Norman,
Right on! Rubrics are one tool that helps everyone involved - students and instructors. Thanks.
Rubrics help qualify and quantify instructor expectations for excellence and can support the rewarding of good effort or be the impetus for counseling insufficient performance.
Jennifer,
Helping students understand the rubric and criteria and how they can use the rubric as you noted as a final checklist. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Online instructors need to take every opportunity they can to illustrate clarity in their classes. Rubrics are a part of that clarity and clearly communicating our expectations to the student. A good rubric is a great opportunity to reiterate and reinforce the assignment instructions. I even tell students to envision and use my rubrics as a final "checklist" to make sure they have everything they need to score as many points on the assignment as possible. Students should be able to compare the rubric to their final assignment to have peace of mind that all of the requirements of the assignment are met.
Carla,
We have to keep trying to develop the best rubrics we can. The key is in the criteria and making sure they are complete and correct is essential.
Thanks!
Hi Fred:
I thoroughly understand having trouble with rubrics in certain coursework. Sometimes we get so carried away with "measuring" that we don't look at the overall product.Hence, holistic rubrics. But i can say after years of using holistic rubrics to score GED essays, this is not the answer either. (0:
Roshawna,
Consistency is important. Rubrics do benefit both the students and the instructor in that way. Nice job.
It is so important for the students to get the feeling you are grading on the same scale for all of them. I like to provide my students with the rubric at the beginning of the course. Also, I reference the rubric when I grade their assignments.
Phyllis,
Good point. The instructors learn from the rubrics as well - they learn what the students know and don't know. Nice job.
Rubrics will help students to understand what is expected of them and what they need to do to achieve a grade. It will also provide the instructor with understanding of what concepts need to be reinforced that the students are not getting.
Traci,
The rubrics help both students and instructors. Everyone should be on the "same page" when it comes to the expectations. Nice job.
I think rubrics give students the opportunity to earn the maximum number of points on each assignment. When students are made aware of what is expected they are more likely to do exactly that.
Sharon,
You have provided key words in this post that reflect the advantages of rubrics: clarification, expectations, requirements, and structure. Nice job.
Due to the lack of face to face opportunities with the students, rubrics provide clarification of the format, expectations, and requirements of an assignment for online students. It is a structure by which students can craft their assignments. Often students will have questions regarding the expectations of the rubrics but it is a starting place for students to learn what is expected. I often use these questions from students as a way to refine and enhance my rubrics.
Dori,
Excellent points! Rubrics do help everyone involved. Making sure the criteria are complete and precise is a must to ensure everything you have discussed here. Thanks for your input.
There are many reasons for using a rubric, including feedback for both the instructor and learner. However, since I am grading 100 papers per week, I think it's important to use a rubric so my scoring is consistent and fair.
Lynn ,
Yes, you are right on target. Questions do diminish, students understand the expectations, evaluation becomes more consistent, and the learning experience will improve. Thanks!
Patricia,
Agreed. Rubrics can make the difference between students understanding the expectations and those that do not. With effective rubrics in place, students can more effectively reach the learning outcomes.
Patricia,
Yes, as the students understand the components of the assignment/project, they can more easily reach the set learning outcomes. The rubrics are key in helping students understand the components. Thanks!
In my experience with adult learners the rubric could, as you say, diminish redundant questions while providing sufficient information for these students to focus their performance. I do agree that a "check the box" mentality on the part of the student could diminish learning, but I try to inspire each student to broaden their expectation for classroom outcomes to more than just a grade. Students that want to get more than a passing grade tend to take the extra steps necessary to enhance their learning experience because that is who they are.
