well-written, both thoughtful and thought-provoking; the best ones will also stimulate discussion on the course site and in the classroom. Feel free to end your post with questions you haven’t answered yet or would like to hear your classmates answer; also consider embedding relevant pictures and other media in your posts. Recording a video or audio blog to Youtube and then embedding it into a blog post on our course site is also allowed. The grading rubric for blogging (below) takes effort into account. Although there’s not a hard and fast rule as to blog length, most blogs should be at least 300 words and/or 2-3 paragraphs long, and you want most of your post to be content–don’t waste time on empty statements and repetition.
The best blog posts will both demonstrate you’ve done the reading and show you have understood and analyzed it. Blogs should never be a summary of what you’ve read or heard; if you’re writing in response to a reading or lecture, your blogs should consist of a) analysis and reaction and criticism of that content, or b) how the readings apply to our larger questions of defining literature and digital literature and considering what happens to literature as it changes from one medium to another. Images and videos are awesome, but they should be classroom-appropriate.
Blog Grading Rubric
Blogs will be graded on the following scale:
| Rating | Characteristics |
| 7 | Exceptional. The blog entry is focused and coherently integrates examples from the course readings with explanations or analysis. The entry demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic. The blog meets the requirements of the assignment (i.e. answers the question in the blog prompt, includes any other features the instructor asked for), stands on its own as a coherent piece of writing making a solid argument, and goes beyond answering the blog prompt in the quality of its style, claims, and support. |
| 5-6 | Both Meets and Exceeds Assignment Requirements. The blog entry is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on direct examples from course readings (e.g. quotations or paraphrased but cited arguments) or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The entry reflects moderate engagement with the topic. The blog meets the requirements of the assignment (i.e. answers the question in the blog prompt, includes any other features the instructor asked for) and also stands on its own as a coherent piece of writing making a solid argument. |
| 3-4 | Meets Assignment Requirements. The blog entry does not do anything more than directly answer the blog prompt; it may be mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, or with few connections made between ideas. The entry reflects only a brief amount of time thinking about the topic. The blog meets the requirements of the assignment (i.e. answers the question in the blog prompt, includes any other features the instructor asked for) but does not stand on its own as a coherent piece of writing making a solid argument (e.g. feels like an answer jotted down on a test, not a piece of writing one might find on a decent journalism site). A “2″ does not address specific arguments or quotations from course readings. |
| 2 | Limited. The blog entry is unfocused, parrots the work of others without making significant additions, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic. |
| 0 | No Credit. The blog entry is missing or consists of a few disconnected sentences. |