This document outlines the criteria for grading an organizational development proposal. It provides the point breakdown and assessment criteria in four key areas: quality of content, quality of research, organization and mechanics, and APA formatting. For each area, it describes the standards for earning an A, B, C or F grade. The proposal instructions ask students to apply organizational development theories and concepts learned in the course to propose solutions for an organizational change initiative. The paper should include an introduction describing the organization and issue, an analysis of the need for change including barriers, and recommended solutions.

1. Criteria for Grading Organizational Development Proposal
A
B
C
F
Points Earned
Quality of Content
(55 pts)
Student demonstrated exceptional knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories; all statements and opinions were
supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
55 - 50 points
Student demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories; most statements and opinions were
supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
49 - 44 points
Student demonstrated less than satisfactory knowledge of
relevant concepts and theories; some statements and opinions
were not supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
43 - 39 points
Student demonstrated unsatisfactory knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories; many statements and opinions were not
supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
38 - 0 points
Comments

2. Quality of Research
(20 pts)
Student did an exceptional job of integrating course readings
with additional research. Student cited more than the required
number of references. Sources listed were all scholarly or
practitioner journals from the last ten years.
20 - 18 points
Student did a satisfactory job of integrating course readings
with additional research. Student cited the required number of
references. Sources listed were primarily scholarly or
practitioner journals from the last ten years.
17 – 16 points
Student did a less than satisfactory job of integrating course
readings with additional research. Student may not have cited
the required number of references. Some sources listed may not
have been scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten
years.
15 - 14 points
Student did an inadequate job of integrating course readings
with additional research. Student did not cite the required
number of references. Many of the sources listed were not
scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten years.
13 – 0 points
Comments
Organization and Mechanics
(20 pts)
Student presented information in a logical sequence that was
very easy to follow. Essay had no major spelling and/or

3. grammar errors. The page length requirement was met.
20 – 18 points
Student presented information in a mostly logical sequence that
was fairly easy follow. Essay had a few minor spelling and/or
grammar errors. The page length requirement was met or may
have been slightly exceeded.
17 – 16 points
Student presented information in a confusing sequence that was
not easy to follow. Essay had several major spelling and/or
grammar errors. The page length requirement may not have
been met.
15 - 14 points
Student presented information in an illogical sequence that was
difficult to follow. Essay had many spelling and/or grammar
errors. The page length requirement was not met.
13 – 0 points
Comments
APA formatting
(5 pts)
All citations, quotations, and references were formatted
correctly or contained only one or two minor errors.
5.0 – 4.5
Most citations, quotations, and references were formatted

4. correctly or contained a few minor errors.
4.4 – 4.0 points
Several citations, quotations, and references were not formatted
correctly or contained major errors.
3.9 – 3.5 points
Many citations, quotations, and references were not formatted
correctly or contained many errors.
3.4 - 0 points
Comments
Total Points Earned
(100 points max)
Overall Comments
2
Proposal
Instructions
This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade and addresses
Course Objectives 1 through 6. It gives you an opportunity to

5. apply theories and models, identify barriers to change, and
propose appropriate change interventions. You must complete
this assignment individually, without contacting other students,
and you may not use a paper or any part of a paper from a
previous class or from another person. If you have questions
about this assignment, please post them in the Ask the Professor
discussion forum so that everyone can benefit from the answers.
We have discussed a number of organizational development and
change theories and concepts throughout this semester. You will
incorporate some of those theories in your final paper,
showcasing your ability to apply organizational development
principles.
Your Task:
Use what you have learned in this course to develop an 8-10
page change process proposal (excluding cover and reference
pages) for your organization. Assume that you will submit this
proposal to the organization for implementation.
For this proposal, identify a problem area of your current
organization (or one in which you have previously worked) that
you believe warrants a change initiative. In your opinion, what
restraining forces are blocking implementation of a change
program? From an internal OD practitioner perspective, what
recommendations can you make to overcome these barriers?
You should apply ideas, concepts, theories, and practices set out
in the course materials as appropriate to the specific
organization that you have selected. Please follow APA
guidelines for citations, quotations, and references, and use at
least eight scholarly resources that are dated within the last five
years. You are strongly encouraged to use the required and
reserved readings in this course, as well as peer-reviewed
journal articles found through the UMUC library.
Your paper should include the following:
~2 pages:Introduction (Incorporate course objectives 1 – 3)
What is the organization and how did you select it? What is
your relationship with the organization? Using a systems
perspective, include any historical information about the

6. organization and the organization’s culture that would be
helpful in this context. Identify the organizational issue in need
of change.
~3 pages:Need for Change (Incorporate course objectives 4 – 5)
Describe the change that needs to take place and discuss
internal and external forces that represent obstacles to the
change, supporting your opinion with appropriate citations.
Describe the various kinds of data you would need to gather to
confirm your diagnosis. What level of analysis (organization,
group, or individual job) should be applied to this situation?
~3-5 pages:Proposed
Solution
(Incorporate course objective 6)
Create recommendations for a proposed solution. What do you
believe would be an effective intervention? What forces could
be harnessed to promote the change? Who should be included in
the solution’s implementation? What would be considered a
success? What additional approaches could be considered? What
steps would you take to implement the recommended solution.
Be sure to present your findings objectively, without emotion.
Submit your paper electronically via the Assignment folder.
This essay is due on Saturday, November 26.