Northeast Texas Community College | Funeral Service EducationP.O. Box 1307 Mt. Pleasant TX 75456 | 903-434-8314 direct | 903-434-8100 mainFind us on FacebookEffective August 24, 2020Funeral Service EducationEssayExpectations and RubricThe use of essays and research are essential components of this course/program. It is through research and interviews that youwill gain a deeper understanding of funeral service. While in the funeral service program, you will be expected to provide evidence ofresearch-based projects and interviews. Such essays will cover various topics about funeral service, embalming, and other materialsincluded in class lectures, readings, and discussions. Essays are an excellent method to increase your written abilities to prepareyourself for written communications with client-families, other funeral practitioners, and of course, as a means to communicate withother allied professions.In addition to accurate content and professional language, students will be graded on the quality of their reports. It is importantto note that proper grammar and the use of appropriate punctuation are essential to successfully communicating in the written word.Steps for success when submitting an essay:1. Essays must be submitted in a Microsoft Word document. Office 365 is provided at no cost to all students and should beused to save and submit assignments. If technology is a weakness, reach out to your instructor early for help.2. All essays MUST be submitted through the appropriate Blackboard submission folder. Submissions are not accepted viaemail or mail unless pre-approved by the instructor before the deadline.3. Do NOT wait until the last moment to submit.4. Consider running your papers through a grammar and/or plagiarism software before submission. Grammarly.com has afree online checker.Northeast Texas Community College | Funeral Service EducationP.O. Box 1307 Mt. Pleasant TX 75456 | 903-434-8314 direct | 903-434-8100 mainFind us on Facebook5. Read through your paper twice before submission. Use this rubric to conduct a self-assessment and ensure you have met allthe required components of the project. You might even consider having a family member or friend read your essay beforesubmission.6. Finally, remember copying and pasting from the internet or another person’s work is considered plagiarism. You willreceive an automatic zero if this found to have happened. Reread step for success number four!GradingGrading of your essays will be required in a good portion of your Funeral Service Education courses and will be a part of yourfinal grades. Percentages of your final grade will depend on the course and your instructor.All submissions are due by 11:59 Central Standard Time (Texas) on Monday of each week unless your instructor specifiesdifferently. It is essential to recognize that the essay might only be one portion of a project grade. The purpose of this rubric is to offerclear expectations and set students up to be successful. The essay grade will be composed of the following categories:Expectations Structure: For strong grades, the organization of the paper must flow logically. Transitions must be thought-out and smooth.Grammar: The essay should have proper sentence structure and use appropriate punctuation.On Topic: Address the subject matter as much as possible (don’t let your written thoughts stray).Content: Meets the requirements of the project. The instructor will identify the expectations for content.Accuracy: Use quotes from the articles and textbooks that support your topic. Please references and include page numbers or websiteswhen you do that.Experience: Bring in related prior knowledge (work experience, prior coursework, readings, etc.).Professional Language: Use of proper professional language and appropriate industry-specific terminology. Northeast Texas Community College | Funeral Service EducationP.O. Box 1307 Mt. Pleasant TX 75456 | 903-434-8314 direct | 903-434-8100 mainFind us on Facebook Grading RubricCriteriaFailingBelow StandardAverageGoodExcellentContentContributionWeight25.00%0%Does notunderstand thecontent inwhich they arespeaking of.50%Provides a weakrepresentation ofmaterial. Minimalunderstanding andpreparation areobvious.80%Understands and offers theminimum required contentknowledge.90%Is at ease with contentknowledge and offers asomewhat clear purposeand/or subject-matterknowledge. All contentrequirements are metand standards areexceeded.100%Demonstrates full knowledgeof content area. Provides clearpurpose and/or subject-matterknowledge. All contentrequirements are met andstandards are exceeded.References,Experience &SupportWeight15.00%0%Includes noreferences orsupportingexperience.50%Uses personalexperience/reflection, but noreferences toreadings orresearch.80%Uses personalexperience/reflection, butminimal references to readingsor research. [include page # orweblink of references]90%Incorporates somereferences fromliterature and personalexperience/reflection.[Include page # orweblink of references]100%Uses references to literature,readings, and personalexperience/reflection tosupport comments. [includepage # or weblink ofreferences]Accurate &On-topicWeight25.00%0%Essay wasunorganized orcontainedmultiple errorsor may beinappropriate.50%Essay did notprovide a clearmain idea ortheme as requiredby the projectrequirements.80%Communicated information byproviding a clear main idea ortheme with minimal supportand detail, meeting therequired essay requirements.90%Communicatedinformation that alignedwith the essay idea ortheme. Remained ontopic throughout theessay.100%Communicated information byproviding a clear main idea ortheme with support thatcontains significant andmeaningful detail. Remainedon topic throughout the essay. Northeast Texas Community College | Funeral Service EducationP.O. Box 1307 Mt. Pleasant TX 75456 | 903-434-8314 direct | 903-434-8100 mainFind us on Facebook CriteriaFailingBelow StandardAverageGoodExcellentGrammar &PunctuationWeight15.00%0%Fails to meetminimumstandard.50%Rarely uses propersentence structure,grammar,punctuation,citation style, andspelling.80%Some correct use of, but alsoproblems in, sentencestructure, grammar,punctuation, citation style, andspelling.90%Sentence structure andgrammar, generallystrong, with onlyoccasional lapses inpunctuation, citationstyle, and spelling.Sentence structure andgrammar excellent;correct use ofpunctuation and citationstyle, no spelling errors.100%Sentence structure andgrammar excellent; correct useof punctuation and citationstyle, no spelling errors.ProfessionalLanguageWeight20.00%0%Failed to useprofessionallanguageappropriatelyordemonstrated alack ofknowledge.50%Made multipleerrors in the use ofcorrectprofessionallanguage orterminology.80%Used basic terminologycorrectly. May have 1-2 errorsin terminology usage.Delivery of oral reportprofessional.90%Used all terminologycorrectly andprofessional languagethroughout thepresentation.100%Used all terminology correctlyand was confident incorrectness. Professionallanguage was used throughoutthe presentation.
