Janis,
Improving the rubrics over time is essential for both the students and instructor. Nice job.
I do like that it makes it clear to the student in regards to how they will be graded.
I find that I am always improving on my rubrics. As I learn over time what makes a great submission, then I will improve the grading rubric I use.
Mike,
Love the words you are using - guiding, analyzing, valuable. Three good words to describe rubrics. Glad you and your students find them useful. Thank you.
Darcy,
I use rubrics all the time in business communication and they have been helpful for students in writing business letters and reports. Thanks!
Teaching writing with rubrics is always a struggle, and I'm sure any writing colleagues will agree with me here. On the one hand, there are indeed "measurables" where grammar, formatting, citation, and so forth are concerned, but writing is also quite subjective in nature. I do feel rubrics with writing assignments are important so learners can visualize a breakdown of their score; it just becomes difficult at times for writing teachers to objectify, in a rubric, a subjective skill/talent. :)
Darcy
I find that they provide valuable feedback to the student(s). Also, I believe they are helpful in guiding the student when they are analyzing and determining how they will complete their assignment.
Darcel,
Yes, good rubrics should reduce the number of questions from the students and lessen the confusion on the expectations. Nice job.
Diana,
Right. They help students better understand the expectations. When the are more clear, students are more likely to achieve the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
Basing our scoring and later grading upon a rubric allows the students to focus on the expectations of the assignment within trying to second guess what we are looking for. It answers questions before they are asked.
I am also an online instructor, and the rubric is important because it provides my class with weighted guidelines. For example, if the students are tasked to install a database then that task is weighted. A weighted rubric is important because it gives students a set of step-by-step instructions to go by. I get fewer emails and phone calls asking for explanations.
Natalie,
I have tried to have 4 live chats a semester and schedule them at various times. For example, 8:00 a.m. on a Monday, noon on a Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. on a Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. on a Friday. I put these dates/times (spread out throughout the semester) in the syllabus and tell the students on day one that they have to choose two to attend. They have to rearrange their schedule to just meet two of the four. OR, you could do 1 of 4 or whatever works for you, but then they all have the opportunity to ask question. I record each one as well so all will have access to the recorded session. It's just something that works for me. Thanks for sharing.
Speaking from experience, many of my students cannot attend the live chats when they are scheduled. They listen to the recorded archives later, so they don't get the opportunity to ask questions in the moment when I am describing the assignments. With the rubric, students who are unable to participate live, by choice or circumstance, will still have the same advantage to do well on the assignments as all other students. They will read the same criteria, see the same detail, and follow the same objectives as every other student. They could still learn via self direction but still feel like part of a larger class by following a structured rubric.
roger,
Thanks for your input. Glad you see it as a way to help them reach the learning outcomes. This is very important. I have tried putting the comment section at the top of the rubric instead of the bottom and that seems to help the students focus on the comments as well.
Donald,
AND - don't forget how rubrics impact the students. Rubrics help them understand the expectations and should answer the question - "Why are we doing this" as it connects them to the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
As an online instructor, the use of rubrics to clarify what is important and help get the students to travel on the right path in order to reach their learning objectives for the unit and course is a great tool The students get formative feedback from them (along with any other comments posted with the grade) and it applies a standard across the grading so that each student gets fairly scored. Students do share their scores with each other, I have found. It positions you as an instructor to receive less contact via Open Office, emails and chats with students who think they were graded unfairly. The one thing that does happen though is many students don't know or don't bother to check their grading comments, despite multiple communications to the class that they need to do that.
The rubric allows the instructor to quantify what is expected of the student. Not just how points will be given for the grade, but also what is important to master and define and answer, relatively speaking for the question being asked or task to be performed.
Elizabeth,
To help both the instructor and the students. It's a duo-tool.
It is important to use rubrics to increase transparency in the grading process so students understand what is required of them.
Virginia,
Yes, it may be difficult weighting the criteria, but worth the effort. Thanks for your input.
I enjoy rubrics because they do save time and make grading more consistent. I do find that students can even generate a creative approach to a writing project and I have to be flexible and on my toes when using the rubric in those cases. Weighting can be a bit tricky as well. Virginia Shrader
