Critical Reasoning Rubric

Critical Reasoning Competency (Major)

Student Name: 

Definition:  Students will develop a composition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be able to recognize the existence of problems and to facilitate problem solving. 

Performance Factor

4

3

2

1

Identifies and explains issues

Clearly identifies and summaries main issues and successfully explains why/ how they are problems or questions; identifies embedded or implicit issues addressing their relationships to each other

Successfully identifies and summarizes the main issues, but does not explain why/ how they are problems or create questions

Identifies main issues but does not summarize or explain them clearly or sufficiently

Fails to identify, summarize, or explain the main problem or question; represents the issues inaccurately or inappropriately

Recognizes stakeholders and contexts (i.e. cultural/ social, educational, political, economic, ethical, personal experience)

Correctly identifies all the empirical and theoretical contexts relevant to all the main stakeholders; also finds minor stakeholders and contexts and shows the tension or conflicts of interest among them

Correctly identifies all the empirical and theoretical contexts relevant to all the main stakeholders

Shows some general understanding of the influences of empirical and theoretical contexts on stakeholders, but does not identify any specific ones relevant to situation

Unable to identify and explain any empirical or theoretical contexts for the issues; presents problems as having no connections to other conditions or contexts

Frames personal responses and acknowledges other perspectives

Formulates a clear and precise personal point of view and acknowledges objections and rival positions and provides convincing replies to these

Formulates a clear and precise personal point of view and seriously discusses its weaknesses as well as its strengths

Formulates a vague and indecisive point of view; or anticipates minor but not major objections to his/her point of view; or considers weak but not strong alternative positions

Fails to formulate and clearly express own point of view, or fails to anticipate objections to his/her point of view, or fails to consider other perspectives and positions

Evaluates evidence

Identifies and rigorously evaluates all important evidence offered; provides new data or information for consideration

Identifies all important evidence and rigorously evaluates it

Successfully identifies data and information but fails to thoroughly evaluate its credibility

Fails to identify data and information

Evaluates implications, conclusions and consequences

Identifies and thoroughly discusses implications, conclusions, and consequences, considering all relevant assumptions, contexts, data, and evidence

Identifies and briefly discusses implications, conclusions, and consequences considering most but not all the relevant assumptions, contexts, data, and evidence

Suggests some implications, conclusions, and consequences, but without clear reference to context, assumptions, data, and evidence

Fails to identify implications, conclusions, and consequences of the issue, or the key relationships between the other elements of the problem, such as context, assumptions, or data and evidence

Comments: