Grading

60% — Main projects and presentations
20% — Tests
20% — Weekly Assignments/Participation/Journal

Grades will be posted to either Brightspot or Open Lab
Please refer to the college’s catalog for numerical values of grades.

Main projects and presentations 60%

Projects & presentations are worth 60% of the total grade. There will be 3 major projects. Only projects that adhere to documented project guidelines and are presented in a clean, professional manner will be accepted for credit.

Tests 20%

Weekly Assignments/Participation/Journal 20%

  • Type Challenges – Design assignments and discussions completed with time constraints during class or as specified.
  • Type Talk Discussions – Discussion, comments, critiques, opinions on type throughout the semester
  • Found Alphabet Typography Discussions – Image posts of alphabet letters, numbers 1-9, 0
  • Type Scavenger Hunt Activities – Students will look for various typographic topics principles, techniques, and discuss observations
  • Type Hero – Students will create a 5 minute presentation to an assigned designer

Participation

  • Effective student participation is demonstrated by:
    • Posting and commenting on the shared class site, submitting your work, contributing to discussions, or giving peer feedback.
    • Participating in critiques, presentations, and discussions.
    • Muting your phone, other devices, or applications during class meetings.
    • Following best practices for face-to-face and online learning.
    • Class preparedness: bringing materials to class and checking the class site for instructions.
    • Timeliness: arriving to class on time and completing projects on time.
    • Asking questions, volunteering answers, and helping other students
    • Paying attention during live demonstrations and presentations
    • Following instructions

Rubric

Weekly Assignments (5 pts)

  • 1 pt, turned it in on time
  • 1 pt for correct file name
  • 1 pt for correct sorting
  • 1 pt for correct file type
  • 1 pt for following assignment directions

Presentations (25 pts)

  • 1-5 pts for correct information
  • 1-5 pts for authentic and original (no chat GPT, no copying another student)
  • 1-5 pts for neat presentation (text is aligned, legible typeface, no more than 2 typos or spelling errors)
  • 1-5 for follows assignment directions (includes 8-10 images not just of person or type specimens, 2-3 paragraphs (converting to bullet points is acceptable), includes a bibliography, turned it in on time, correct file name, correct sorting, correct file type).
  • 1-5 for clear presentation (are you engaged with the audience and do you express confidence with your subject matter)

Projects (25 pts)

  • 1-10 pts for correct Information/ displays understanding of lessons
  • 1-5 pts for authentic and original (no chat GPT, no copying another student or teacher examples)
  • 1-5 pts for neat presentation (text is aligned, legible typeface, no more than 2 typos or spelling errors)
  • 1-5 follows assignment directions (varies, turned it in on time, correct file name, correct sorting, correct file type, etc).

Critiques

Critiques will be held regularly to help you master the design vocabulary and support your fellow classmates. The critique is a neutral, supportive dialog with members of the class. All students will present their work and discuss the strengths and weaknesses with regard to the project guidelines.

Make-ups

If you will not be able to present or hand in a project on the scheduled due date, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor BEFORE the due date.
Points are deducted for late projects and missed critiques. It’s better to turn in incomplete projects than late projects, and to attend the critique even if your work is incomplete.

Documentation

Student posts and comments will be used for recording and sharing your creative process and learning experience throughout the course. Posts and comments documenting your inspiration, experiments, readings, discussions, field trips, final work, and peer critiques will serve as a record of the effort and dedication you demonstrate throughout the semester. Find student posts and comments in the Student Work section.

Student Posts

You will be posting to the class site every week. Instructions for posting your work will be provided in each class agenda. For general help posting to the class site and submitting your work visit Help & Resources > Participation > Posting your work
Student Comments. You will be commenting on the class site every week. Instructions for commenting on discussion topics, visual library posts, and your fellow classmates work will be provided in each class agenda.

Expectations

The following contribute to your successful completion of the course.


Independent Work

In order to meet the coursework requirements, you are expected to work at least 4 hours each week outside of class meeting time. Lab time will be available to help you meet the requirements, but you will need to schedule independent work time to complete your coursework.

Attendance

The COMD BFA and AAS degrees are design studio programs. In-class laboratory activities and engagement with other students is a significant portion of the courses. Absences more than 10% of the total class hours may result in a 10% drop in a  grade due to an inability to meet the deliverables of participation. This may be in addition to other penalties that will be imposed for failure to complete in-class academic requirements. Missing more than 25% of total class meetings will not be permitted. Any two ‘lates’ (15 minutes or more) will be equal to 1 absence.

Academic Integrity Standards 

Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting and citation of sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the college recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension and expulsion. More information about the College’s policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the College Catalog.