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Understanding your Grades

Author: Sophia

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what's covered

This tutorial helps you to understand grading at Torrens University. Here is what’s covered:

An overview of grades at Torrens University
Assessment rubrics and how to read them
Where to find your grades

1. An overview of grades at Torrens University

Torrens University uses a grading system across programs. Take time to look through the grading system below:

File:13172-torrens grades.png

2. Assessment rubrics and how to read them

Assessment rubrics are used with each assessment task at Torrens University and you can find them on Blackboard for each subject under 'Assessments'.

The purpose of an assessment rubric is to make the objectives of the assessment clear so that students know what is being graded. Your learning facilitator will use the rubric to grade your task, so taking the time to understand the rubric is an important part of the assessment process. You can see an example of a rubric below:

File:13174-Rubric Basic.png

Reading and understanding the rubric is an important academic skill. When you are looking at the rubric, note the following:

Grade level

The rubric is divided into the 5 grade levels along the top of the table

Assessment Attributes

Assessment attributes, which are the aspects of the task that your expected to complete, are listed in the left hand column of the rubric. These will change depending on the assessment task.

Descriptors

The descriptors related to each assessment attribute and grade can be found in the table. You will notice that the standards of descriptors change across the grade range.

You can see examples of all of these points in the annotated rubric below.

File:13176-Rubric V2.png

3. Where to find your grades

File:13177-MyGrades.png

summary

Understanding grades and how you will be assessed is a key aspect of being able to complete an assessment effectively. By analysing and using the assessment rubric, you can be more confident of what you will be graded on and address the assessment criteria more successfully. It's also important to keep an eye on your grades in Blackboard as you progress through your studies.