What this course fit rubric does
This rubric is built around the instructional work of an introductory literature course. The categories are scored independently because one resource may offer excellent literary breadth across poetry, drama, and fiction while another may be especially strong in close reading, literary terms, critical approaches, research, or writing about literature.
No single overall score. The rubric is intentionally literature-centered and does not reward or penalize resources for formal logic or argument instruction that belongs more centrally to C1003.
From course expectations to review criteria
A replicable OER Fit rubric should make the path from curriculum expectations to published ratings visible. For C1002, the working rubric was developed from statewide Common Course Numbering expectations and related curriculum guidance, then revised into criteria specific to the course that can be applied consistently across very different OER.
Begin with authoritative expectations such as CCN, a COR, C-ID, standards, or comparable curriculum documents.
Group related expectations into the major areas students are expected to learn and practice.
Define what meaningful, teachable coverage would actually look like inside an OER.
Calibrate Strong alignment, Meaningful alignment, Limited alignment, and Not a significant focus before comparing resources.
Support each published finding with a rationale and a specific location in the OER whenever possible.
The shared course fit scale
Strong alignment
Substantial, explicit instruction that can carry a meaningful share of teaching in that area.
Meaningful alignment
Useful direct instruction, but some range, depth, or support may still need supplementation.
Limited alignment
The topic appears, but treatment is brief, secondary, or not enough to teach it independently.
Not a significant focus
Little or no direct instruction in that area.
How this rubric was built
The rubric organizes the instructional work of introductory literary study into distinct domains: breadth, major genres, diverse voices, literary terminology and approaches, close reading, and research-based writing.
A resource does not earn strong alignment merely because it contains poems, stories, plays, literary terms, or essay prompts. Stronger ratings require substantial literary material and/or meaningful instruction, modeling, guided analysis, or scaffolding.
Reviewers support each rating with a brief rationale and a specific location, such as a chapter, section, page, heading, or stable URL anchor whenever possible.
The C1002 review criteria
Open any criterion to see exactly what distinguishes Strong alignment, Meaningful alignment, Limited alignment, and Not a significant focus.
1 Literary Breadth View rating descriptions
Provides substantial literary study across multiple major genres and traditions, with enough range to serve as a meaningful main text for an introductory literature course rather than concentrating narrowly on one genre, author, period, or theme.
Provides meaningful breadth across several literary forms or traditions and can support a significant portion of an introductory literature course, though some genres or areas may need supplementation.
Provides useful literary material but is concentrated in a narrow genre, tradition, theme, period, or selection. Faculty would need substantial additional literature to achieve broad introductory coverage.
Provides little or no substantial literary content suitable for supporting broad introductory literary study.
2 Poetry View rating descriptions
Provides substantial poetry selections and explicit instruction in reading and interpreting poetic form, imagery, figurative language, sound, rhythm, voice, structure, and other relevant poetic elements.
Provides meaningful poetry selections and useful instruction in several elements of poetic analysis, though the range of poems or depth of instruction may need supplementation.
Includes some poetry or introductory poetic terminology but provides limited range or limited direct instruction in close reading and interpretation of poems.
Provides little or no meaningful poetry content or instruction.
3 Drama View rating descriptions
Provides substantial dramatic literature and explicit support for studying dramatic structure, character, dialogue, performance context, genre conventions, language, and interpretation.
Provides meaningful dramatic texts and useful instruction in several elements of drama, though the range of plays or depth of instruction may need supplementation.
Includes a play, excerpts, or dramatic terminology but offers limited dramatic breadth or direct instruction in analyzing drama.
Provides little or no meaningful dramatic literature or instruction.
4 Fiction View rating descriptions
Provides substantial short fiction and/or longer fictional works with explicit instruction in elements such as plot, character, point of view, setting, symbolism, theme, structure, and interpretation.
Provides meaningful fiction selections and useful instruction in several elements of fiction, though the range of texts or depth of instruction may need supplementation.
Includes some fiction or basic fictional terminology but provides limited range or limited direct instruction in close reading and interpretation of fiction.
Provides little or no meaningful fiction content or instruction.
5 Diverse Literary Voices View rating descriptions
Provides a substantial range of literary voices across cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic experiences, historical contexts, and/or national or global traditions, integrating that diversity meaningfully into literary study.
Provides a meaningful range of authors and perspectives beyond a narrow canonical sample, though additional voices or traditions may be needed for fuller breadth.
Includes some diverse authors or perspectives, but representation is limited, uneven, tokenized, or concentrated in a small portion of the resource.
Provides little meaningful diversity of literary voices, perspectives, cultures, or traditions.
6 Literary Terms & Critical Approaches View rating descriptions
Explicitly and substantially teaches literary terminology, genre conventions, formal elements, literary devices, and interpretive or critical approaches that students can apply to multiple texts.
Provides useful instruction in literary terminology and/or critical approaches and gives students meaningful opportunities to apply them, though some concepts or approaches may need supplementation.
Introduces literary terms, devices, or critical approaches but treatment is brief, primarily definitional, or inconsistently applied to literary analysis.
Provides little or no meaningful instruction in literary terminology, formal elements, devices, or critical approaches.
7 Close Reading & Literary Analysis View rating descriptions
Provides substantial, explicit instruction that moves students from observation and annotation to explication, interpretation, defensible claims, and sustained literary analysis supported by close attention to language, form, and textual evidence.
Provides useful, explicit instruction in several close reading and analytical practices and meaningful opportunities to develop interpretations with textual evidence, though some depth may need supplementation.
Provides opportunities to discuss or write about literature but limited direct instruction in how to move from textual observation to interpretation and sustained analysis.
Provides little or no meaningful instruction in close reading, interpretation, explication, or evidence-based literary analysis.
8 Research & Writing About Literature View rating descriptions
Substantially teaches formal academic writing about literature, including thesis development, use of primary texts, secondary research, source evaluation, integration of quotations, documentation, and drafting or revision within conventions of literary analysis.
Provides meaningful instruction in literary analysis writing and several research or documentation practices, though some aspects of formal writing or secondary research may need supplementation.
Provides some literary writing assignments or brief guidance on thesis, quotation, research, or citation but does not offer enough connected instruction to support formal research-based literary writing independently.
Provides little or no meaningful instruction in formal writing about literature, literary research, use of secondary sources, or documentation.
How AI assists with the first pass
AI is not the evidence. A reviewer using AI can help scan a large resource, apply each criterion independently, identify possible supporting passages, and draft a provisional rationale.
For resources longer than a single unit, the first pass should sample across the whole resource, including opening material, multiple body chapters or units, and later chapters, appendices, or support sections when present.
Before publication, a human reviewer opens the source and checks the evidence. Unsupported or overstated claims are revised. Topic presence is not treated as instruction: a reading, assignment, citation, vocabulary term, or research task does not earn a stronger rating unless the OER actually explains, models, scaffolds, or teaches the skill.
What this rubric does not determine
I use this rubric for an initial pass with AI assistance, then open the resource and check the evidence and draft ratings myself before publishing the editorial analysis. It is meant to help faculty decide what to investigate first, not to certify that a resource satisfies ENGL C1002 or a local course outline.
It does not determine official CCN compliance, local curriculum approval, articulation, accessibility compliance, licensing compliance, or suitability for every instructor, assignment, or student population.
Faculty should review any OER they plan to adopt in relation to their own course outline, local requirements, accessibility expectations, students, assignments, and instructional goals.