Key Concepts

Level 1

Knowledge, Self-Inventory, and Beginning Skills

Level 2

Application and Analysis

Level 3

Synthesis and Effective Use

Identifies strengths and weaknesses in own communication skills.

Uses feedback to improve communication.

· Consciously adapts understanding of effective communication to new contexts, assesses the results, sets and meets goals for improvement.

· Identifies examples of strong and weak use of elements.

· Uses elements to create clear, accurate messages in comparatively simple, controlled situations.

· Uses dictionaries, other reference tools, and experts to clarify communications.

· Checks understanding of messages whenever possible.

· Creates neat documents in prescribed formats using simple visuals.

· Consciously uses the elements of communication in a variety of complex, open situations.

· Identifies examples of strong and weak ideas, organization, and development in a variety of comparatively simple communications.

· Focuses on ideas and evidence, avoiding distraction.

· Creates clear ideas, organization, and support in relatively simple controlled, communication situations.

· Develops and supports ideas by analyzing and synthesizing material from several sources.

· Analyzes, compares, and contrasts how communicators present and support ideas in a variety of open, complex communication situations.

· Consciously uses principles of unity, organization, and development to understand and create messages with increasing clarity.

· Synthesizes complex, multiple sources.

· Designs thorough research processes.

· Chooses sources for reliability.

· Notices formal and informal methods of giving credit to sources.

· Identifies inflammatory and abusive language and tactics designed to circumvent reasoning.

· Identifies and gives examples of facts, inferences, and judgments.

· Prepares thoroughly for communication tasks.

· Describes, summarizes, and paraphrases simple materials accurately.

· Gives informal credit to any sources used.

· Uses visual, verbal, and nonverbal cues to separate own work from sources.

· Uses academic documentation systems accurately.

· Describes, summarizes, and paraphrases varied materials accurately.

· Analyzes the ethical quality of communications and refuses to respond to unfair, inflammatory, or inaccurate language and images.

· Identifies, investigates, and/or rejects messages with insufficient evidence or faulty logic.

· Evaluates and values the ethical quality of communications.